The Turkish Cast On Method: Seamless Knitting Made Easy

Turkish cast on

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The Turkish cast on is a commonly used knitting technique. It’s often called “closed toe-up cast on” or “Figure Eight Cast On.”

People use it to begin circular knitting projects like toe-up socks, mittens, and hats without seams. This method makes the starting edge look smooth and hard to spot, which is great for achieving a polished, professional finish.

But it is not as flawless as Judy’s magic cast on. Continue reading and you will see why. But it is an easy method, great for beginners.

Materials Needed:

  • Yarn of your choice
  • Circular needles

How to knit? 

Here’s an easy-to-follow guide for doing the Turkish invisible cast on in knitting:

You need circular knitting needles. Is that possible on double-pointed needles (DPN)? Yes, it is possible, but it is tricky and not as comfortable.

Therefore, my advice is to use circular knitting needles if you haven’t done it already!

  1. Make a slip knot, place it on the needle and align knitting needles pointing to the right. Slip knot is on the bottom needle.

  2. Wrap working yarn counter clockwise around both needles. Each wrap is 2 stitches – 1 for each side. For example, if you start toe-up sock knitting and want to cast on 20 stitches, make 10 wraps.

  3. Secure working yarn at the back of the needles preventing wraps from unfolding

  1. Now slide the bottom needle and move the bottom stitches on the cord.

  2. Start knitting upper stitches which are on the needle.

  1. Turn the knitting so the needle tips are facing right. Slide the top cast on stitches on the needle and bottom stitches on the cord.

  2. Unravel the slip stitch and start knitting the other half of the stitches.
    1. That’s it – you just learned Turkish cast on and worked 1st round.
    2. From now on, knit in the round using a Magic loop.

Press the button below and you will see a short video, where I show Turkish cast on. This will redirect you to Pinterest.

Judy’s magic cast on vs Turkish cast on

The Turkish cast on and Judy’s magic cast on are analogous, and they are often used for toe-up sock knitting and other projects that require a closed, seamless start. The difference is that the Turkish cast on is easier.

Have a look closely at the last image. Do you see that the initial row is slightly taller than all the rest?

When we wrap around two needles, no matter how hard we will try, there will be a slight difference. Because we have that extra space between needles.

Judy’s magic cast on doesn’t have that. Instead of having space between the needles, it cleverly crosses the yarn strands, making everything super neat and seamless. Therefore, I prefer Judy’s invisible cast on method for seamless knitting.

In summary, both the Turkish cast on and Judy’s Magic cast on are valuable techniques in knitting, each with its own strengths. The choice between them depends on your project’s requirements and your personal preference for neatness and ease of use.

Other cast on methods:

Judy’s Magic cast on

Pinhole Cast On Knitting From The Center

Long-tail

Double start cast on (stretchy)

I cord method

Jeny’s slip knot

Provisional cast on with crochet hook

Chain edge

Cable cast on

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