Use these 5 tricks to improve your cast ons and bind offs

I used to be obsessed with cast on and bind of techniques.

Before there were books like Leslie Ann Bestor’s Cast On, Bind Off or Cap Sease’s Cast On, Bind Off, I started collecting different techniques from across the internet.

I believe our own Cast On, Bind Off class in the Yarnist Academy has more than 50 methods, and I’ve come across even more since then…

…perhaps it’s time for an update. 🤔

Anyway, while there are plenty of ways to create a solid cast on, even the most seasoned knitter has things that can be improved.

Today I’m sharing 5 of my favorite tips to level up your cast ons and bind offs so your knits look more professional.

Let’s dive in!

Cast On Over Two Needles (Tutorial)

Why should you cast on over two needles?

Two reasons.

First, you don’t run the risk of your cast on edge being too tight. The elongated cast on stitches give your work plenty of room to breathe and find their perfect tension.

Second, this gives you a much more flexible, stretchy edge which is a lot easier to work with.

PLUS, you can do this with almost any cast on method, not just the long tail.

No Slip Knot Cast On (Tutorial)

I am not the biggest fan of making a slip knot to begin a cast on.

For me they can be bulky and it takes longer to create than the method shown above.

Instead of making a slip knot, we can very quickly and easily start our cast ons using a simple trick.

By making a hitch knot you’ll get a smooth first stitch. The tutorial above will show you how.

NOTE: This works best with long tail style cast ons.

**Match Your Bind Off with the Crochet Cast On

(Tutorial)**

It took me years to realize that you could match your cast on and bind off techniques.

To be honest there are not that many CO/BO pairings, but there is one technique that perfectly matches a traditional bind off.

The crochet cast on is much different than most methods, but the edge it creates is nice and solid.

I love the way it looks, and it is flexible but sturdy.

It does take a little longer to execute, but it’s worth the effort.

The Infinite Long Tail (Tutorial)

This trick literally changed my life when I learned it more than 10 years ago.

If you’re sick of trying to estimate how much yarn you need to cast on for the long tail, this is a HUGE time saver.

And it’s ridiculously simple.

Instead of guessing how much yarn you need for your long tail, use both ends of the yarn to make your long tail.

This way you’ll never run out of yarn and you just cut the tail for the outside end of your yarn. 🤯

Neatly Bind Off The Last Stitch (Tutorial)

It took me WAY too long to address this problem in my own knitting.

I’ve often had the last stitch of my bind off have too much slack.

Luckily there are a few easy ways to fix this and our friends at 10 Rows A Day outline them all.

Conclusion

So there you have it!

These are a few quick things you can tweak to improve the quality of your knits start and finish.

But what do you think?

Have you used any of these techniques before?

Do you have any knitting hacks we should know about?