Casting on loosely
Especially for newbies, and especially with tiny needles or loosely structured yarns, it can be challenging to knit the first row. I've seen beginners in tears over it. So here's a little trick you can use to get a loose cast-on so the first row isn't such a challenge. (The photo shows a long-tail cast-on but I think this would work for most others as well.)
When you cast on, lay a second needle alongside the needle you're going to actually use for your project, and then cast on your stitches around both needles as though they were one. Unless you're using really tiny needles like the 0's shown, you'll probably want to have the second needle a bit smaller than your project needle so the stitches don't get too loose. Once your stitches are all cast on, just slip the second needle out. You should have a nice, neat row of loosely cast on stitches that you don't have to fight with on your first row.
