Video Tip: How to Do the Long-Tail Tubular Cast-On for 1x1 and 2x2 Ribbing

As a new knitter, I had only two cast-ons in my toolbox—the e-loop cast-on, which was quick and easy to make, but frustrating to knit, and the cable cast-on, which was slower, but solid and reliable. Eventually, I read about the long-tail cast-on in Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Without Tears. This was long before YouTube, so I spent an afternoon reading the instructions and making my hands look like the diagrams. I discovered that the long-tail cast-on is fast, fun, easy, and reliable. It became my go-to choice for most knits.

The e-loop cast-on is quick, but quickly becomes frustrating over a large number of stitches. Photo by Pamela K. Schultz

As I began knitting my own sweaters, though, I wondered why my cast-on edges never looked like the sweaters I saw in stores. My knits with ribbing had a clear horizontal line across the cast-on edge, while store-bought sweaters had a gorgeous edge that seemed impossible, with stitches that seemed to melt seamlessly from front to back.

The long-tail cast-on is quick and easy, but leaves a visible ridge when cast on just before working ribbing. Photo by Pamela K. Schultz

After asking around, I discovered that this is a common way to start a machine-knit garment. At the time, all the handknitting books in my library that mentioned a tubular edge required a tedious provisional cast-on. It turns out that what’s easy and fast on a knitting machine isn’t always what’s easy and fast by hand, and vice versa, but that’s a story for another day. I tried the provisional tubular cast-on method once, and decided it wasn't worth the effort. I chose to stick with my trusty long-tail cast-on, even if it wasn’t as pretty.

Many years later, I discovered the long-tail tubular cast-on, and I was hooked! Like the long-tail cast-on, all you need to get started is your yarn and needles. It works with knit one, purl one ribbing or knit two, purl two ribbing, and has quickly become my favorite cast-on for sweaters and hats.

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See how to do the long-tail tubular cast-on. Video by Pamela K. Schultz

How to Work the Long-Tail Tubular Cast-On

1. The long-tail tubular cast-on starts just like the long-tail cast on. Measure out a tail that’s about three and a half times longer than the width of what you’re knitting.