A slip knot is the loop you tie at the end of your yarn to start knitting

A slip knot is the first knot you tie when you begin any knitting project. It creates a loop that sits on your needle and serves as your first stitch. Without it, you have no anchor point for the stitches that follow. The knot itself takes about 30 seconds to tie once you know the motion, and it uses only a few inches of yarn from the end of your ball.

The slip knot is not decorative—it is functional. It holds your working yarn in place while you cast on (add stitches to your needle), and it becomes part of your first row. Every knitter ties this knot the same way, in the same order, so once you learn it, you will recognize it when ready on any project.

Key Takeaways

  • A slip knot is a loop of yarn that anchors your first stitch to the needle and takes about 30 seconds to tie.
  • You create the knot by making a loop, pulling yarn through it, and then tightening it around your needle.
  • The knot should be snug enough to hold but loose enough that you can slide it along the needle without forcing it.
  • If your knot is too tight, your first row will be hard to work into; if it is too loose, stitches will slip off the needle.
  • Practice tying the knot five or six times before you start a real project so the motion becomes automatic.

Step-by-step: Tying the slip knot

Start with about 6 inches of yarn extending from the end of your ball. Hold the yarn in your right hand (or left, if you are left-handed) with the ball end draped over your palm. Use your other hand to make a loop by crossing the working yarn over the tail end. The loop should sit in the palm of your non-dominant hand, with the tail hanging down.

Now pull the working yarn (the end connected to the ball) through the loop from underneath. You will see a new, smaller loop form inside the first one. This inner loop is what will sit on your needle. Hold that inner loop between your thumb and index finger, then pull both the tail and the working yarn downward. The knot tightens as you pull. Stop when the loop around your finger is snug but not strangling—you should be able to slide it off easily.

Insert your needle through the loop from left to right. The loop should sit on the needle shaft, not at the tip. Pull the tail and working yarn gently to tighten the knot around the needle. The knot should not slide when you tug the working yarn, but it should not be so tight that you cannot move it along the needle shaft with your fingers. This is your starting point.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

The most common error is tying the knot too tight around the needle. This happens when you pull both the tail and working yarn hard before the loop is on the needle, or when you tighten it after the needle is in place. A tight knot makes your first row painful to work into because the stitches have nowhere to go. If this happens, slide the knot off the needle, loosen it by pulling the tail gently, and re-tighten it with the needle in place, using less force.

The second mistake is making the loop too large. A loop bigger than a dime is hard to control and will slip around on the needle as you cast on. If your loop is oversized, pull the working yarn to shrink it before you insert the needle. The loop should be roughly the diameter of your needle, maybe slightly larger.

A third error is forgetting to leave a tail. The tail (the short end hanging from the knot) should be at least 4 inches long so you can weave it in later. If you tie the knot right at the end of the yarn with no tail, you will have nothing to hold onto while you cast on, and the knot may come undone. Always leave a tail before you begin.

Adjusting the knot once it is on the needle

After the knot is on the needle, you can still adjust it. If it feels too tight, hold the needle steady with one hand and gently pull the tail with the other. This loosens the knot slightly without removing it. If it feels too loose and slides when you tug the working yarn, hold the tail steady and pull the working yarn to tighten it. Make small adjustments—you do not need to redo the whole knot.

The knot should feel find but not restrictive. When you cast on, you will pull the working yarn repeatedly, and a knot that is too tight will resist every pull. A knot that is too loose will let stitches slip off the needle. Spend a few seconds getting it right before you move to the next step. This small pause saves frustration later.

Why the slip knot matters for your cast-on

The slip knot is the foundation of your entire cast-on row. Every casting-on method (long-tail, cable, thumb cast-on, and others) begins with this knot on the needle. If the knot is positioned wrong or tightened wrong, your cast-on stitches will be uneven or too tight, and your first row will look lumpy or feel stiff.

The knot also determines how much yarn you need for the tail. Most cast-on methods require a tail that is 3 to 4 times the width of your finished piece. If your knot uses up too much tail because it is oversized or poorly tied, you may not have enough yarn left to cast on all your stitches. Learning to tie a neat, compact slip knot saves yarn and prevents you from having to start over.

Practice before you start your first project

Tie the slip knot five or six times on scrap yarn before you begin a real project. Use yarn that is similar in weight to what you will knit with—if you practice with thin yarn and then knit with thick yarn, the motion will feel different. Each time you tie it, try to make the loop the same size and the knot equally snug. After five repetitions, the motion becomes muscle memory, and you will not have to think about it.

If you are learning to knit, this practice also builds confidence. The slip knot is the first thing you do, and doing it well sets the tone for the rest of the project. A knitter who can tie a neat slip knot in 20 seconds feels ready to begin. A knitter who struggles with it for two minutes feels frustrated before the real work even starts. A few minutes of practice now pays off in calm, steady hands when you cast on for real.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a slip knot if I am casting on with the long-tail method?

Yes. The long-tail cast-on begins with a slip knot on the needle. The tail you leave becomes part of the long-tail cast-on itself, so make sure it is long enough—usually 3 to 4 times the width of your finished piece. The slip knot is the same; only the amount of tail changes.

What if my slip knot keeps coming undone?

This usually means the knot is too loose or you did not pull both the tail and working yarn tight enough. Remove the knot, tie it again, and pull harder on both ends before you insert the needle. If it still slips, you may be pulling the working yarn too hard while you cast on. Ease up on the tension and let the knot sit on the needle without fighting it.

Do I count the slip knot as my first stitch?

No. The slip knot is your anchor, not a stitch. When you cast on, you add stitches to the needle in addition to the slip knot. After you finish casting on, you will have the slip knot plus all your cast-on stitches on the needle. On your first row, you will knit into the cast-on stitches and leave the slip knot loop on the needle until the very end.

How tight should the slip knot be around the needle?

Tight enough that it does not slide when you tug the working yarn, but loose enough that you can move it along the needle shaft with your fingers. If you cannot slide it at all, it is too tight. If it moves freely without any resistance, it is too loose. The right tension takes practice to feel, so adjust it a few times before you start casting on.

Can I tie a slip knot on a circular needle the same way?

Yes, exactly the same way. The only difference is that a circular needle has two tips instead of one, so you can insert the knot on either tip. The knot itself is tied identically. Some knitters prefer to tie it on the left tip so it does not get in the way while they cast on, but either works.