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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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Tackle 3 Advanced Knitting Cast Ons

January 31, 2018 6 Comments

These advanced cast ons involve a little bit more of a song and dance to accomplish, but they allow you to do things like achieve a gorgeous & reversible edge, access your cast on stitches to use later, and make a cast on edge that stretches like no other.
Wrapping up our month of cast ons are three whoppers, which just so happen to be personal favorites. :) As we’ve explored in the basic and long tail cast ons we’ve looked at this month, you’re going to want to use different cast ons for different things. In particular, the look (aesthetics) and stretch (elasticity) are the two biggest factors to consider as you select a cast on for your knitting. These advanced cast ons involve a little bit more of a song and dance to accomplish, but they allow you to do things like achieve a gorgeous & reversible edge, access your cast on stitches to use later, and make a cast on edge that stretches like no other. As with all things in knitting, these techniques might be a little fiddly to try for the first time, but a little practice is all it takes to add them to your knitting skillset! 

How to Work Jeny’s Stretchy Cast On

If you're looking to give your knitting one of the stretchiest possible edges, Jeny's Stretchy Cast On is worth a try! Learn how to do this cast on with an easy video tutorial.
Jeny Staiman is a name you should learn if you don’t know it already. Having written some great pieces for Knitty, she is an important figure in contemporary knitting. She’s THE Jeny behind Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off and this, Jeny’s Stretchy Cast On. I could wax poetic about her technique articles, but for the purposes of this post, let’s focus on her Stretchy Cast On. As she says in her blog post about this cast on, this cast on is really just a series of slip knots, and there are different ways to accomplish it. This video shows my preferred way to teach it, and covers some pitfalls to avoid when working Jeny’s Stretchy Cast On. Of all the cast ons we’ve tackled this month, this is by far the stretchiest!

If you're looking to give your knitting one of the stretchiest possible edges, Jeny's Stretchy Cast On is worth a try! Learn how to do this cast on with an easy video tutorial.

How to Work a Provisional Cast On

In knitting, a Provisional Cast On lets you access stitches that would otherwise be trapped in the knots of a regular cast on edge. Learn how to do a Provisional Cast On using a scrap yarn method.
I have written about the Provisional Cast On before on this blog, but hadn’t yet gotten around to doing a video showing my preferred method for it until today. What’a Provisional Cast On? In knitting, a Provisional Cast On lets you access stitches that would otherwise be trapped in the knots of a regular cast on edge. Many patterns call for a Provisional Cast On because it allows you to do things like knit a cowl flat (like a scarf) and join the loops from the cast on and bind off ends with the kitchener stitch to form a visually seamless finished piece.  You can also use this cast on to work your knitting from the center out in more than one direction, which opens up tons of design possibilities!

In knitting, a Provisional Cast On lets you access stitches that would otherwise be trapped in the knots of a regular cast on edge. Learn how to do a Provisional Cast On using a scrap yarn method.

How to Work a Chinese Waitress Cast On

Learn the Chinese Waitress Cast On to give your knitting a beautiful, reversible edge with a little bit of stretch.
The Chinese Waitress Cast On comes by its name honestly. The author of Cast On, Bind Off: 211 Ways to Begin and End Your Knitting, Cap Sease, learned this cast on from a restaurant waitress in Beijing. In addition to its unique origin story, this cast on has a lovely three-dimensional, braided look. This cast on looks nice on both the right and wrong sides of your knitting, and it has some stretch too. The big downside to this cast on is that its pretty look comes with a price – it’s a bit of a pain to do. Good thing we’ve got a video to walk you through it! ;) 

Learn the Chinese Waitress Cast On to give your knitting a beautiful, reversible edge with a little bit of stretch.
PS: If you know of any other names for any of these techniques or have any useful sources or tips, let us know in the comments! 

The yarn used in these videos is 24/7 Cotton in Ecru and was provided by Lion Brand Yarn. 

Filed Under: Knitting Tagged With: cast on, chinese waitress cast on, jenys stretchy cast on, knitting cast on, provisional cast on, video tutorial

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Mary Lee Fischer

    February 1, 2018 at 11:42 am

    I use the Chinese cast on a lot. I use a crochet hook with one knitting needle instead of 2 knitting needles. It seems much less fiddly. I like the lovely edge it leaves.

    Reply
  2. Natasha Jade

    December 2, 2019 at 5:58 pm

    Is it possible, and how, to do a matching cast off for the Chinese Waitress cast on?

    Reply
    • Heidi

      December 3, 2019 at 9:11 am

      Hi Natasha! Some folks like the applied i-cord bind off to go with it, though it’s of course not an identical match. Great question! :) -Heidi

      Reply
  3. Natasha Jade

    December 5, 2019 at 3:16 pm

    Cool beans, thank you for the reply!

    Reply
  4. Cheryl

    December 27, 2019 at 1:42 am

    Is there such a thing as knitting needle weighs?

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 3, 2020 at 10:35 am

      Are you referring to the weight of the needle itself?

      Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

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I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back from the past few weeks, and as I dip my toe back into production mode, the long-promised seamed sweater knitting YouTube series is at the top of my list. I've got FOUR versions of a simple sweater I've been playing with since last JULY to feature as a free pattern for folks who want to knit along during the series. Pictured is the first prototype for the series, knit in 2 colors of @knit_picks Mighty Stitch yarn. I imagine this soon-to-be short sleeved number will come in handy as an emergency Waldo costume or Christmas sweater. 🌲 
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I've got my own list of topics I think folks would like to see in a series like this: things like tips for construction, working with vintage patterns, how to seam as invisibly as possible, and more, but as always, I'd love to hear from you: What scares you about knitting seamed sweaters? What would be helpful to cover, especially since we'll be doing more long form video content. I get so much positive feedback on my series of 20 minute+ intarsia tutorials, so I'm using those as a starting point as I produce this series. Seamed sweaters using vintage or self-improvised patterns are one of my favorite things on the planet, so I'm eager to share some seamed sweater skills with y'all super sweet folks. 😉 
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Pictured: A red and white striped, short sleeved sweater knit in pieces that have yet to be seamed. They are laid out on a yellow and orange colorblock background and one sleeve is yet to be bound off. 
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Work continues this evening on my absurd punch nee Work continues this evening on my absurd punch needle pro wrestling inspired championship belt project. I’ve finished most of the front pretty quickly thanks to the @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn I’m using. For now, I’ve got a couple more weeks until Wrestlemania, & I’m on track to finish this in time! 
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The biggest question I have is what to do with the “plates” - the open circles in the picture. Should I try to closely replicate the Universal Championship belt or go rogue and make it wool themed? Please advise in the comments. ☺️🧶🙏🏻🐑 
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