Turkish Cast-On

The Turkish Cast-On is often used for toe-up socks. However, it also works as a provisional cast-on to keep live stitches along the cast-on edge that can later be picked up and worked, grafted, etc. (To learn about different types of provisional cast-ons, see this article.)

To work it, you need the needles called for by your pattern and a pair of needles a size or two smaller. Depending on the situation, this cast-on can be loose. Using smaller needles and pulling the wraps tight as you go will help.

Setup: If you will be working half the stitches first and the other half later (as opposed to working all the stitches in the round), tie a small knot near the end of your yarn. (This will help if you want to tighten up your cast-on stitches before blocking your wrap; see note at the bottom of this page.)

Make a slip knot near the end of your yarn. Hold one tip from each pair of needles together, with the smaller needle on the bottom, the larger (working) needle on top, and the tips pointing to the right. Place the slip knot on the lower (smaller) needle. (When counting stitches, skip the slip knot.) Holding the needle tips tightly together, take the yarn around and up behind the tips so that it is pointing upward.

Casting On: *Holding the needle tips tightly together, bring the yarn down in front of the needle tips, then around and up behind them. You will have added one stitch to each needle. Repeat from * until you have the required number of stitches on the top needle. If the stitches seem overly loose, tighten them as you go by tugging gently on the yarn.

Finishing the Cast On: After the last full wrap, with working yarn held firmly behind the needle tips, pull the lower (smaller) needle through so the stitches are on the cable. If desired, add point protectors to prevent stitches from slipping off. Alternately, once you have worked a few rows on one side and the cast-on is more stable, you can transfer these stitches to a spare cable or waste yarn, if you prefer.

If Turkish cast-on is loose, determine which edge your cast-on originated from by locating the yarn end with the small knot near its end. Beginning at the opposite edge of the wrap, gently tug the legs of each stitch until each is the size of those in the surrounding stockinette fabric. Continue until the stitches look even and the extra yarn is at the edge with the knotted end. Pull gently on the knotted end until the excess yarn is transferred from the knitting to this end.

This tutorial shows the steps clearly in photographs, and the following video demonstrates how to work the Turkish cast-on for purposes other than socks. Just be sure to check your pattern after completing the actual cast-on instead of continuing with what the video does!

When you're ready to work the other side, simply transfer the stitches to the working needles and begin.