I think you can do the cast on that involves knitting the first stitch onto the right hand needle, but you don't take the old stitch off the left hand needle. Just keep doing this till you have an additional 34 stitches on the right hand needle. I have never done a pattern with these directions. Does the pattern book give directions in the front or back of the book explaining how to do this?

Hmmmm, usually I see more of cast on stitches at the end of a row. Here's a website with drawings to walk you through that. I don't see why you can't use the same technique at the beginning of a row.

Here is a link that might be useful: cast on

I have done cast ons that way too, Donna. In the old days, when I was teaching myself what my mom had not, I just fiddled with it till I finally came up with your suggested method. (All the other efforts came undone. Simple--this method stayed put.) I have just never cast on 34 using this method.

I would use a cable cast-on method.

Knitting help has a good video. I linked to it.

~ Kit

Here is a link that might be useful: Basic Techniques