HOW TO KNIT:
Italian Tubular Cast On
Add this elegant cast on to your repertoire for pieces with incredible polish and elasticity. Unlike traditional tubular cast ons, this special technique uses no waste yarn, so you are ready to begin knitting once you have the right amount of stitches, no snipping required! This cast on creates a clean edge of 1x1 ribbing that resembles ready-to-wear machine knitting. Beautiful, durable and professional looking, the Italian Tubular cast on is ideal for the brim of hats or cuffs of sleeves — anywhere you need a finished edge with a little stretch.
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Step-By-Step
Cast on using a needle one to two sizes smaller than you'll be using to knit your ribbing.
Step 1: Make a slip knot (optional) leaving a tail 2 - 3 times longer than the desired width of your cast on. Slip the slip knot onto the needle and hold in your R hand ready to knit. With your index finger and thumb of your L hand extended to create an "L", position the working yarn in your L hand, with the working yarn draped over your index finger and the tail yarn draped over your thumb, holding the ends against your palm. The yarn is held in a diamond shape, with the slip knot positioned halfway between your thumb and index finger, and the needle tip positioned above the yarns, pointing to the middle of the diamond shape.
Note: This video shows the cast-on for a flat swatch with an optional knit selvedge stitch at each end. You can reverse the following steps to start with Step 3 (a purl stitch) and end on Step 2 (a knit stitch) if you prefer.
Step 2a: Create a Knit Stitch: Wrap the tail yarn over the needle by moving the needle tip outside of the diamond toward your thumb and over the tail yarn, then back to the center of the diamond under the tail yarn.
Step 2b: Move the needle tip outside of the diamond toward your index finger and over the working yarn, back to the center of the diamond under the working yarn, then forward under the tail yarn and returning to the center. Keep the loop on the needle and maintain an even tension, ready to cast on a new stitch.
Step 3a: Create a Purl Stitch: Wrap the working yarn over the needle by moving the needle tip outside of the diamond toward your index finger and under the working yarn, then back to the center of the diamond.
Step 3b: Move the needle tip outside of the diamond toward your thumb and over the tail yarn, back to the center of the diamond under the tail yarn, then back under the working yarn and returning to the center. Keep the loop on the needle and maintain an even tension, ready to cast on a new stitch.
Repeat Steps 2 & 3 until the desired number of stitches have been cast on, ending with Step 2 for an odd total number of stitches and Step 3 for an even total number of stitches. Finish with a backwards loop to secure your cast-on row (see video for tip); this backwards loop is the final stitch in your total stitch count.
Work the optional tubular rows below, or switch to your larger needle and start your ribbing.
To work the optional tubular rows:
Note: You'll be working three tubular rows, knitting the knits and slipping the purls with yarn in front (wyif) on every row. The following instructions are written for an odd number of stitches.
If you are working over an even number of stitches, omit Rows 1 & 3 and instead work Row 2 three times, omitting the last knit stitch before the selvedge stitch on each row. If not using selvedge stitches, simply ignore the instructions for them.
Row 1: With working yarn, knit 1 (selvedge stitch), *slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front (pwise wyif), knit 1; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, slip 1 pwise wyif, knit 1 (selvedge stitch). Note that on this first row, your knit stitches will be mounted backwards on the needle, so you'll need to knit into the back loop to untwist them.
Row 2: Knit 1 (selvedge stitch), *knit 1, slip 1 pwise wyif; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, knit 1, knit 1 (selvedge stitch).
Row 3: Knit 1 (selvedge stitch), *slip 1 pwise wyif, knit 1; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, slip 1 pwise wyif, knit 1 (selvedge stitch).
Switch to your larger needle and start your ribbing.
Featured Pattern
FIRST BRIOCHE HAT
BT by Brooklyn Tweed
Begin your brioche journey with the approachable and quick-knitting First Brioche Hat. We designed this hat as a friendly introduction to Brioche Stitch. Using two colors but only one per round makes the structure of Brioche Stitch easier to understand for those new to this stitch. Worked in chunky-weight yarn, this fast-knitting beanie makes for great gift knitting.
Featured Yarn
Arbor is a classic DK weight yarn with timeless versatility. American Targhee wool is worsted spun into a round and springy 3-ply yarn, perfect for crisp stitch definition and wear-everywhere knits. Skein-dyed in a painterly palette of solid colors.
Featured color in this tutorial:
Vintner - The deep and lingering red of an Oregon pinot noir swirled in the glass.
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