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I was at a sit and knit event recently and one of the women there asked me about the crochet cast on and said it’s the only one she uses because it’s so neat looking. I don’t usually use it, but it reminded me to talk about it and why you might want to use it, too.
What is the Crochet Cast On?
The crochet cast on is basically what you do when you do a provisional cast on that you’re going to remove later, but you don’t remove it.
If you are familiar with crochet, it’s kind of like making a chain over a knitting needle, so the chain part hangs below the needle and the loops form stitches.
It’s quick and easy to do even if you don’t know how to crochet, and it makes a neat chain along the bottom of the work that looks really similar to the standard bind off.
Supplies
To do a crochet cast on you just need the yarn and needles you want to work with and a crochet hook in the same size as the needles.
Here I’m using some Big Twist yarn, which is medium/worsted weight/4, a size 8 US/5 mm knitting needle and an H/8/5 mm crochet hook.
How to Crochet Cast On
Start with a slip knot, leaving a few inches/cm of tail for weaving in later.
Put the slip knot on the crochet hook and tighten to that not too loose, not too tight place we like.
The crochet hook goes in your right hand and the knitting needle in your left. The working yarn should be to the back and go behind the knitting needle. (Pretend the crochet hook is in a hand.)
Take the crochet hook over the knitting needle and put the yarn over the hook.
Use the hook to pull through a loop. There’s now one loop on the knitting needle and one on the crochet hook.
Take the yarn back behind the knitting needle and repeat as many times as you need stitches, less one stitch.
When you’re done casting on, take the loop off the crochet hook and put it on the knitting needle to be your last stitch.
How it Looks in the Work
The crochet cast on just looks like a chain of stitches, and it is a pretty but unobtrusive way to start a knitting project. Just knit as you would normally.
Here my bind off is a little tighter than my cast on but you can see that they look pretty similar, which is nice.
Crochet cast on is a quick and easy way to get stitches on the needle. Because you’re working around the needle it’s hard to make them too tight. The chain that they make is attractive and a good match for your standard bind off.
Do you ever use crochet cast on? I’d love to hear about it!
