Uploaded August 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Learn how to do a Provisional Crochet Cast On! This temporary cast-on keeps your starting stitches "live" so that you can work into them later, useful for creating folded hems, adding edging, or starting a knitted piece from the center so that you can mirror your stitch pattern perfectly on both sides. We recommend using a smooth, sturdy waste yarn in a contrasting color to your working yarn.
We used this cast on for the Newel cardigan by Paula Pererira from our Wool People 13 collection, shown here.
Provisional Crochet Cast On:
0:25 With waste yarn and crochet hook, make a slipknot and place it on the crochet hook.
0:40 Hold the crochet hook in your right hand and the knitting needle in your left hand, forming an X shape, which you can hold with your left thumb.
0:54 Bring the yarn behind the knitting needle, and with your crochet hook held in front of knitting needle, catch the yarn with the crochet hook and draw the loop through the loop that you previously placed on the hook. There is now one loop on your crochet hook and one stitch on your knitting needle.
1:09 Repeat until the desired number of stitches have been cast on to your needle.
1:28 You now have the desired number of stitches on your needle and one chain on the crochet hook. Chain a few more stitches with the hook (do not catch the knitting needle when making these), then break the yarn leaving a 6"/15 cm tail and draw tail through last chain.
2:31 Switch to your working yarn and begin knitting as instructed in pattern.
3:33 When you are ready to return to these stitches and work in the other direction, undo the chain where it was fastened off and carefully pull out the waste yarn, thus “unzipping” the stitches. Transfer them to your knitting needle as they are unfastened.
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If you found this tutorial helpful, we’d love your support!
At Brooklyn Tweed we are passionate about wool, knitting and design. We craft our patterns with a commitment to timeless quality, publishing size-inclusive, stylish designs for all shapes, identities, and skill levels.
Contemporary design, superior craftsmanship, and clear instructions give knitters the opportunity to elevate their skills and explore the intersection of crafting traditions with current style and new techniques.
Our extensive library of educational resources and skill-building tutorials give crafters the tools to succeed and the confidence to make their projects their own.
Learn more at: @BrooklynTweed_Official
Visit us at: brooklyntweed.com
Learn how to do a Provisional Crochet Cast On! This temporary cast-on keeps your starting stitches "live" so that you can work into them later, useful for creating folded hems, adding edging, or starting a knitted piece from the center so that you can mirror your stitch pattern perfectly on both sides. We recommend using a smooth, sturdy waste yarn in a contrasting color to your working yarn.
We used this cast on for the Newel cardigan by Paula Pererira from our Wool People 13 collection, shown here.
Provisional Crochet Cast On:
0:25 With waste yarn and crochet hook, make a slipknot and place it on the crochet hook.
0:40 Hold the crochet hook in your right hand and the knitting needle in your left hand, forming an X shape, which you can hold with your left thumb.
0:54 Bring the yarn behind the knitting needle, and with your crochet hook held in front of knitting needle, catch the yarn with the crochet hook and draw the loop through the loop that you previously placed on the hook. There is now one loop on your crochet hook and one stitch on your knitting needle.
1:09 Repeat until the desired number of stitches have been cast on to your needle.
1:28 You now have the desired number of stitches on your needle and one chain on the crochet hook. Chain a few more stitches with the hook (do not catch the knitting needle when making these), then break the yarn leaving a 6"/15 cm tail and draw tail through last chain.
2:31 Switch to your working yarn and begin knitting as instructed in pattern.
3:33 When you are ready to return to these stitches and work in the other direction, undo the chain where it was fastened off and carefully pull out the waste yarn, thus “unzipping” the stitches. Transfer them to your knitting needle as they are unfastened.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you found this tutorial helpful, we’d love your support!
At Brooklyn Tweed we are passionate about wool, knitting and design. We craft our patterns with a commitment to timeless quality, publishing size-inclusive, stylish designs for all shapes, identities, and skill levels.
Contemporary design, superior craftsmanship, and clear instructions give knitters the opportunity to elevate their skills and explore the intersection of crafting traditions with current style and new techniques.
Our extensive library of educational resources and skill-building tutorials give crafters the tools to succeed and the confidence to make their projects their own.
Learn more at: @BrooklynTweed_Official
Visit us at: brooklyntweed.com
