Learn how to knit a garter stitch tab cast-on in just a few simple steps—perfect for starting a triangle shawl! 🧵 This quick and beginner-friendly tutorial shows you how to get a clean, professional start to your shawl project.
The garter tab cast-on is a handy little technique often used to start symmetrical triangle shawls—but don’t feel limited by that! It can be a great option for other shawl shapes too. I used it in my Dancing Dices triangle shawl to create a smooth, seamless beginning that blends right into the rest of the knitting.
If you haven’t tried it before, I definitely recommend giving it a go. You can follow along with the video tutorial above, or jump into the written instructions just below. The number of stitches you’ll cast on, and how many rows you’ll knit in garter stitch, will depend on your specific pattern. But here’s a little tip: when it’s time to pick up stitches along the side edge of your work, you’ll usually pick up one stitch for every two rows of garter stitch. So, for example, if you knit 10 rows, you’ll pick up 5 stitches along that edge—one for each little “bump” the garter stitch makes.
Below are the instructions I used as the foundation for my Dancing Dices Triangle Shawl:
CO 4 sts with 3.5 mm (US 4) needles
K 12 rows.
Row 1 (RS): k4, turn 90 degrees clockwise so the left edge of the garter tab is facing you horizontally. Pick up 6 sts along the left edge. turn again 90 degrees clockwise, then pick up 4 sts along the CO edge. (14 sts).
Row 2 (WS): k4, p6, k4.
Row 3 (RS): k4, PM, yo, k2, yo, PM, k2, PM, yo, k2, yo, PM, k4 (18 sts).
Row 4 (WS): k4, SM, p all sts, slipping markers as you come to them, to last marker, SM, k4.
Row 5 (RS): k4, SM, yo, k to marker, yo, SM, k2, SM, yo, k to marker, yo, SM, k4 (22 sts).
Row 6 (WS): k4, SM, p all sts, slipping markers as you come to them, to last marker, SM, k4.
And there you have it—you’ve created a neat, sturdy beginning that sets you up beautifully for any symmetrical triangle shawl. It might seem like a small detail, but a tidy start makes all the difference as your shawl grows. Whether you’re following a pattern or designing your own, this cast-on will serve you well. Happy knitting, and enjoy watching your project take shape!
