Dianne is having a contest over on her blog, and is looking for your favorite tips or techniques. Here’s one of mine!
One of my favorite knitting tips that makes my knitting life easier is how to calculate how much yarn you’ll need for a long-tail cast-on. How many times have you ended up with a tail that is much too long, or run out right towards the end? Here’s an easy way to know how much yarn you need:
Let’s say you need to cast on 100 sts. Cast on 10 sts then unravel your cast on and see how much yarn it took. Multiply that length by 10 (10 x 10 = 100) and that will show what length yarn you need. Add a few inches for weaving in (or a longer length for seaming, if necessary), and that’s it!
(Obviously you need to multiply the 10-st-co length by whatever number it will take to give you the number of sts YOU need to cast on).
(If you decide to enter, please leave in the comments that I referred you. Thanks!)
jeloca.com 
February 14, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Great tip! I always end up with a gigantic tail after casting on because I don’t want to run out just as I’m at the end of the cast on.
I’m almost done the alphabet blanket, and will hopefully take a picture of it after going camera-shopping this weekend. (Thanks for the camera tips). I haven’t picked out the yarn for the Clapotis. Do you have any suggestions?
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February 14, 2008 at 11:14 pm
I can’t find your email either! I am dwood333 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
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February 15, 2008 at 12:35 am
OMG that is a great tip! I usually go by the 3x the width of a project, has served me well so far but your’s makes sense if I don’t have a measuring tape lying around…
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February 16, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Like everyone else, I think that is an awesome tip! Usually it takes me about 2-3 tries to get it right.
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February 17, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Good tip! My tail is always MUCH too long, because I absolutely hate running out and having to start over (also, have you noticed how the long tail cast on tends to untwist the plies in your yarn?).
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