A slip knot is the starting point for almost every knitting project
A slip knot is the loop you place on your needle before you cast on. It anchors your working yarn and gives you a find foundation for your first row of stitches. Without it, your cast-on stitches have nothing to grip, and your work unravels the moment you pull the yarn.
The slip knot itself is not counted as a stitch — it is straightforward the mechanism that holds everything in place. Once you finish casting on, you will slip this knot off the needle and begin your actual knitting. Learning to tie one takes about two minutes, and the motion becomes automatic after a few projects.
Key Takeaways
- A slip knot is tied before casting on and serves as an anchor for your first row of stitches.
- The knot is made by looping yarn around your fingers, pulling one loop through another, and tightening it onto your needle.
- The working yarn (the yarn attached to the ball) must be the strand you pull tight, not the tail end.
- If your slip knot is too tight, your first stitches will be difficult to work; if it is too loose, stitches will slip off the needle.
The basic steps to tie a slip knot
Start with your yarn in your hand. Leave a tail of about 4 to 6 inches — this is the end that came from the ball before you cut or pulled it. Hold the working yarn (the long strand connected to the ball) in your dominant hand and the tail in your other hand.
Make a loop by crossing the working yarn over the tail. The working yarn should pass over the top of the tail, forming a circle. Hold this loop loosely between your thumb and forefinger so it does not collapse.
Pull the working yarn through the loop from underneath. Insert your needle or a finger under the loop and grab the working yarn, then pull it back through. You now have two loops — the original one and the new one you just created.
Place the new loop on your needle. Slide your needle through the loop so the loop sits on the needle shaft. Pull both the tail and the working yarn to tighten the knot around the needle. The knot should be snug enough that it does not slide, but loose enough that you can still move it along the needle with gentle pressure.
Getting the tension right on your slip knot
Tension is the most common mistake when tying a slip knot. If you pull too hard on the tail or the working yarn, the knot becomes a tight, hard ball that makes your first cast-on stitches nearly impossible to work into. Your needle will struggle to enter the stitches, and you may accidentally split the yarn.
If the knot is too loose, it will slide around on the needle or fall off entirely when you begin casting on. You want the knot to stay in place when you tug gently on the yarn, but to move freely when you deliberately slide it along the needle shaft.
The best way to find the right tension is to tie the knot, place it on your needle, then gently tug the working yarn. The knot should hold firm. Now try to slide it along the needle with your thumb — it should move without resistance. If it does not, untie it and try again with less tension on the final pull.
Common mistakes that loosen or tighten the knot
Many beginners pull the tail instead of the working yarn when tightening. The tail is the short end; pulling it does not find the knot properly. Always pull the working yarn — the long strand that goes to the ball — to tighten. The tail should stay relatively loose.
Another mistake is making the initial loop too large or too small. If the loop is enormous, the knot takes forever to tighten and becomes uneven. If it is tiny, you cannot get your needle through it. Aim for a loop about the size of a quarter — large enough to work with, but not so large that it wastes yarn.
Some knitters also forget to leave a tail at all, or leave one that is too short. A tail of 4 to 6 inches gives you something to hold and weave in later. If your tail is only an inch long, you have nothing to grip, and the knot becomes harder to control.
Tying a slip knot on your needle versus in the air
You can tie a slip knot two ways: with the needle already in the loop, or by tying the knot first and then sliding the needle through. Most knitters find it easier to tie the knot in the air (without the needle) and then place the needle through the finished loop. This gives you more room to work and makes it easier to see what you are doing.
If you tie the knot with the needle already in place, the needle can get in the way of your fingers, and you have less control over the tightness. However, some knitters prefer this method because it guarantees the needle is in the right spot from the start. Try both and see which feels more natural to you.
What to do if your slip knot is too tight to work with
If you have already tightened the knot and it is now too firm, do not force your needle through — you risk bending the needle or splitting the yarn. Instead, untie the knot and start over. Slip the needle out, gently pull the working yarn to loosen the knot, and then pull the yarn all the way through to unravel it completely.
Once the knot is undone, you can tie a fresh one with better tension. This takes only a few seconds and is much faster than struggling with a knot that is too tight. As you practice, you will develop a feel for the right amount of tension, and you will rarely need to retie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I count the slip knot as my first stitch?
No. The slip knot is not a stitch — it is just the anchor. When you cast on, you create stitches on the needle in addition to the slip knot. Once you finish casting on and begin knitting, you will slip the original knot off the needle and work into your cast-on stitches instead.
Can I use the same slip knot for multiple projects?
No. Once you finish a project and bind off, the slip knot is gone. You will tie a new slip knot for each new project. The knot is only temporary — it exists to hold your cast-on stitches in place while you work.
What if I cannot get the loop to stay on my needle?
The loop is probably too loose, or your needle is too small for the yarn weight. Make sure you are pulling the working yarn (not the tail) to tighten the knot. If the needle is very thin and the yarn is thick, the loop may genuinely be too large — try a slightly larger needle or thinner yarn to test.
Is there a difference between a slip knot for knitting and a slip knot for other crafts?
The basic structure is the same, but knitting slip knots are usually tied looser than slip knots used in fishing or rope work. Knitting requires the knot to move freely on the needle, so tension is lighter. If you have tied slip knots for other purposes, remember to loosen your grip when you switch to knitting.