Cast On!

Turkish cast on tutorial
Turkish cast on tutorial 2

Wow.







...



I really am speechless. I hate casting on. I loved the cast on presented here: Magic Cast-on For Toe-up Socks, but this Turkish one is really... wow.

Here's a pretty Estonian cast-on. I think it's the Finnish braided cast-on... but Finnish or Estonian - not a big difference. (You could call it Karelian and split the argument LOL)

(Yes, it is, but I don't get it from the first link... )

Another... or is it the same? I don't know. This looks totally unfamiliar to me...

(No, it's not the same - or let's say half of it is ;-) Here's a better explanation.

Looks a bit like "the Old Norwegian Cast-On". Or perhaps "knitted Italian cast-on"?

Also, Italian cast-on is a totally different thing. Yes, it gives a very nice, sharp edge, but is hard to tighten so that the edge doesn't become too tight. And, yes, it's a little tricky to learn.
I like the old Norwegian, though it feels like Norwegian purl... the edge is rather flexible and looks interesting - as if there was two edges... Fascinating.

Actually, the knitted Italian cast-on and the old Norwegian cast-on are the same thing. It's a bit difficult to realize at first, when the techniques look so different, and the results were different. I am not used to English knitting - with yarn in the right hand, and you twist the yarn around the needle by hand, not by needle - so I got a better, more equal edge with the Norwegian style.

Or "tubular cast-on"? Would work perfectly with picot edge :-) I hate doing those too, so this would be a nice one to know.
Here's one with "normal" cast-on help yarn and here's one with crocheted cast-on help yarn that is removed before knitting the edges together.

There's really an ocean of different cast-on methods... I have always taken the long-tail cast-on and thought it was the "only" one there is, hated the fact that there's always too much or too little yarn, fought with the long tails and all that time these different cast-on methods have just been waiting for me out here. :-)

Here's several at KnittingHelp.com with videos.
Here's Knitty's look on the Cast-On part I and part II

Here's some invisible/provisional cast-ons for lace knitters.
Here's a really cute tutorial for the invisible crochet cast-on :-)
Really, you could use the crochet cast-on without removing the yarn.
Or then you could do the "crochet cast-on"...

Disappearing loop cast on for circular work
Emily Ocker's circular cast-on

Now I'm off practising and learning the differences and similarities and I'll come back and explain to you too LOL

P.S. I have always wondered how my big sister makes the purls... she wiggles the needle in a mysterious way, not lifting the yarn over the needle. Now I know it's the "Norwegian purl" and now I know how she does it :-) I keep my style. The only problem with my style (just the same way as the knits, just in a mirror) is that the stitches are turned "wrong". That's apparently the "Combined purl" - and is the most ergonomical way of purling LOL :-) Count that the fat girl knows how to save effort ;-)
(My hubby says it's not that, it's that I instinctively found a way of doing things to save my joints. Sure, it sounds better :-) Nevertheless, I'm really proud of myself :-))