The Garter Tab is a common way to start many shawls. Top down shawls that start at the center top and grow bigger and bigger often start with one. The most common shape shawl for this is a triangular one, but can definitely be used for other shapes. There are two different common ways to start this: either with a provisional CO or by casting on with a standard CO (such as Long Tail CO). At some point, 10+ years ago, I started using a very slightly modified Judy’s Magic CO (knitty version linked, as this one is written by Judy Becker, THE Judy) for this purpose and never looked back. Oddly enough, I have not really seen other people suggest this, and so I finally decided that I needed to work up my own tutorial for this!

So, here’s my video for you. Steps are written out below with a few extra notes, as well.

Materials Needed:

  • Circular needle in the size called for by your pattern in a length long enough to work a magic-loop-esque situation. 32” minimum, but my preference is for a 40” length, as you’ll need that one eventually for your shawl project anyways. :o)

  • The yarn you will be using for your project

Step 1: take your needles and line them up parallel, tips pointing to the left, and held in your right hand.

Step 2: grab your yarn and pull a length long enough to wrap the number of sts you need to CO around your needle (plus extra, long enough to be able to weave in), drape it over the top needle with the tail hanging between the needles.

Step 3: with the tail on the right and working yarn slightly to the left, grab the two ends with your left hand (tail will be pulled up over your first finger and the working yarn over your thumb, then create the V shape in your hand (similar position as when you are about to work a Long Tail CO).

Step 4: at this point, you will have one loop on the top needle and nothing on the bottom needle. Take the empty bottom needle, and bring it up and over the strand on your first finger, wrap the needle from under the needle and then between the needles, and now you have one stitch on each needle.

Step 5: bring the top needle to the strand held by your thumb, wrap the needle from between the needles and over the top (Note: this is different from original Judy’s Magic CO. Judy has you wrap from the outside of the needle to the inside. When you work it this way, you then need to work a row through the back loop in order to fix some twisted sts. If you always work the wrap from bottom of the needle to the top, then you won’t end up with any twisted sts.).

Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until you have the number of sts called for by your pattern on BOTH needles (if your pattern says to CO 3 sts, regardless of whether it suggests provisional or regular CO, you will CO 6 sts total, but 3 sts on each needle).

Step 6: flip your needles over and transfer them to your left hand (now the needles are pointing to the right).

Step 7: your pattern will tell you to knit across your CO sts for a certain number of rows. You will work your first row as follows: pull the bottom needle into your right hand, leave a loop on both sides (if you are familiar with magic loop technique, this resembles that), and work a knit row across the top needle. Be careful with your first st, the yarn is still loose and needs to be locked in. It will be locked in by knitting that st, however. Row 1 has been worked.

Step 8: work the remaining number of rows. If your pattern says to work 6 rows in garter, you will work 5 additional rows. You will leave the loops of cords on both sides of your needles. You will find that your cords may twist a little, but it is easily untwisted at the end.

NOTE: in the video, I am slipping the first st in every row. I do this b/c I find it creates a pretty edge, and it makes a later step easier to me. It is not required. In addition, I prefer to slip my first st as if I am working in stockinette st (so, when I look at my first st, b/c it presents as a purl st, I will slip it pwise wyif) because it creates the v-shaped edge sts versus a bumped edge that you would get with garter. This is just my personal preference.

Step 9: the next row will be how you turn this garter strip into the beginning of your shawl. Most directions will say something along the lines of: knit across your needle, pick up half the number of rows you just knit (so, if it had you work 6 rows, you will pick up 3 sts), and then either remove provisional CO and then knit across these sts OR pick up and knit across your CO. However, with this technique, your sts have just been put on hold, and are ready for you to knit across when you get to them! For picking up your sts, one of the reasons I like to slip my sts the way I do is then I have the exact number of v-shaped sts on the edge, and you can pick up by just placing your needle under the Vs and pick up.

Step 10: begin your pattern. In the video, I work the next row (in many patterns, this will be the WS) before showing off your finished garter tab, but you’ve now finished the garter tab. Ta-da!

I hope this helps! <3