Recently whilst perusing the boards over on Pinterest, I stumbled across a pin titled ‘Disappearing loop cast on’;  I had never heard of this method.  Always keen to learn new tricks I started grokking this cast on.  The pin took me to the TECHknitting website,  where there is a good step by step tutorial.  However I find following diagrams very hard work and painstakingly slow.  I learn best through demonstration, in just a few clicks I found this great video from Laura Nelkin and this had me converted to the disappearing loop cast on in just a couple of minutes.

The benefits of the disappearing loop cast on;

• This cast on is perfect for items that start from the middle,  so centre out shawls, hats, toys
• There is no small hole in the centre
• No slip knot to start, thus eliminating ‘that’ lump
• Less finishing
• It just pulls closed

For those of you familiar with the provisional cast on,  you will soon realise just how similar the disappearing loop cast on is. Rather than casting on over waste yarn you are casting stitches on over a loop of your working yarn.

Still not sold?

I have worked a couple of samples to show you the difference.

Originally I cast on 8sts over three dpn’s,  joined into the round and worked an increase round every other round.

Next, I used the disappearing loop cast on.  I cast on the same number of stitches and worked the rounds as I did the sample before.

I took both samples off the needles and stuffed them so you could see what they look like ‘finished’.  I closed the traditional cast on sample with a running thread through the cast on stitches and pulled tight to close and secured on the wrong side.  The disappearing loop needed nothing more than securing on the wrong side. The examples were worked in the most unforgiving of yarns, cotton, imagine how invisible this would be worked in wool!

              Disappearing Loop Cast on                                 Traditional Cast on