Cast On

Here are some cast on methods that I've been thinking about for this pattern:

• Annie Modesitt's original pattern cast on.
Cast on 8 stitches. kfb into every stitch, then join. I'm not too sure about this method. It tells you to knit a row increasing to 16 stitches before even joining into a round. This will leave a hole that is 16 stitches wide in diameter. But I guess you can close the hole by sewing yarn around it or something. Maybe the alternative to this method is that you cast on 8 stitches, join and then kfb into every stitch. Ideas?

• Emily Ocker's Circular cast on.
  This website tells you how to do this cast on. This seems to work pretty well. You can just pull on the end to close up the hole. My dilemma here is whether to cast on 8 and then join, or cast on 16 and then join?

• Queen Kahuna's Aloha cast on.
  This cast on is really interesting. This is the first time hearing about it and it makes sense. This cast on should have virtually no hole at all. This however uses 2 needles at once. This would mean that you would have to start the project using either the magic loop technique or the 2 circulars technique. Another drawback of this cast on is that you have to cast on an ODD number of stitches. I'll try this maybe tonight.