I'm going to be getting ready to make the sideways garter-stitch border for EZ's Pi shawl, but I'm not understanding her directions.

She says, "When the shawl is big enough, suddenly, at the beginning of the round, cast on eight stitches by knitting them on in the old-fashioned way..."

What does she mean by knitting on stitches "in the old fashioned way"? You'll be casting on stitches to the existing project--would I be using the backwards loop cast on for this?

cast on, knit on, however you want to
but then knit, and for each row that starts at the shawl, pick up the next stitch on the shawl as the anchor stitch
or this is what I understand it to be

ecb

the shawl is "big enough" and you reach the begginning of the round. KNit the first stitch. instead of slipping the stitch off the left needle, slip the newly created stitch back to the left needle. knit *THAT* stitch; slip the new one back to the left needle, etc, etc.

I suspect her "the old fashioned way" comment is because that was at one time one of the most common methods of casting on taught.