ribbing that stays tight

knittingnanna · 01-13-2005, 08:59 AM

Years ago someone showed me how to do a cast on stitch that makes the ribbing retain its stretchiness and won't become loose later on. I know it was a little complicated but I can't remember for the life of me how to do it. I am knitting a pair of wool baby pants and I was trying to find a cast on that help keep the k2 p2 ribbed waistband so it stays like elastic and won't stretch out after a few wears and washings. I hope this makes sense.

salsa · 01-13-2005, 02:20 PM

Hi knittingnanna,

Amy has a page with different types of cast-ons here:

http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting...ques/index.php

Do any of those help you? (There is an "Alternate Cable Cast-On" that is right down the bottom of the page and it looks like what you are asking about?)

I read somewhere that the "old norweigian cast-on" is good for k2-p2 ribs, and Amy has a video for this cast-on on as well...

amy · 01-14-2005, 10:50 AM

I'm not an expert on how cast-ons wear, but I would guess that alternate cable cast-on would be the best choice. It's the firmest of the stretchy cast-ons that I know of.

I would worry that Old Norwegian wouldn't be stretchy enough.

Good luck!
Amy

Shannon · 01-15-2005, 03:15 AM

ok, I am also trying find a nice cast on to use at the top of pants that is very elasticy. I went to the video on the alternate cable cast on but I can't understand it because I knit the english way so the video is to hard to figure out. Can you please help me.

amy · 01-15-2005, 05:11 AM

Welcome Shannon!

You treat it like the knit and purl stitches, but instead of putting the right needle into the loop of the next stitch, you put the needle between the two stitches on the left needle. You just alternate knitting and purling through this space, and putting the loop it creates onto the left needle. Hope that helps.

Amy