Here’s a tiny knitting tip that comes with a big reward.
Do you start your cast ons with a slip knot? I did for about 43 years. Then, a year go I discovered I could simply wrap the tail end of my yarn over my right needle crossing the working yarn towards the tip. Then I could use most any cast on, technique—long tail, cable, etc. The first stitch comes together just fine and I proceed.
Now for the wonderful benefit of this little tip. When you come to the end of your first row of knitting, the first cast on stitch is frequently loose, and the slip knot makes adjustment difficult if not impossible. But if you only wrapped the tail when you started you only have to tug on it to tighten the first stitch and voila! If you're working flat, you have a lovely corner without a knot. And if in the round you won't have a nasty little knot when you join to begin working the first row of your project.
Cheers,
James
