Casting on Without a Knot

I used to start all my cast  on rows with a slip knot. That little knot always irritated me when it came time to do the finishing. Sometimes it gave the corner a slight unevenness, or I had to adjust how I executed my mattress stitch to work around the bump the knot created. Sometimes it was just because I could feel the little hard knot it created. In a bulky yarn it was worse because it was bigger and in lace weight it was occasionally more visible depending on the stitch pattern I was using.

Set up the same as for long tail cast on.

 
I now use a simple twist in the yarn. When doing a long tail cast on I make the first stitch as a loop and then carry on in the usual way. When I'm using the cable cast on I make the loop, move the needle to my left hand and then continue working in the same way that I would if it was a slip knot. Once the first stitch is completed it holds the knot-less loop in place.

Place the needle facing down behind the strand of yarn.

Turn the needle up allowing the yarn to twist around the needle.