How to Work the German Twisted Cast-on

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Most of us learn the long-tail cast-on early in our knitting experience. For some knitters, it’s the only cast-on they ever know. And it’s perfectly fine in many circumstances. But the long-tail cast-on is notoriously inelastic. For socks knit from the cuff down, sweaters knit from the top down, or any situation where you need a cast-on edge that will stretch, you can do better.

My go-to cast-on for socks is the Twisted German cast-on. It is a simple variation on the long-tail cast-on that puts an extra twist in the strand that wraps around the base of your stitches. That extra twist builds a little bit of extra yarn into the cast-on, allowing the edge to stretch. I’ll take you step by step through how to work the Twisted German cast-on.

Also Known As

I’ve seen this cast-on called by several names: German Twisted cast-on, Twisted German cast-on, Old Norwegian cast-on, and Twisted Knit Half-Hitch cast-on. We’ve chosen to go with Twisted German simply because it seems to be the most commonly used name. But is there a difference between the Old Norwegian cast-on and the Twisted German cast-on? No, there is not.

Twisted German Cast-On Tutorial

Watch Now

Allison will demonstrate the technique in this video. For more detail, scroll down for step-by-step photos.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Twisted German Cast-on steps 1-4 — Twisted German Cast-on, steps 1-4

1

Begin with a slip knot on your needle, and set your hands the same way you would to work a long-tail cast-on. The tail yarn is over your thumb, and the working yarn is over your index finger. Maintaining consistent tension on both strands throughout is important. I hold them against my palm with my ring finger and pinkie. The slip knot counts as the first stitch (Photo 1).

Note that you’ll need a longer tail than you would if you were working a standard long-tail cast-on; remember you’re building more yarn into the cast-on edge to allow it to stretch. 10-15% extra is plenty.

2

Using your index finger to hold the slip knot in place, bring the needle tip towards you (Photo 2).

3

Move the needle tip toward your index finger underneath both strands of yarn coming off your thumb (Photo 3).

4

Move the needle tip over the back strand of yarn and downward. Think of the tip of the needle as scraping down your thumb (Photo 4).

Twisted German Cast-on steps 5-8 — Twisted German Cast-on, steps 5-8

5

Move the needle tip toward you and upward, in front of the strand of yarn closest to you (Photo 5).

6

Move the needle tip upward and away from you, over the top of the strand of yarn over your index finger (Photo 6).

7

Scoop downward with the needle tip, catching the yarn from your index finger (Photo 7). This will be the new stitch.

8

Bend your thumb a bit to open up the escape route for your needle tip (Photo 8).

Twisted German Cast-on steps 9-12 — Twisted German Cast-on, steps 9-12

9

Bring the needle tip, along with the new stitch, toward you through the opening you made with your thumb (Photo 9).

10

Release your thumb from the loop of yarn (Photo 10).

11

Put your thumb behind the tail yarn and move it toward you to take the slack out of the loop (Photo 11).

12

When you’ve drawn the slack out of the loop, your stitch is complete (Photo 12). Turn your palm upward, and you’re ready for the next stitch.

Repeat Steps 2-12 until you have the desired number of stitches on your needle.

Twisted German Cast-on vs the Long Tail Cast-on — On the left, the Twisted German Cast-on; on the right, the standard Long-Tail Cast-on. See the extra twist at the base of each column of stitches?

Fight Your Muscle Memory

With very little practice, your hands will settle into a rhythm, and you’ll be able to work the Twisted German cast-on nearly as quickly as the standard long-tail cast-on. But be careful about slipping into your auto-knitter mode. Because the hand set-up is the same as for the long-tail cast-on, I find that muscle memory kicks in if my attention wanders, and I revert to long-tail.

Give the Twisted German Cast-on a try the next time you need a tidy and stretchy edge. I think you’ll be glad you added this technique to your knitting toolbox.

Sandi Rosner is the technical content editor for all things yarn at Interweave. When she isn’t knitting, she usually has her nose in a book. You’ll find new technical content from Sandi nearly every week at www.interweave.com.

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