Provisional Tubular Cast-On Knitting Tutorial

Need a smooth, nearly invisible cast-on for ribbing or seed stitch? Try the provisional tubular cast-on! As with many techniques, there are a few different ways to do it. With the yarn-over method shown in this knitting tutorial, there’s no need to pick up stitches!

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What is Provisional Cast-On?

Foundation single crochet (fsc) are single crochet that are worked simultaneously with their associated foundation chains. Start by inserting your hook in the base of the previous stitch and drawing up a loop (as though working a single crochet into the same stitch), but then chain 1 before finishing the single crochet. The chain 1 becomes the foundation chain for the single crochet.

What is a Tubular Cast-On?

Use this technique to start your work with a beginning round or row of single crochet. You can also use it to add single crochet stitches to the end of any row.

Shown in the Video – Cassiope Hat

I used this cast-on for the Cassiope Hat pattern, which is shown near the end of the video. Get the pattern and give it a try!

How to Work the Provisional Tubular Cast-On

Abbreviations used in this tutorial:

k	knit
RS	right side
p	purl
sl	slip purlwise
st(s)	stitch(es)
WS	wrong side
wyib	with yarn in back
wyif	with yarn in front
yo	yarn over

Step 1: Cast-on half the stitches with waste yarn.

I recommend a crochet cast-on as it’s easiest to rip out, but any cast-on you prefer is fine.

For an odd number, cast on 1/2 the number of stitches needed, rounded up.
For an even number of total stitches, cast on 1/2 the number of stitches needed, plus 1.

Step 2: Add the other half of the stitches

Switch to the working yarn and work the first row.

For an odd number of stitches: Row 1 (RS): K1, (yo, k1) to end.
For an even number of total stitches: Row 1 (RS): K1, (yo, k1) to end, pass last yo over last k (to bind off 1 st)

Step 3: Double-knit

Slip the previously knit stitches (that look like purls), and knit the yarn overs.

For an odd number of stitches:
- Row 2: Sl1 wyif, (k1, sl1 wyif) to end.
- Row 3: K1, (sl1 wyib, k1) to end.
- Repeat rows 2 & 3 as many times as desired, ending after a repeat of row 2.
For an even number of total stitches:
- Row 2: (K1, sl1 wyif) to end.
- Row 3: (K1, sl1 wyib) to end.
- Repeat rows 2 & 3 as many times as desired, ending after a repeat of row 2.

Step 4: Remove the waste yarn

There’s no need to pick up any stitches, just remove the waste yarn and continue knitting! The yarn overs that were done in Row 1 act as those picked up stitches.

Other Stitch Patterns

You can also use this cast-on for seed stitch, moss stitch, or other stitch patterns. Just change up the stitches worked in the double-knit section (step 3 above). Remember that the RS rows and WS rows work together in pairs, with each one working half of the stitches.

To work seed stitch, for example, on rows 3 & 4, wherever you would normally knit, you would simply purl instead. So for an odd number of stitches that would look like:

Row 3: P1, (sl1 wyib, P1) to end.
Row 4: Sl1 wyif, (p1, sl1 wyif) to end.
Row 5: K1, (sl1 wyib, k1) to end.

Then you would repeat rows 2-5 as desired, again ending afer a WS row.

You can adjust the stitches in the same way to work any number of stitch patterns! It’s just a matter of working each stitch according to the pattern you would like to create.

Provisional Tubular Cast-On Video Tutorial

Embed not working? Watch this video on YouTube.

Want to jump to a specific section? Click on the timestamp below to go directly to that spot in the video! These links open on YouTube, in a new window or tab.

00:00 intro
00:13 Odd Number of Stitches
00:42 Crochet Cast-On
01:37 Row 1
02:38 Row 2
04:00 Row 3
05:02 Row 4
05:39 Right Side and Wrong Side
06:42 Removing Waste Yarn
07:40 Even Number of Stitches
08:15 Row 1
08:58 Row 2
09:43 Right Side and Wrong Side
10:14 Row 3
10:47 Removing Waste Yarn
11:16 In the Round

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