How to cast on stitches in two colors

Over the last few months we have shown you various techniques to cast on stitches based upon the project.

Today’s technique is especially spectacular because we will see how to cast on stitches in two colors. Also know as Italian Cast on technique.

If you like the brioche stitch, we recommend that you  use it to begin  knitting (if not, you can just as easily knit a rim in two colors for any project to give it a special touch).

1. Start by making a sling knot in the normal fashion, but use the two colors of wool that you have chosen. Put it on one of the wooden needles.

2. Introduce the free needle into the 2 threads of the knot.

3. Next, take the thread with the principal color (the one  used more during the project) and place the thread as though you were to knit a stitch.

4. Pull the right-hand needle out of the two threads of the knot and you will automatically have formed a new stitch. Twist it and transfer it to the left-hand needle.

5. It should look something like in the picture above. You have cast on a stitch!

6. Repeat the previous steps, but this time insert the right-hand needle between the stitch just created and the previous one. Then make the new stitch the first color again.

7. To form stitches the right way, take care to always place the thread of the new stitch around the former thread when you change color from down to up, and also from behind to the front.

8. We are going to continue adding more and more stitches onto the left-hand needle. Proceed in this manner until you have all the stitches you need to start knitting.

Don’t count the two stitches formed by the knot at the beginning. Once you have knit the first round and you reach those stitches, let them slip out of the needle to dismantle  them.

What kind of projects can you knit with this technique? Well, aside from being very suitable for the brioche stitch, it looks great on the rim of a sweater or on gloves.

In our example we have used blue and gray, but you can use any color of cotton yarn balls you like and 5MM beechwood knitting needles.

It doesn’t matter whether you are already an expert in this technique or whether you have just started to use it, we are always interested in seeing your creations. You can share them with us on Instagram with the hashtag #weareknitters.