How to Work a Crochet Provisional Cast-On for Knitting
Many knitting patterns call for a provisional cast-on. This technique allows you to access live stitches at the cast-on edge of your piece. As with most things in knitting, there are several ways to create a provisional cast-on. I’m going to show you my favorite, the crochet provisional cast-on.
Why This Method
Most instructions for a crochet provisional cast-on (including this one in our glossary) have you begin by crocheting a long chain, then picking up and knitting stitches in the bumps on the back of this chain. I find this method a little fiddly. The chain tends to twist, and if you don’t pick up your stitch in the correct part of the chain, you won’t be able to pull the chain out smoothly.
The method I’m going to teach you here involves crocheting the chain right onto a knitting needle. And don’t worry if you don’t know how to crochet. Anyone who is comfortable handling yarn and knitting needles can master this cast-on.
What You’ll Need
✓
In addition to your working yarn and knitting needles, you’ll need some waste yarn and a crochet hook.
✓
The waste yarn should be a contrasting color, so it’s easy to see, and smooth, so it doesn’t leave contrasting-colored fuzzy bits behind when you remove it. It does not need to be precisely the same thickness as your working yarn, but it should be in the neighborhood. I have a basket of partial balls of smooth cotton yarns specifically set aside for use as waste yarn.
✓
Your crochet hook should be within a size or two of your knitting needles. For this sample, I’m using size 8 (5mm) knitting needles and a size I-9 (5.5mm) crochet hook. My working yarn is a worsted weight wool, and my waste yarn is a worsted weight cotton/acrylic blend.
Tutorial Video
Step-by-Step Instructions: Crochet Provisional Cast-On
1
Working with your waste yarn, start with a slip knot on the crochet hook (Photo 1).
2
Hold the knitting needle in your other hand and bring the yarn behind the needle (Photo 2). I’m right handed, and I hold the hook in my right hand, the knitting needle and the working yarn in my left.
3
Bring the hook over the needle and catch the yarn (Photo 3).
4
Use the hook to pull the yarn through the loop on the hook (Photo 4).
5
You’ll be left with one stitch on your needle and one loop on your hook. Bring the yarn behind the needle. Notice that I hold the needle together with the hook in my right hand while I move the yarn with my left hand (Photo 5).
6
Bring the hook over the needle and catch the yarn (Photo 6).
7
Use the hook to pull the yarn through the loop on the hook (Photo 7).
8
Continue, repeating Steps 5–7, until you have the required number of stitches in your needle. Chain a couple more without the needle, then break the yarn and pull the tail through the last chain (Photo 8).
You aren’t done yet! Your cast-on is not complete until you have a row of stitches on your needle with the working yarn. Join the working yarn and knit one row.
Recovering the Stitches
When you’re ready to access those stitches along the cast-on edge, you’ll need to remove the waste yarn and get those stitches on your needle, mounted correctly and ready to go. Here’s how:
1
Begin pulling out the waste yarn at the end where you made the couple of extra chains. Pick out the tail from the last chain stitch (Photo 9).
2
Pull gently on the waste yarn tail to unravel the extra crochet stitches. As you approach the knitted piece, you’ll come to a point where the tail from your knitting is wrapped by the waste yarn (Photo 10).
3
Separate the working yarn tail from the waste yarn (Photo 11).
4
Insert the tip of your knitting needle into the first knitted stitch from right to left (Photo 12).
5
Gently pull the waste yarn to unravel the chain (Photo 13).
6
Keep pulling until the waste yarn pops out of the stitch on your needle (Photo 14).
7
Insert the needle into the next stitch from the back to the front (Photo 15).
8
Gently pull the waste yarn until it pops out of the stitch on your needle (Photo 16).
But Wait! I’m One Stitch Short!
When you recover stitches from a provisional cast-on, you will end up with one less stitch than the number cast on. That’s because you are actually picking up the yarn between your cast-on stitches. Hold up your hand with your fingers outspread. How many fingers? Five. How many spaces between fingers? Four. It’s the same thing with your provisional cast-on. If you need the exact same number of stitches (and you often will), add one by beginning your first row after recovering the stitches with an increase, such as knit front and back.
Sandi Rosner
Technical Content Editor, Yarn
Try It In These Projects
Finally! I’ve done it this way for years, and was mystified as to why I never saw it recommended online.