If you hold your working yarn Continental-style (in the left hand), be sure to bring the yarn around to the front for a purl stitch or around to the back for a knit stitch after placing the new stitch on the left needle and before inserting the right needle between stitches to make the next stitch.

Beginning with a Knit Stitch

• Make a slip knot on the L needle to begin.
• Insert R needle purlwise into slip knot and purl a new stitch. Place the new stitch on L needle.
• *Insert R needle from the front between the first and second stitch on the L needle, wrap strand of yarn around R needle as you would for a knit stitch and pull through, place this new loop onto L needle, insert R needle from behind the L needle between the first and second stitch on the L needle, wrap strand of yarn around R needle as you would for a purl stitch and pull through, place this new loop onto L needle; repeat from * until the required number of stitches have been cast on, ending with a knit stitch if casting on an odd number of stitches.
• After last stitch has been cast on: If last stitch cast on was a knit stitch, slip last stitch purlwise to R needle, bring working yarn to front between needles, return last stitch to L needle and pull working yarn snugly. If the last stitch cast on was a purl stitch, slip the last stitch purlwise to R needle, bring working yarn to the back between needles, return last stitch to L needle and pull working yarn snugly. Repositioning the working yarn in this way creates a cleaner edge at the end of your cast-on row.

If using this method to cast on stitches to a piece in progress, omit the slipknot and begin at *

Beginning with a Purl Stitch

• Make a slip knot on the L needle to begin.
• Insert R needle knitwise into slip knot and knit a new stitch. Place the new stitch on the L needle.
• *Insert R needle from behind the L needle between the first and second stitch on the L needle, wrap strand of yarn around R needle as you would for a purl stitch and pull through, place this new loop onto L needle, insert R needle from the front between the first and second stitch on the L needle, wrap strand of yarn around R needle as you would for a knit stitch and pull through, place this new loop onto L needle; repeat from * until the required number of stitches have been cast on, ending with a purl stitch if casting on an odd number of stitches.
• After last stitch has been cast on: If last stitch cast on was a knit stitch, slip last stitch purlwise to R needle, bring working yarn to front between needles, return last stitch to L needle and pull working yarn snugly. If the last stitch cast on was a purl stitch, slip the last stitch purlwise to R needle, bring working yarn to the back between needles, return last stitch to L needle and pull working yarn snugly. Repositioning the working yarn in this way creates a cleaner edge at the end of your cast-on row.

If using this method to cast on stitches to a piece in progress, omit the slipknot and begin at *.