[NFB-Krafters-Korner] Really confused about how to do the long tail cast on.

[Dorothea Martin]

Hello, Knitters,
Because of this thread I just did some long-tail cast-on. First, I 
over-estimated the length of my tail. Then I made a slip knot and 
placed it on the needle. Then I did the exact motions I would do to tie 
a bow except that I placed the second loop of the bow on the needle 
next to the slip knot and pulled the tail just a bit to tighten up the 
stitch. That's really all there is to it. I suggest first practicing by 
tying a bow and being aware of each step in the process. Make the knot 
before tying the bow but put it onto the needle. Make a loop around the 
thumb (with the long tail) and transfer the loop to the first two 
fingers. Push up on the other thread (the knitting thread) with the 
thumb, making the second loop and push it through the first loop on the 
fingers, exactly as if making a bow. Now thansfer that second loop to 
the needle next to the slip knot and tighten up the first loop, which 
now surrounds the loop on the needle by pulling the tail a bit. If this 
seems more complicated, make another bow and remember that it is far 
more complex to describe how to tie a bow than it is to just tie one.
My mother and grandmother used the long-tail cast-on almost exclusively 
and we used to debate which method was best. Yarn was cheaper in those 
days, so a long tail that got cut off and sent to the wastebasket was 
not seen as a problem. When I compare it to the knitted cast on, I 
still believe that the long-tail method is one of those vintage 
knitting things that are better left in the vintage bin along with the 
circular knitting needles with the ridged cables that my mother and 
grandmother also used because they hadn't come out with the circulars 
with smooth cables yet. All this means that if, after tying a few bows, 
you're still having trouble with the long tail, forget it and make a 
short tail and knit your stitches onto the needle. You probably won't 
ever need a long tail, anyway. My grandmother died in 1978 and put an 
end to the debates on the matter in our family and I haven't used the 
long tail again until today, though I have never stopped knitting.
Dotty Martin