Tidy doily centers using Judy's Magic Cast-On with a tatting needle -------------------------------------------------------------------- First, review Judy's video at . Although she explains that it doesn't really matter which direction you wrap the yarn, I recommend that you always scoop the needle toward you under the yarn, for both the top and bottom needles. This will give you a uniform Western-style stitch mount, without the hassle of adjusting them later. Use a tatting needle of roughly the same diameter as the dpns you'll be using for the doily. Hold one dpn and the tatting needle together in your right hand, with the tips pointing to the left and the tatting needle below the dpn. With your left hand, bring the end of your thread up between the needles and drape it to the back over the top one, leaving a tail about 10" long. Press the draped loop against the needle with your right index finger or thumb to hold it in place. Pull the bottom needle slightly forward so the tip extends about a half inch beyond the top one. Then grasp the working yarn and the tail with your left hand like you would for a long-tail cast-on, with the tail still in back (no twisting needed). Begin casting on the required number of stitch pairs. For example, if your pattern says to CO 12 sts, you will need 12 loops on the top needle and 12 on the bottom. Remember that the top needle always gets its yarn from the bottom strand, and vice-versa. The draped loop on the top needle counts as your first st, so the next one will go on the bottom needle. Swivel the needles upward and pass the extended tip of the bottom needle over the top strand of yarn; then scoop the needles down and toward you, being careful to keep the yarn away from the top needle so it only wraps around the bottom one. As you return to your starting position, the wrapped yarn should slide between the needles. Snug it up and add it to the sts that your right fingers are holding in place. To put the next st on the top needle, swivel the needles down and press the tips away from you around the bottom strand of yarn, so the top needle is above the yarn and the bottom needle is below it. Then scoop the needles down and toward you, which wraps the yarn around the top needle when you return to your starting position. Snug it up and hold in place with your right fingers. Continue putting sts alternately on the bottom and top needles until you have 12 on each (or whatever your pattern says), ending with the bottom needle. The last pass of yarn between the needles should be coming from the top strand, which is the tail. Hook your right index finger over the top strand and pull it to the right, to fold the tail snugly along the back side of the needles; then swing the former bottom strand (the working yarn) upward behind the needles into knitting position. Pinch the last few sts with your left hand to hold them in place. If you rotate your wrist to look at the back, you will see that Judy's magic has made a row of genuine purl bumps between the needles. Now with your right hand, untangle the tail from the working yarn if needed, and thread the end of the tail through the eye of the tatting needle from back to front. Pull the tatting needle to the left to draw the tail through all of the bottom loops, and remove the tatting needle. Snug up the tail a bit to remove excess slack, but not too tight yet. Resist the temptation to poke the end through to the back. Still pinching the last few sts to hold the threads in place, slide the whole thing to the other end of the top needle. Then starting at the right end, transfer and divide the sts onto dpns, circs, or whatever you plan to knit with. Prepare to join in the round, being careful not to twist the sts, and pull on the tail to snug up the center ring completely (or leave a small hole if you like); then let the tail fall between the needles to the back. After the piece is finished and blocked, you can make any final adjustments to this ring and then weave in the tail to secure it. When starting to work your pattern, keep in mind that the cast-on has already created one round of plain knitting. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Designed by Cathy Riemer, Aug 2016. Free to use, distribute, and modify.