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First things first – just like 2 by 2 wouldn’t work by casting on multiples of 2 knit stitches and then 2 purl stitches, casting on the stitches in a literal manner doesn’t work for 2 by 1 or 1 by 2, either.
The cast on for a 2 by 1 or 1 by 2 rib is virtually the same as that for a 2 by 2 rib, except it has one extra step, performed during that first row when the stitches are juggled from our base 1 by 1.
For this blog post, I won’t start from scratch with the basics of the Alternate Cable cast-on – I’ll direct you to the main tutorial for that.
So, just like before, we’ll start with our 1 by 1 Alternate Cable cast-on. Except this time, you need to cast on one third more stitches than you need. So if you need 60 stitches (a 2 by 1 or 1 by 2 works on a multiple of 3, right?) then you’ll want to be casting on 80 stitches. Which means we’ll always be casting on in a multiple of 4, and that is just how we want it.
2 by 1 rib, (knit 2, purl 1)
So let’s start with 2 by 1 rib (knit 2, purl 1), because how we start that very first row is a bit different for each.
And then we repeat the sequence: knit next stitch, swap next 2 stitches over, knit next stitch then purl next 2 stitches together. You should end with a multiple of 3 stitches, and after that you can work your ribbing as desired/instructed.
1 by 2 rib, (knit 1, purl 2)
Now, let’s look at its sibling, the knit 1, purl 2 or 1 by 2 rib. I’ve covered this one second as it’s a little more fiddly to start, but not much, and then follows virtually the same method as the 2 by 1 with the purls and knits worked the other way around.
And then we repeat the process again – slip knit stitch purlwise to right needle, swap purl stitch over with its following knit stitch, slip knit stitch back to left needle from right, knit 2 together through back loop, purl 2. Once we’ve completely worked all the stitches, we’ll be back to a multiple of 3 and we can continue working the next rows or rounds in pattern.
In this shot we can see how the decrease sits much more clearly, and really, it looks pretty good, don’t you think? The twist from the knit 2 together through back loop doesn’t notice, and the decreased stitch is nice and snug and not looking like we tried to lose it. Like I said before, it’s not perfect and it can’t or won’t be, due to the pure mechanics of the stitches. That said, I do think it is worth the effort and looks way better than the alternative of a regular, non-rib cast-on.
Support
As always, if you have a question about this technique or need some help with it, leave a comment below! I’m afraid I’m unable to offer help via email or private message, but you’re welcome to post in our forum.
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Wow! Fantastic – how glad am I to have prompted this. Now I have to find a project to experiment with this technique. Thank you so much.
Actually just off to cast on a cardigan with your provisional cast-on which I'm also grateful for as I find a crochet provisional cast-on a bit of a faff.
Yes, thank you so much for clear instructions – love getting better at my knitting 🙂 Tried to comment a couple of days ago and wouldn't go through – will see if this one does.
Woolly, I really, really appreciate your tutorials. I haven't been knitting but a very few years, and I've learned SO MUCH from you website.
Thank you, thank you!
I was searching for a way to do a 2×1 tubular cast-on (not possible) for a hat, but came across your instructional post as a great solution. I just wanted to clarify (sorry if I’m being obtuse) : you mention that you start with a 1×1 base and treat the first cast-on stitch as a purl/end with a knit stitch for an even amount; is that last cast-on knit stitch the same first knit stitch that you work in the first flat row (right before the purl and knit stitch switch) before joining in the round? And then after joining in the round, do you just seam the gap that is created in the first two rows knitted flat during the finishing stages? Thank you for the post and feedback in advance!
"is that last cast-on knit stitch the same first knit stitch that you work in the first flat row (right before the purl and knit stitch switch) before joining in the round?"
Yes it is 🙂 The start of the cast-on will always be a knot or a stitch that resembles a purl bump, so we have to treat it as a purl stitch. That then means that the last stitch cast-on will be a knit stitch, and working one row flat before joining not only helps us avoid twisting, it puts our knits and purls in a more familiar pattern for working in the round (if you joined straight after the cast on the ribbing would start with a purl stitch, which often trips people up)
You’d then use your yarn tail to close that tiny gap at the end.
Hi, I have a hat pattern that has a p2, k3, p4, k3, p2, k3, p4, k3, rib pattern in order to match in with the cable pattern for the body of the hat.
Is it possible to do an alternate cable cast on starting with 1×1, or is the swapping over more than 2 stitches possible, if bit complicated! Pattern just says ‘cast on 120 stitches’, But I like the look of ac cast on for edge of a hat! Can you help Please?
I think a ribbed cast on that matches the ribbing in your pattern can be done, but I’m not sure starting with a 1×1 alternate cable cast-on then switching it up via this route would be the best way to go – it’d take a few rounds to get the stitch count right and I don’t think it’ll be very tidy.
There is another way to do it and as of yet I don’t have a blog post up! You can combine a cable cast-on and a backwards purl cast-on for different stitch counts, like I’ve done in my Bellefleur pattern, but in the same way you can’t just cast on a knit stitch then a purl stitch for a 1×1 rib, it’s not as simple as casting on 2 purl stitches, 3 knit stitches and so on – there still needs to be some re-adjustment.
So the short answer is yes, it can be done but the long answer is that it’s fiddly and difficult to explain without going into quite a bit of detail, which would best be covered by a separate post. I’m going to prioritise this tutorial about combining the cast ons!
What you could try now is casting on using these two methods combined -the cable cast-on which creates the knits, and the backwards purl cast-on which creates the purls – except that where there’s a change, cast on k1, p1 instead of p1, k1 and vice versa, then swap them around in the the first round.
e.g. for a p2, k3, p4, k3 sequence, cast on:
p1, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p2, k1, p1, k2
and then the various stitches around in the next round to get the right pattern.
it’ll need some tweaking as this is a suggestion I’ve not tried on the needles but that’s where I’d start.
Is there a bind off that closely remembers this method for a 2×1 ribbing? or this is a way to slightly change/set up rows to achieve something similar?
There isn’t that I know of I’m afraid!
When I have a cuff or band that needs a ribbed bind-off, I usually work the cuff/band using the ribbed cast on, then graft it to the rest of the project. For instance when I make myself a top-down jumper, I knit the sleeves and when I need to work the cuff I put the stitches on waste yarn. I then cast on the arm cuffs and work them upwards, then graft them to the sleeve. That way I have all matching edges.