Provisional Cast-On Tutorial

Sarah

As promised, here's a tutorial on the crochet provisional cast-on method. This is a really useful technique, applicable to any number of project types: making a bottom-up sweater, but you don't know what type of edging you want? Use a provisional cast-on and you can easily pick up your stitches and work the bottom edge when you've finished the rest of the knitting. Want to knit toe-up socks? Use this method and work a short-row toe. Interested in knitting a shawl? Many, like the Flower Basket, ask you to start with this cast-on to create a tidy top edge. I could go on, if I didn't have a nasty cold making my brain not work good. Anyway, I hope you find this useful!

Steps 1 & 2: Make a crochet chain using waste yarn -- preferably, something smooth and in color which is readily visible against your working yarn, in approximatley the same weight. To make your chain, just grab the strand of yarn with your hook...

...and bring it through the loop. Always make the chain several chains longer than the number of stitches you need to pick up, so you have some room for error.

Step 3: When you're done making the chain as long as you need it to be (plus a few extra) cut the yarn, bring it through the last loop, tug gently to close (gently! You're going to have to undo that later) and tie a knot in that end, to remind yourself that this is the end you'll be "unzipping" from later on. Now flip your chain over and take a gander at the bumps -- they kinda look like purl bumps, right? -- on the back side (assuming the front side is the "v's" you see as you are working the chain.) You are going to pick up stitches through these bumps.

Step 4: Start picking up stitches through the bumps. I "pick" at stitches to pick them up, wrapping each one around the needle...

Step 5: ...and bringing it through. (Leave a long tail so you can weave that end in later.)

Step 6: Hooray! You have picked up your stitches. Now you can do whatever the heck you want to do -- work a short row toe, knit your sweater front, whatever.

Step 7: I was boring and just knit a few rows of stockinette and bound off.

Step 8: Remember how I mentioned in Step 3 that you should make a little knot so you will know from which end to unzip your cast on? Don't you feel smart for doing that? Pat yourself on the back, and maybe go pour yourself a glass of wine to prepare yourself for the next steps, which involve stitches being all naked and loosey-goosey.

Step 9: Take the end with the knot in it and bring it back out through the loop you drew it through to close your chain -- thus re-opening your chain. Now give that end a tug (a gentle tug, just in case there was some snaggage when you picked up your stitches.)

Step 10: I told you there would be naked stitches.

Step 11: You might want to put them on a needle, for decency's sake.

Step 12:  Yay! All done. You now have a whole whack of live stitches, ready to do your bidding!

Comments

[Ellie]

Thanks for posting this - tonight I was planning on trying to find a good tutorial for a provisional cast-on. This is clearer than anything else I've seem :-)

[Ellie]

... anything else I've seen *grin*! So much for my spelling.

[K2Karen]

Thanks for the nice pictorial tutorial! Of course, where were you yesterday when I cast on for my sweater using a different provisional technique?

[Suzanne V. (Yarnhog)]

Marvelous, wonderful tutorial on a technique that is very hard to explain in words. May I link to it on my blog?

[Sanne]

Thank you for this wonderful tutorial :-)

Sanne

[Oiyi]

Thank you for another great tut. I could use this for my first shawl.

[Jen]

What timing! I am looking at a pattern that calls for a provisional cast-on, and now I know it'll be that much easier.

[Michelle]

Thanks for this tutorial. I've wanted to see the provisional cast on. The pictures and instructions are very concise.

[Ellie]

Me again... just thought I'd let you know that it worked, and it unzipped beautifully! Thanks again!!

[Claire]

What a GREAT tutorial. Definitely the best one I've seen. Thanks!

[Chi-Chi]

Thanks so much for posting this. These are super clear and has taken so much of the confusion out of provisional cast on. I'm ever grateful!!

[Teresa]

I just did a google search for "provisional cast on" and your site was the only one that actually showed how to make a crochet chain. Thanks so much for the great tutorial!

[leslie]

THANK YOU! I live 50 miles out in the county from a yarn shop. To be able to get help when I need it is vital and this is invaluable! We do have a knitting group but only meet once a week. I needed this cast on to start a new lace scarf project and I am thankful!

[melissa]

hi,
i'm in the process of learning how to knit and have a few projects under my belt but i never really understood how to do a provisional cast-on until now. your instructs rock very very hard. thanks for being awesome!

[Carin]

Thanks, your tutorial is very helpful.

[Paula]

Thank you for this excellent tutorial. Great pictures, too.

[Celia]

First a afternoon of frustration. Then moments after finding this tutorial. success!

[sue]

awesome descriptions and pictures. i looked at several other and didn't get it. now i do...Thanks!

[Julialuli]

As in all the other comments...you saved me! This is so easy...I tried for way to long to do this another way. Brilliant:)

[Lorna]

Thanks for this tutorial. I needed to do this cast-on, for a new project, and didn't know how. As with the previous post, I finally found someone willing to show the cast-on method using the already crocheted chain! All the others were showing the other way, which is not what my pattern called for. Thanks again, since I needed to know WHERE to knit into the chain stitches.

[C. Singhal]

(LOL!)

Delightful instructions. Thanks!

[Judy Shumaker]

I have tried the directions in every book I own to do this cast-on, with no success. Your instructions are a life-saver - now I can start my sweater! Thanks!
Judy

[Sue]

Easy peasy now! Thankyou so much
Sue

[Eileen]

Great tutorial...clear, concise..so easy to follow.

[Ingrid]

Thank you very much for your nice photos and the clear instructions. I only knew that there was "something with a crochet chain".
I think I must have asked about a thousand people but nobody could explain me how it was supposed to work. By chance I found your site this evening and now everything is clear to me. Thank you again, but now I must rush - to cast on...