Provisional Crochet Cast-On

There are at least a thousand ways to cast on.

Am I exaggerating? Maybe.

I don’t actually know how many there are; just thinking about tallying up all the cast-ons tires me out.

This post is focused on one way of casting on. It’s called the provisional crochet cast-on, and there are actually at least two variations of THIS cast-on. 😂 

I’ve tried both methods and prefer this one, as it eliminates a step and feels less fiddly than other methods.

You will need:

• The gauge needles you will be using for your  Twelve Days of Knitmas project.
• Waste yarn – this should be smooth, non-sticky yarn in the same weight as your project yarn (fingering weight for the MKAL).
• Crochet hook in a similar size to your gauge needle. The size of the hook isn’t crucial, as the the size of your knitting needle is what determines the size of your stitches in this method.

Basic directions:

1. Make a slip knot in your waste yarn. Insert your crochet hook in the slip knot and snug up.
2. Chain five stitches.
3. Place your waste yarn behind your knitting needle with your crochet hook over the top of the needle.
4. Continue to make chain stitches over the knitting needle, moving the yarn back behind your knitting needle after each stitch. Continue until there are 100 stitches on the knitting needle.
5. Chain 10 stitches using just the crochet hook. (These stitches will hang below your knitting needle. They help secure the yarn and differentiate one end form the other.)
6. Pull the yarn through the last chain stitch and snip.
7. Using your knitting needles and CC1, knit across the stitches, beginning at the end with ten crochet chains.
8. Place a BOR (beginning of round) marker and join to knit in the round, being sure not to twist your stitches.

HOT TIP:  If you are new to provisional cast-ons or the Kitchener stitch (don’t worry – we’ll talk more about that later in the project), you may want to place a lifeline in the stitches that are currently on your needle. The easiest way to do this is to use a tapestry needle to run fishing line through all of your stitches while they remain on the knitting needle. Ensure the line is extra long so you can easily block your project while the line remains intact. Tie the ends of the line together and work the rest of your project as instructed.

If you don’t have fishing line, thread or dental floss will also work. Pushing your stitches onto the cable portion of your needle will make it easier to run the tapestry needle through them.😉

That’s it! That the Provisional Crochet Cast-On.

Here is the method I used to cast on for the Twelve Days of Knitmas MKAL 2023:

If you would like to explore more provisional crochet cast-on options, check out this one. Instead of crocheting around your knitting needle, you will create a long crochet chain and then use your knitting needle to pick up stitches.

Happy Knitting!
Becky