How to knit a picot cast-on

A step-by-step tutorial on casting on a picot edge the easy way, including a slow-motion video

Picots are a wonderful way to embellish your knitting. They add a little bit of fringey playfulness to an otherwise plain pattern and in this tutorial, I will show you how to knit a picot cast-on.

It’s quite a simple cast-on technique with a stunning effect you do not want to miss. You knit it almost exactly like the corresponding picot bind-off and together they form a lovely pair in case you want to start and end your project with the same edge.

Let’s dive right into it, eh?

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Casting on smaller or larger picots

You can also create larger or smaller picots with this technique. So, here are two examples I created in preparation for this tutorial:

A) 3 stitch picots with 2 stitches in between

• Step 1: Start with a slipknot
• Step 2: Cast on 5 stitches with a knitted cast-on
• Step 3: Bind off 3 stitches
• Step 4: Slip the remaining stitch back to the left needle
• Step 5: Repeat steps 2-4 until you reached the desired length

B) 1 stitch picots with 2 stitches in between

Step 1: Start with a slipknot
Step 2: Cast on 3 stitches with a knitted cast-on
Step 3: Bind off 1 stitch
Step 4: Slip the remaining stitch back to the left needle
Step 5: Repeat steps 2-4 until you reached the desired length

Folded picot edge

Here, at the end of this tutorial, I also want to show you an alternative way to create a picot cast-on edge. It’s a bit more labor-intensive to create but the effects can be stunning – especially as it lays flat!

• Step 1: Cast-on an uneven number of stitches using a provisional cast-on if you are knitting flat (and an even number for projects in the round).
• Step 2: Knit across 5 rows in plain stockinette stitch.
• Step 3: *k2tog, yo*, k1
• Step 4: Knit another 5 rows of stockinette stitch.
• Step 5: Pick up all stitches from the provisional cast-on using a spare needle.
• Step 6: Fold your work at the [k2tog,yo]-line so the wrong sides are facing each other.
• Step 7: Knit the two sides together the way you would knit a three-needle-bind off (without actually binding off). So, you always knit one stitch from the back needle together with one from the front needle. Then knit the last stitch.

I have a video on my youtube channel where I show this method step-by-step in case you are interested.

Anyway, that’s how to knit the picot cast-on. Comment below in case you need any further help.