How to Do the Long Tail Cast On

Last Updated: March 29, 2019 Approved

The "long tail" cast on creates a very neat cast on and will give you a clean edge. It's quick and easy to learn. This article will show you how to long tail cast on.

Steps

1
Pull about 20 inches (50.8 cm) from the ball of yarn.
2
Make a slipknot in the middle of the loose yarn.

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3
Slide the slipknot into one of the knitting needle.
4
Hold the tail yarn in your left thumb and hold the working yarn in your left index finger.
5
Insert the needle to the "loop" made with the yarn in the thumb from down to up. Then, insert the needle to the "loop" made with the yarn in the index finger from up to down.
6
Pull the thumb and the index finger out and pull the yarn tight.
7
Repeat steps 4-6 until your desired number of stitches has been cast on.

Community Q&A

Question

What do I do with the remainder of the long tail once the row is cast on?

LibraryMouse

Community Answer

Leave it. If it is super long, you could cut it - but that isn't necessary.
Question

Is there a better way to know how long the tail needs to be? I have two hundred stitches to cast on and my needle will not be long enough, and the circular is way thinner than the needle.

Community Answer

Just make a tail that's about 1 inch for every 2 stitches. Any craft store that sells knitting needles should have circular needles that are just the same size as any of the other sizes of needles they sell.
Question

I'm finding the stitch really hard to do. Can anyone give me really simple instructions?

Michele

Top Answerer

Play the video while you practice it. Pause as needed and/or rewind. It takes a bit of getting used to, but if you practice, you'll get the hang of it. These are simple instructions, but sometimes it's just easier to see how it's done.