casting on question

[mcmrymoon]

i do the sling shot cast on but end up doing it over and over because i always run out of (non-working) yarn! how do you estimate correctly! last nite it took me 3 tries to cast on 110 stitches for a longie pattern!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! isn't there an easier way??? :

[Dragonfly]

Good question! I've always heard to make the working yarn 3 times as long as the length/circumference of what you'll be knitting. It never works out for me, though. I either end up too short or WAY too long.... (probably because I stink at guesstimating the final length).

[alliwenk]

I've always heard 3 times the length too...I usually add a little extra "just in case" and come out with too much tail also. Better too long than too short because I dislike casting on.

Allison

[jmofarrill]

I've read to allow one inch for each cast on loop, which is waaaay too much for me, so I allow about a 1/2 inch for each loop. If I have too much tail, I just clip it. I don't mind casting on, but if I have to do it more than once, I get quite irritated!

[yllek]

I've heard all those tricks too, but haven't had too much success with them. This method works well for me...

Making sure that the free tail of the yarn is wrapped around the thumb, cast on 10 stitches. Pull those ten stitches off the needle and unravel those ten stitches, noting how much yarn you needed from the tail end (just what you used for the stitches, not the extra tail). Then just multiply that length by the # of stitches you need divided by 10. For example, if I had to cast on 110 stitches, I would multiply the length of yarn that I needed for 10 stitches by 11. Then just make sure you cast on with the free tail around the thumb again.

I hope that was clear. Math is not my strong suit, and trying to explain something mathematically makes my eyes cross.