Cast-on stitch & cast-on stitch rose tutorial

Let's continue learning how to stitch dimensional flowers! This time we will take a look at cast-on stitch and how to use it to work pretty floral motifs.

First of all, cast-on stitch is quite similar to bullion knot both in way of working (well, just to some extent) and in ways of using. So, if you don't know yet what is a bullion knot and how to work it, I recommend checking the linked post.

By the way, choosing a needle is one more reason why cast-on stitch and bullion knot can be considered distant cousins. As you know, bullion knot requires using Milliners needle, or a needle remotely similar (yes, there are suitable ones, I've used some) with a long thin shaft and narrow eye. The same goes for cast-on stitch. Although the loops aren't wrapped around the shaft as tightly as in the case with bullion knot, still, Milliners needle or its substitutes will serve greatly to make the process as smooth as possible.

Today we will learn how to work cast-on stitch and see two ways of making flowers with its help.

Cast-on stitch tutorial

So, first, you need to make a stitch from one point to another, the distance between these points determining the length of the stitch.

Then bring the needle up in the same hole from where it first emerged (or the one next to it if it is hard to bring the needle up without catching the thread with your needle's tip).

Actually, in some tutorials, you will see the needle lying on the surface of the fabric, but I find it easier when it stands upright.

Now the trickiest part of the whole process. Making a loop. For that, bring your finger under the working thread and then make a rolling motion, bringing the fingertip down. When you do that, the working thread stays wrapped around the finger, forming the loop. Unfortunately, I couldn't take the picture of the movement as one of the hands was occupied by the camera. But here is a nice youtube tutorial: video tutorial.

Basically, this is the essential part of the process. If your cast-on stitch doesn't work, you might be doing something wrong in this step. So be careful!

1. The loop around your finger will look like that. Look closely how the thread crosses there.

2. Now slide the loop down the needle's shaft.

3. Pull the thread, so that the loop sits on the shaft comfortable and cozy.

4. Then add as many loops as you need on top of each other. The number of loops can be different, depending on the shape of the final stitch you want to achieve. Fortunately, if you work the stitch with the needle standing upright – you don't really need to count the loops. Just bend the needle down a little and compare if it fits the length of the stitch. The more loops you cast on the needle, the more arched will be the stitch.

5. When you decide that the number of loops is enough, pull the needle through them.

6. And anchor your stitch at the ending point of the stitch.

Here is the final look of the cast-on stitch.

A couple of tips:

• In step 4 you can notice the forming of a rib, which is also most likely to start spiraling. This is not very good. I mean, it is not really harmful for the stitch per se, but if you pull the thread before adjusting the rib in one straight line, you will have some trouble with fixing the stitch and giving it a proper look. So, remember: before pulling the needle through, adjust the loops so that the rib is one straight line.
• You might notice that sometimes the rib of the cast-on stitch is a little wavy, and sometimes it is absolutely even. The “wavy” thingy happens when some loops have a larger gap between each other than the other ones. I caught an example so look at the picture below. This gap makes results in the “wave”. If you don't want any waves you need to adjust every loop, making sure all of them sit evenly on the shaft. And if you like this wavy effect, you can allow yourself to be sloppier when casting the loops and not mind the difference in the gaps.

The arrow shows you the gap between the stitches that results in a little wave in the final stitch. Also, note how the rib forms a straight line here.

Now, if you cut the distance between the starting and ending points of the stitch but keep the higher number of loops...

You will get a very arched tiny stitch. Doesn't it remind you of a flower petal?

Add a couple more and get a pretty flower :)

Cast-on stitch rose

And now the star of this post: the gorgeous cast-on stitch rose!

1. Outline the shape of your future rose and divide the circle into 5 parts. The first stitch will start at the point 1 and end at point 3. Note that you need to skip one point!

2. The next stitch, or petal, starts at point 2 and ends at point 4. Note that the start of the stitch is situated inside the curve of the previous stitch, somewhere in the middle of it.

3. The last petal starts at point 5 and ends at point 1, behind the first stitch. If needed, you can bend the first stitch a little to open more space.

4. For the next “level” you can use 4 points like the ends of a square. Again, as you stitch, skip one point every time, and start the petals in the middle of the curve of the previous one.

5. The four points strategy creates a very pretty spiral!

6. You can fill the small space in the center with tiny arcs of cast-on stitch, like I demonstrated before.

That's all!

Hope you enjoyed and will try to incorporate this stitch in your next project :) And we are going to learn one more stitch for a dimensional flower this week. I wonder if you can guess which one? 🤔