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Learn to Knit: Judy's Magic Cast-On

25th May 2017 Cast-on 5 min read
Knitting Tutorial - Judy's Magic Cast-On

Learn to Knit: Judy's Magic Cast-On Tutorial

It took me a while to figure this cast on out. Here is the original posting in photos on knitty. I found it easier to understand this cast on visually so I put a short video together with my interpretation of the cast on.

How to Work:

  1. Start with circular needle and a tail long enough for half your stitches.
  2. Hold both tips of circular needle in right hand together, with tips pointing to left.
  3. Drape yarn over back needle with tail hanging between needles.
  4. Cross yarn underneath back needles, bringing tail to back. Hold tail with left index finger and working yarn with thumb under the needle tips.
  5. Lift needles up and over back yarn, putting loop onto front needle.
  6. Drop needles to front and bring front yarn between both needle tips, wrapping it over the back needle.
  7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have enough needles cast on, with an equal number of stitches on the front and the back needles.

Take care when you work the first stitch to ensure that the stitches do not unwrap.

This cast on was originally designed to create a cast on that worked in both directions for the top of toe up socks. It can also be used anywhere you need a provisional cast on to create live stitches to work in both directions.


Read more about knitting cast on methods.

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About the Author

Carol Feller

Carol trained as a structural engineer, and she brings that love of analysing structure into her knitting, creating complex patterns that are easy to understand, while her approach to process is all about testing and playing, and making mistakes along the way. That’s where the
joy lies!

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