Long-Tail Cast-On for Beginners

Long Tail Cast-On is usually reserved for knitters that have been knitting for a bit.
However, I teach it to my beginning knitting students even though some might argue that it is too fussy a cast-on to teach beginners. My 8-year-old niece and her best friend picked it up quickly. Much more quickly than I did when I learned it. Why do I teach it to beginners? Because the long-tail cast-on establishes your first row of knitting and starts you off with a good foundation that will contribute to your knitting looking better from the get-go.

It looks complex and it can take a bit of time to get the hang of. It may also be difficult to remember how to do when you are ready to cast on your next project. Take as much time as you need. You don't have to learn it quickly. Other methods of casting on may seem easier at first such as the Backwards Loop Cast-On or the Knitted Cast-On, but these cast-ons can leave a sloppy edge and, especially for beginners, they can be really tight to start out with. Nobody should have to struggle and strain to insert a needle into their cast-on stitches to knit their first row.

Don't get me started on the "hold two needles together and cast-on over both to avoid a too tight cast on" method. This leaves such a sloppy edge and makes it far too easy to add in extra stitches.

Some recommend starting students out by casting on for them and knitting the first few rows. Why would you do this? You are basically telling them, "This is too hard for you so I'm going to do it for you."

Instead, start out by being honest and telling them, "Okay, this may look complicated, but you can do it and we'll go through it as many times as you need to. And, once you get this cast-on down, the knitting is going to seem really easy." Starting beginners with a long-tail cast-on gives them a really neat edge so that right from the beginning their knitting can look good.

After more than 25 years of teaching, in my opinion, the teacher is responsible for finding a way to help each student to "get it." You may need to watch many different YouTube videos yourself and see how different people teach Long-Tail Cast-On so you can help students who learn in different ways from you to understand it.

Several things to remember:
* Demonstrate slowly.
* Use the same terminology each and every time.
* Let the students see from the right angle. Either sit and have them stand behind you to watch or actually reach around them and show them as they will see it on their own needles.
* Be patient. Some students may need more time than others. Don't get frustrated.