Flat Drawstring Cast Off
The Flat Drawstring Cast Off by Jeannie Phillips is my favorite method of closing a hat. It eliminates that Loom Hat Look you get from the gathered method. Best of all you only need to know the knit and purl stitches to do this technique.
Note the picture on the left. I have knitted the Flat Drawstring cast-off on my basket-weave hat in a different color to make sure you could see the details clearly.
Jeannie is a truly gifted knitter always eager to Bless. She does beautiful work. I invite to take a virtual trip over to her blog, www.aplaceformycards.com look around and leave a thank you comment. She would love that.
The Pattern:
Note: Pattern is for the LAST three rows of your hat. It works and looks great regardless of the stitches you used to create your hat.
1. Rows 1-3 : Knit 2, Purl 2 to the end of the row
2. When you’re done knitting the last row take your working yarn and wrap it around your loom twice then cut your yarn.
3. Put your working yarn behind the 2 knit pegs , thread the yarn through the 2 purl pegs, repeat to the end of the row.
4. With your yarn hook pull the loops off the purl pegs – then pull your yarn string tight – (Don’t pull the string off the loom).
5. Now thread the string through the knit pegs – then put the working yarn behind the empty pegs. Repeat to the end of the row. Jeannie recommends that you Pull the string through the first peg again.
6. With your yarn hook pull the loops off the knit pegs. Leave peg 1 for last.
7. Turn the hat inside out. Pull the string slowing but tightly until the hat closes.
Now you know how to do the flat drawstring cast off on your next loom knit hat.
UPDATE: I constantly had an issue closing with this technique and sometimes I wanted a total flat top with out the star. I modified it a bit. To see the video click the picture.
Flat Drawstring Cast Off Video by Jeannie Phillips
Note: I am not Jeannie Phillips – if you would like to contact Jeannie directly with a question or comment can do so at her website: A Place for My Cards. Questions and comments for me, denise can be left in the comment section below and those are ALWAYS appreciated.
Enjoy the video and as always I recommend that you to watch it in its entirety before beginning the technique. You will feel better and be more effective.
The Flat Drawstring Cast Off versus The Gather Cast Off / Bind Off
I prefer the flat drawstring cast off when I loom knit my hats. However, I would not use this method with a beginner. When I teach loom knitting I always start by teaching my students how to make a hat. It is an easy and practical project. In that scenario the gathering method to me is best because the student is only using the e-wrap stitch. Adding another stitch is best once a person feels comfortable with loom knitting.
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Tagged: loom knitting
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Your instructions were very clear and appreciated. I did this bind off on a seed stitch hat and it worked very well. I like that for adults I don’t lose any length on the top.
Thanks again.
how many rows for a baby hat before you start the decrease
Hi Donna, unlike the original that asks for the pattern to change 3 rows before this one does not. Follow the pattern you have without needing to change anything – just do this cast-off in place of any other.
Just made my first ever hat on a loom and used this cast off technique, this also showed me how to purl on a loom as well as I only knew the knit stitch. Think my granny will be pleased with her new hat. Thanks.
Hi Jo – just wanted give you a heads-up now that you made your first hat – There are 4 versions of the knit stitch. Take a look at THIS
Do you think this would work with a hat that is all uknit?
It will work with any stitch
Thankfully this video (and text) made sense to me, and my brain is all sorts of stupid sometimes. Takes a little longer than the ‘regular’ drawstring, but looks a lot better.
Only actually used it once, so its still a bit iffy. But with the number of hats I want to make people for Christmas, Im sure it’ll get better 😀
(and if I can get my wifi to work proper, I’ll tell the creator of the video thanks too :3)i
Kara – did you check out my last post – it’s a technique that is easier and gives the same result : Click HERE
Also – if you’re having dificulty watching the videos at home remember that most local libraries will let you use their computers – just take you own earphones
Thanks for the video, Jeannie! This sounded a lot harder than it is in the video, just the title alone was making me not want to attempt it! LOL!!
Thanks for the answer (to your own question), Tammy!! I was just going to ask about doing this on an odd pegged loom.
Denise, as always, thank you! I started watching your videos when I decided to loom knit, not long ago at all (beginning of the month!), even though I had watched a couple of them here and there before I decided to try it out. I also love GoodknitKisses and Tuteate. All three of you have helped my loom knitting greatly and I didn’t feel (as) lost when I did decide to purchase the looms and yarn.
Valerie – Ditto – I love GKK and Tuteate – You put me a great company – glad I could help and welcome to the Family
Found you by accident and love the way you showed me how to do the purl stitch and bind off technique . Do you have a trick for making a simple pony tail hole in the round loom hat? I love making these loom hats and scarfs for the homeless shelters in my area. I also make them for nonprofit stores to sell and use the money for the food banks. Help with the pony tail would be very helpfull.
Bernadette, sorry for the delay – the easiest way to make a ponytail opening is to NOT close the hat at he top – instead make it like a paperbag hat. Bind off the top – weave in a string at the top – sort of like a Hobo bag – the ponytail comes out from the top of the hat. You can use the modified basic bind-off
Just wanted to let you know that you, Tuteate and Goodknitkisses have the best videos around for looming. There are a few other ones as well but these three are the best. Thank you so much for taking the time out to make these videos, I’ve learned so much from the three of you. I always know where to turn to and I look forward to getting your newsletters.
Thank you for what you do.
Oh Yeah – I love Tuteate and Goodknitkisses too ! Thanks for the Thank you. I really appreciate that !
Hi Denise,
I always enjoy your tutorials (and guest tutorials like this one), but I’m still confused when it comes to what you’re supposed to do with the yarn at the end of the gathering process. It looked like Jeannie had a single yarn, so once she gathered the hat, what did she do with the end of the yarn- to not only hide it but to keep the hat from coming apart?
I have the same question when it comes to creating a hat without a brim. What do you do with the yarn that had the slipknot in it once you release it from the anchor peg?
Thank you!
Hi Stacey – I have considered doing a video on this technique. Here is a link to a hat pattern that includes a video. In it I go into more detail on closing with the drawstring cast-off. Click HERE
Thank you for your reply, Denise! I’d love to see some more tutorials.
The link to the video you mentioned is not working. Would you mind trying to post it again?
Thank you!
p.s. Currently I’m working on the Celtic Knot hat. : )
Hey Stacey, First Thank you for the Thank you… its greatly appreciated. As for the link.. sorry about that – it’s fixed. Hope it can help you some.
p.s. The Celtic Knot Hat is a cute one. Good Choice ! 🙂
Thanks, Denise! I’ll have to try that cast-off. What I liked about it was that the hat was made using a single strand of yarn, but at the end, you ended up with two strands that could be securely knotted.
Thank you again for teaching me, and my ten-year-old, to loom knit!
Sooooooo Happy to be able to help ! Big hugs to both of my new Loomys 🙂
I love this method. When I use a 30-peg loom I can’t do the technique exactly as Jeannie wrote it because I end up with four knit stitches together (the first two and last two.) So on the 30-peg loom I work the last three rows k1p1 all the way around and it works well for me.
Pam Loomer’s YouTube video about how she adapted Jeannie’s technique has also been helpful for me. She doesn’t pick up the first knit stitch again at the end of the bind-off, and for me it seems to result in less trouble with the draw-string hanging up. She also says if the drawstring DOES hang up when you are tightening up the top, look for a loop of the drawstring opposite the loose end of the working yarn, and start tugging on that, too. In that case, when you are done you can tie the loop and the free end off the yarn together in a couple of square knots. It’s been working for me, since I’ve had this issue with bulky yarns and those with lots of roving, particularly on large hats.
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I love the way the finished hat looks. Mine is right here in front of me and I am so happy with it. Thank you for being so precise and making this so easy for those of us out here not so used to the looms. You have made my projects beautiful. thanks again.
Hi Paulette, thanks for the kind words but the Drawstring Cast-off was created by Jeanie Phillips. I’m not Jeannie.
Wonderful instructions, I learn if shown, have been looking for flat top hat as all hats don’t need pom pond. Thank you so much, as always you make it look so easy. Can not go wrong with you and Denise as teachers. My Chemo recipients will thank you too. Annasheart.
Thank you for the directions- they were very clear! I was previously using the decrease and drawstring method. Does this take away the need to decrease? I am just trying to figure it out.
Yes it does .. and note that your hat is then flat on the back.. Some people like that puffy back on their slouchy – this keeps that from happening.
what kind of loom are you using?
The loom used on the video by Jeannie Phillips is a CinDLoom
Hi Tina. I am so excited to do this type of closure for my hats. Thank you for the wonderful way you present this to us and your comments about doing things in Love.
Hi Paulette, Thank you for your kinds words but – the creator of the technique is Jeannie Phillips. .. I’m not Jeannie
Hello Jeannie, I am 78 years and just started loom knitting I have being doing beanies for the cancer ladies this will be a lot nicer for them thank you for your help, I have been a knitter for years . Regards & Best Wishes Esma.
I’ve tried this in the past and the yarn kept getting stuck but I just tried it again and it was successful!! I’m so happy, this looks so much better than it being all bunched up at the top! Thanks, this is awesome!
Hello, Jeannie: Very Good Job! I am 74 years old and have made many, many hats for the kids shoeboxes at Christmas time. I cannot wait to try this. I am so excited. Seems I am not the only one after viewing your comments. I have gotten so tired of doing the same pattern over and over, but the children will love them regardless.
Thank you kindly for your expertise and time you put in this. God Bless you and your family!!!!
love this was wondering how to make the top of the hat lay flat… thank you for this.
Angela,
Thanks for the compliment but all Thank you’s go to Jeannie Phillips,
denise
This is a great technique. I have been trying to figure out how to get the top of my loomed hats flatter and could not figure it out until I viewed your video. Thank you so much for sharing this video.
It does help Denise..thank you so much !
You’re VERY welcome,
denise
can i use this method for any stitch i’m using for a hat? like the figure 8 stitch or basketweave stitch? or should i use another method?..and thank you for the video!
Yes Terry, it works with any stitch – you just have to remember to change over to the the Knit2, Purl2 (which is the double rib stitch) for the LAST three rows of your hat.
Hope that helps,
denise
a wonderful way to finish the crown of a hat. Thank you so much for making the video. Excellent directions….very easy to follow. I do believe this will be my favourite way to finish off hats.
Helen, thanks for the comment, very much appreciated but I’m not Jeannie Phillips. I am sharing this video on my page for my readers because like you I think it’s awesome. If you want to see more of Jeannies work here is a link to her page: http://aplaceformycards.blogspot.com/
Thank you. Very clearly demonstrated and explained. Worked wonderfully!
Hi Denise! I’m still pretty new to loom knitting…so this may be a silly question to you but I was wondering how to do this technique if you are working on a loom that doesn’t have an even number of pegs (since it’s knit 2, purl 2). Thanks in advance
Hi Michele, first things first – there is NO such thing as a silly question – all are good ones and someone out there is soooooo happy you asked this because I had not thought of it to answer and that other person was to scared to ask so Thanks for the question
OK to the question, what you have to do is that if you ended with just 1 knit instead of 2 purls, write it down or mark your knits and purls. Key to this pattern is when its time to pull the loops off. You want to pull all the knits off at the same time and all the purls at the same time – doesn’t matter if it’s just 1 purl or 2 or 3.
Hope that helps – if not let me know I will try to explain in a different way. By the way all the credit for this technique goes to the lovely Jeannie Phillips. Check out her website – there is a link on the page.
denise
Oh my! Love, love this!! Thank you so much for your easy to follow tutorial. Looks great.
Thank you, but just for the record the creator of the Flat Drawstring Cast-off is Jeannie Phillips from APlaceForMyCards.com
Jeannie,
Thank you for the Video and the instruction on how to make the hats flat. I have listen to you now for the last 8 hours on instructions because I can follow them and I love when you speak with such enthusiasm on teaching all of us
Thank you again and appreciate
Hi Ranee, I’m not Jeannie. Her beautiful website is called A Place for My Cards. For a link, Click Here. You can go there and tell her what you think about her great video and wonder about the site. There is a lot to see there. She is an awesome knitter.
denise
Thank you so much for the video! It was the perfect finish for my son’s hat. God bless.
The person in the video is Jeannie Phillips. She is awesome. Here is a link to her website: Click Here
Hello,
I would like to know once you have gathered your stitches in the flat drawstring cast off what do you do with the string?
Hi Carolyn, After I pull the strings tight – I make a knot and cut the excess string. I plan to make a video on this technique because I get a lot of questions. Stay tuned.
Hi, there, I love this technique, but sometimes, once I’m done with the whole thing and I pull on the string, I have a little bit of trouble. It will sometimes leave some string behind and I can’t pull the string anymore like it’s stuck. And I am using two strands on most of my hats. Any special way that will help me pull the string all the way so there is no string left behind? Thank you!
Hey Leiza, I know exactly what you’re talking about. It’s like a glitch. I will be doing a video on this technique just because I have seen a few issues that I deal with on my end that are not addressed on Jean video. I will keep you posted ..
denise
Denise, I would most appreciate it! I look forward to that video. 🙂 I have actually settled for a decrease style that substitutes it, but it still doesn’t look the same as this awesome technique.
We’re you able to do the video I am having the same issue
We’re you able to do the video I am having the same issue
I did it ! my loom had an odd number of pegs so I did 2 knit 2 purl all the way around until the odd peg that became a purl stitch so it went k2 p2 for 30 pegs then p1 for the last peg then back to k2 p2 – I love how it looks! thank you for sharing this!
You’re too funny Tammy .- You answered your own question. I bet someone else will be glad you posted your solution. Thank YOU for sharing!
looks so easy but what about looms that have odd number of pegs?
I just started looming. I bought my looms in December but did not know how to use them. Thank you for the great video. I know loom day and knight. God bless you for sharing this technique with us.
You are VERY welcome Sabrina. Thank you for your kind words. 🙂
That video was terrific. Thank you to the person who created it.
I loved your video- it was very helpful! I am a new loom knitter and love this flatter crown alternative. God bless!
Hi Tina, the video is not mine. Check out the link to the creator. She is wonderful and deserves all the Kudos. Non-the-less thanks for the positive feedback very much appreciated!