Uses:
- Attaching the ends of a piece together without an unsightly seam
- Hemming or edging
- Working a piece when you are unsure how far your yarn will go
- One needle at least two (2) sizes larger than the needle size your project calls for OR two needles held together that are the same size that your project requires.
- Scrap of waste yarn, longer than the length of the stitches you want to cast on.
- Working yarn
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Make a slip knot. Leave a small tail. Work the yarn from the skein. |
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| Hold the end of the scrap yarn in the same hand as the needles. (Leftie for me!) |
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| *Move the working yarn in front of the waste yarn. |
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| Move the working yarn under the waste yarn. |
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| Move the working yarn in front of and over the needle.* |
Repeat from * to * until you have the required number of loops of working yarn on the needle. Here's what it looks like a few stitches in:
End by moving the working yarn in front of and under the waste yarn.
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| Move the working yarn in front of the waste yarn. |
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| Move the working yarn under the waste yarn. |
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| Move the working yarn in front of and over the needle. |
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| You should have an equal number of stitches around the waste yarn as you have on the needle. |
End by moving the working yarn in front of and under the waste yarn.
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| Your work should look like this after removing the needles, leaving only the waste yarn, and working a few rows |
When you want to use the live stitches on the waste yarn, just pick them up on a new needle and remove the waste yarn. Make sure you pick up the same amount of stitches you cast on.
Tips:- Keep waste yarn taught as you work the first few rows so the live stitches, on the ends especially, don't unravel.
- It's OK if your live stitches on the waste yarn are loose while on the waste yarn. This should go away when you pick them up and work with them.
