I first encountered tubular cast-ons in machine knitting, where they are quite common. In machine knitting, tubular cast-ons set stitches on the needles so that the piece can be knitted as a tube, usually with a closed bottom edge (optionally, the bottom and the left or right edge can be left open).
Often, after the cast-on is complete, the top is also closed, and the knitting proceeds, not as a tube, but as a fully interlaced, flat piece of fabric. At first, I used tubular cast-ons because they were the easiest, most reliable way of getting the stitches onto the needles— then I began to appreciate their versatility. They made an attractive, stable edge.
As I became more experienced, I wondered how I could duplicate my machine-knitting techniques by hand…
