Casting On.

"If you want to destroy my sweater, hold this thread as I walk away..." - Weezer

If you think about it (as the boys from Weezer did), a sweater (or any knitted item) is really just one long string. Flexible and comforting but kinda vulnerable. Complex but simple. One strand of yarn, interlocked together. The stitches are simple. There are endless, endless ways to complicate it. I'm going to try not to. For now, lets be simple. In a hopefully thorough but not too complicated way.

You should have some yarn and two needles in front of you.

Start by picking up your set of needles, one in each hand. There are people out there who will tell you that there is a right way and a wrong way to hold these needles. I'm of the opinion that there's only the way that makes it work for you. Hold the left hand needle (Choose one at random. A set of needles should be as identical as possible. If they're not, take them back where they came from right now.) in a way that will keep it relatively stable and pointed toward your right hand but away from your body. Especially if you're knitting in the passenger seat of a moving car or live in an area prone to earthquakes. Never knit in the driver seat of a moving car.
The right hand needle is the needle that will be doing most of the work, so hold it in a way that allows for movement and a little leverage. Lots of people hold their needles the way you'd hold drumsticks or a hairbrush. Some people are more comfortable holding their needles like pencils. Or one of each. Whatever works for you and feels right. Don't hold them like chopsticks. Unless you are ready to invent a new technique or you are insanely dextrous.

Once you've got the needles in your hands and you're in a comfortable position (I like to have something supporting my arms), the yarn comes into play. Pull the end of yarn from your yarn ball. Now you're ready to do what's called casting on. This will be your set-up row; a row being any number of completed stitches on the horizontal. Here we go.

Step 1: Leaving a tail of about six inches, make a slip knot and place it on the left needle. Pull the knot up until it's snug but not tight. Think of the slip knot as your launching point and anchor.

Step 2: Insert your right needle into the slip knot loop from front to back and the left side of the loop; the right needle crossing behind the left needle, making an X shape. The loop of the slip knot will be stretched open around the center of the X with the knot pointing down and to the back. Hold the tail end of yarn under the left needle with your fingers to keep it out of the way.

Step 3: With your right hand (hold the right needle in place with your left hand), pick up the yarn that's attached to the ball. This part of the yarn is called the working end or the working yarn. Take the working yarn behind the right hand needle and wrap it counterclockwise around and in between the needles.

Step 4: Use the right needle to pull the wrapped yarn under the left needle and toward you through the original loop. You now have one loop on the left needle, one on the right.

Step 5: Take your left needle and insert it right to left in the side of the new loop that is facing you.

Step 6: Turn your right needle to cross behind the left (both needles are still in the new loop), and make the X. Voyla. You're perfectly set-up to proceed with the next wrap. (Tip: You can tug on the working end of yarn at any time to tighten a stitch if it looks loose.)

Oh look, I made a movie about it.



Wow, my voice is nasally today.

Repeat this process until you have the desired number of stitches on the needle. We're just making a practice piece for now, so cast on any number of stitches. That's it. You're now ready to learn the knit stitch, which is virtually identical to what you just learned minus Steps 5 & 6. Hurray! You're so ready.

Terms you should know as they pertain to knitting:

row: a series of completed stitches, horizontally.
cast-on: to create a row of stitches that will be ready for knitting.
casting-on: initiating a set-up row.
slip knot: beginning loop of a cast-on row.
stitch/loop: the section of yarn wrapped around needle. After working, an omega shaped (Ω) section of yarn in the body of work. Top of loop facing in or toward back of work is a knit stitch, facing out or toward front or work is a purl stitch.
tail end: The beginning end of yarn not integrated into work, on a slip knot, the end not connected to the ball of yarn.
working end: the yarn coming from the yarn ball.
skein: a continuous strand of yarn arranged in a tube-shaped coil, usually commercially prepared. As opposed to ball of yarn. Both can be center pull.
center pull: the yarn strand comes from center of ball or tube to make working from it easier, as yarn from the outside of a ball or skein will cause yarn ball to spin and potentially tangle, run under furniture or fall into the heedless arms of cats or children.