Italian Cast-On

Hello, dear knitters,
 
I have a question: Ever since I learned about the Italian cast-on about three weeks ago, I’ve been paying attention to which cast-on method was used in all my hand-knitted projects, and I see the classic cast-on in most knitted items. And that makes me wonder: why? I mean, especially for ribbing (socks, wrist warmers), the Italian cast-on seems ideal – it’s stretchy and looks nicely professional. Why is it used so rarely? Are there any drawbacks compared to the classic one?
 
Best regards
Inna

Hello Inna,

I think most people cast on stitches the way they once learned, or at some point chose a method they get along with best.

I know the Italian cast-on, but I rarely use it. Most of the time I also use the classic one because it’s simply the easiest for me. :-)

Best regards 
Michaela 

Thanks, Michaela—that’s certainly one explanation :-).

I’ve always found the classic cast-on to be somewhat imperfect, and I’ve always looked longingly at machine-knitted items—or rather, their edges—and wished that something like that were possible with knitting needles. So for me, a long-cherished wish has come true, and I’ll definitely never use a classic cast-on again. But I also knit very rarely, and I’m never in a hurry. However, if you’ve been knitting a lot for decades, habit naturally plays a much bigger role.

If you want to start a knitting project with stockinette stitch, for example, say you want a rolled edge, then the Italian cast-on isn’t really the best choice, is it? Or have you tried that already?
I’d be interested to know. :-)

Good question :-). Nope, I haven’t tried that yet, but strangely enough, almost everything I knit starts with a ribbed pattern :-D. But now I’m curious to see if it works for stockinette stitch too—I’ll give it a try tonight and let you know tomorrow.

Yes, great! I’m looking forward to your report. :-)

Here’s my take:
You can also use the Italian cast-on for stockinette stitch; it looks interesting, but it ripples a bit and therefore doesn’t necessarily work for everything.

Perfect! As expected, it went wrong :-)

One more try:

You can also use the Italian cast-on for stockinette stitch; it looks interesting too, but it curls a bit and therefore doesn’t necessarily work for everything.



One author also reported another problem: With long projects, such as shawls, the Italian cast-on stitches twist on the cable between the needles, and since they’re already very fragile, it becomes particularly difficult—which is why they aren’t recommended for beginners. And that actually brings us to what is probably the most important reason why there are relatively few patterns here that use the Italian cast-on: Many people find it complicated, which is why they’re reluctant to buy such patterns.

@Michaela, I haven’t knitted a very long piece yet, but it does look as though this cast-on would curl up when knitting stockinette stitch; however, since the edge also ripples at the same time, it might end up looking a bit too uneven :-).

For anyone unfamiliar with the Italian cast-on, here’s an example:



For rib patterns, it’s, in my opinion, just perfect!
There’s also a corresponding bind off method that looks exactly the same, but instead of knitting it, you sew it with a needle. The explanations on YouTube are incredibly complicated, but once you try it yourself, it clicks pretty quickly.

@Inna

Pieces knitted in stockinette stitch always curl up; there’s hardly any effective way to prevent it. You have to work around it with, for example, a few rows of garter stitch, seed stitch, or slipped stitches.

The Italian cast-on also looks very nice with rib patterns, so it’s perfect for cuffs.

@Michaela, that’s true—stockinette stitch curls up. But that might also be intentional. Your question yesterday was whether the same thing happens with the Italian cast-on. I think so, but it probably won’t result in a neat roll—more like an irregularly curled edge.
So for ribbing, I now have a clear favorite; for other things (if I ever knit something else), I’ll decide on a case-by-case basis. And I’ll also learn other cast-on methods—as I found out today, there’s still plenty to discover :-).

@Inna
Oh, that’s not what I meant at all. I was asking whether the Italian cast-on is generally suitable for knitting projects that start with stockinette stitch.
But I guess that question has answered itself now. :-)

There are so many ways to cast on stitches. There’s the classic cast-on, the cross cast-on, the loop cast-on, the crochet cast-on, and so on. :-)

Yeah, I’ve already seen that on YouTube—you never stop learning :-).

And that’s exactly what I find so exciting about our hobbies. :-)

@Inna, your question about the Italian cast-on was posted yeeears ago now, haha, but I think it’s really nice too. I read somewhere that you’re supposed to start with a needle one size smaller because it’s a bit loose, you know what I mean? Can you confirm that? I’ll be working on something like that soon and will give it a try.
Best wishes, Christine 

I’m used to casting on by knitting the stitches.

I don’t get along very well with this method of casting on.

@Christine,

I use the same needles for this as I do for the rest of the piece, and I don’t think the stitches turn out any larger with the Italian cast-on. But… for the standard cast-on, I always use two needles because otherwise my stitches turn out too small—so it could be that I generally cast on very tightly.
I think you’ll just have to try it out for yourself :-).

Best, Inna

@Inna, I read on simply-kreativ.de that you’re supposed to cast on using a needle that’s half a size—or even a whole size—smaller. I’m definitely going to try it that way and let you know how it goes.
The yarn is coming in the mail today—I’m really looking forward to it.
Best wishes, Christine

Hi Inna,
thanks for the info—I just had to check YouTube to figure out what you meant.... But it’s very interesting....
Hope you’ve learned how the Italian cast-on works in the meantime! Good luck and all the best
Julia

The Italian cast-on is interesting.

To keep the ribbing from getting too tight, I prefer the knitted cast-on. It’s very simple, comes out straight, and is nice and stretchy. And you have the advantage of starting with a short strand of yarn and not having to calculate how long the yarn needs to be at the beginning.

I also like to do it this way when I have to cast on a lot of stitches.

Best regards, Monika

@Monika, Hi there, so you don't have to calculate how long the yarn needs to be for casting on a certain number of stitches, the internetzzz ... has a solution ready for that too. I've had that problem before, too: you've cast on 100 stitches, need 10 more, and the yarn is too short. So, you can do it like this. I hope I'm explaining it correctly .... you take 2 balls of yarn - loosely tie the two together, so that you can undo them later (the knot) - right there at the knot is basically your first stitch - I think you understand.
I haven't heard of knitting on the cuff yet ... I'll have to look that up. 
But I think I'll stick with the Italian cast-on, which I know well.
Have a nice day.
Best, Christine

@Christine, thanks for your version.
I get along really well with increasing to the right, or knitting on. With a little practice, it’s really quick and easy. Right now it seems easier to me than starting with 2 strands. ;-)

Best regards, Monika

@juliasuranyi,

I’ve been doing that for a long time, but since I don’t knit that often, at the beginning I have to think again each time about how it works. But as soon as I remember, it goes like clockwork. And I’m still thrilled with it :-).

Best wishes, Inna

I really need to try that again—it’s been ages since I’ve used the Italian cast-on. I’ll probably have to turn to the internet for that, just like I did for the Italian bind-off.

@ChristinaE
I think the cast-on is great—it looks just like store-bought knitwear. And simple-kreativ has instructions for it, and they’re well explained.
Best wishes, and let’s get knitting! ????????????????????