Chinese Waitress Cast-On with Crochet Hook 

Someone who is humble to admit they are always open to better ways of doing things! How refreshing!

I know this is a six year old video, but I just want to chime in with my thanks for this clear explanation. I've flubbed this cast on so many times in the past!

What a lovely cast on! I am so tired of trying to estimate tail length for casting on, and this is a quick, easy alternative. Thank you for such a great tutorial!

Thank you for teaching this to virtually the entire Atlanta Knitting Guild this weekend. As a lefty, I was struggling with wielding a crochet hook with my right hand and getting the loop through. I'm an experienced left-handed crocheter, so I tried holding the hook with my left, knitting needle in the right, and bringing the yarn around counterclockwise. Worked like a dream within minutes.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who figured out this easier method. They twist the stitch unnecessarily in other videos

Reminded me of "The Little Engine That Could". Thank you so much for this tutorial with just the tips needed for a nice last stitch and counting work-in-progress cast-on.

I'm so glad I found your channel. My sister has been trying to teach me how to do the Chinese Waitress cast on method since I learned how to knit 3 months ago. Unfortunately she's an English style knitter and i'm a continental knitter. I found it weird to do it the way she was teaching me. This method will make it easier for me to learn this cast on method. I also found your tutorial on German Short rows clear and easy to understand. Thank you!!!!

So much more simple than with only knitting needles. Thank you. You simplified the process enormously.

I too found this CO from her book. I love the way you end this CO with the single chain before placing it on the needle. Thank you so much for posting. I wish I had found this a few years ago. :D

Thank you so much. I have long wanted to use the Chinese Waitress cast-on, but I generally knit with very fine yarns, and was not able to easily (or at all) get the second loop to "cast off" over the first one, especially with my fingers. You have now solved that problem for me, and I really thank you for doing so. Your video has quickly elevated the Chinese Waitress Cast-on to nearly the top of my "favorite cast-ons" list.

OMG OMG OMG this is marvelous and your voice is so soothing and the pace is perfect. Thank you

Thank you for your tutorial. I watched one from somebody else, and there were a bunch of extra moves that I thought seemed like a waste of time and energy, and so I kept looking. Your method eliminates all those steps I thought were unnecessary, and will make the 300+ stitches of lace weight yarn, cast on faster and easier. THANK YOU!

Finally someone else who thought a crochet hook would be useful for this cast on. I happened across this cast on when things were slow at the office and when I saw the part about the bind off I was thinking a crochet hook would make it so much more easier but no one else ever posted a video on it for some reason. Anyhow thank you for the different ending, I hadn't thought about that or using it for adding stitches to my work.

I’m going to try this. 80 years old and is the first I’ve seen or heard of this. Looks like it would be good for the sweater under arm.

I literally yelled "brilliant!" at the sight of that last chain stitch! I love this cast on but could never work out a better last stitch. Thank you SO much!

Fantastic video! You made it very easy to understand, with mega clear instructions and visuals. How you ended the cast on is genius! Awesome, awesome, awesome!

Since watching your tutorial, this is my favorite cast on. No more guessing how much yarn I need for a long tail cast on..thank you so much 😊

I love this cast-on so much that I was okay with all the tedious process until I watched your video! Lol. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This is very well explained and this will me save me quite some time on my next projects. x Davie

I was looking for a new method of casting on for a project that's going to be reversible - the two needle version of the Chinese Waitress CO was really frustrating but this is AMAZING! Thank you so much for this invaluable tutorial!

Thank you so much for explaining this so clearly. I appreciated the comment about not counting the slip stitch at the beginning of the row.

Excellent tutorial - I especially appreciated the explanation of how to use this method when adding stitches to a project in progress. Many thanks !!

👏🏻👏🏻🎉👏🏻🎉👏🏻✨🌟⭐️🌟✨❤️😃❤️👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻💐👏🏻💐👏🏻👏🏻 This is an absolutely amazing method for knitting the Chinese waitress cast-on!! Thank you soooooo much!!

Wonderfully and clearly explained!! Thank you for making the video, Mimi. I JUST was doing another pattern that suggested this CO and the vid referenced had me scratching my head a little. The crochet hook is marvy and I won't avoid items with e.g., 200 stitch cast-ons anymore 😁

Just used this on my new project. It is a gorgeous stitch and not really hard to do at all. I was suppose to co 191 stitches, and before I knew it, I had cast on 250! LOL Love this new to me cast on.

I've been searching for an alternative to the cable cast-on for mid-work cast-ons. Thank you so much for your clear explanation and demonstration of the Chinese waitress cast-on method and how to finish the last stitch to make it match the prior stitches. Plus, how to count the stitches. I just used it and it looks great! I also appreciate your pros and cons summary for each cast-on alternative you list on your web page.

This technique is awesome and so quick. Very well explained. I’d watched another demo video done slightly differently, and it involved removing the stitch made, opening the loop and twisting it before putting it back on the needle. Far more complicated and time consuming. Thank you for this.

As a continental knitter, thank you for this tutorial :D And the crochet hook speeds up the tedious knit/bind off/reposition. Love it!

Great demo! I tried it tonight on my current sweater project, and I think it just became my new favorite cast-on. Thanks!

Perfect demo! I use a crochet hook for my go to method of casting on anyway as I loathe the long tail cast on. Since I am a crocheter as well as a continental knitter it appeals to my love of symmetry to use both. Thanks for adding another tool to my knitting bag of tricks!

Wow! This is so much easier to do than using the 2 needles! Thank you ever so much!

I can't tell you how happy I am right now!!! I am very grateful for your video which I have just found. In few occasions I tried to learn this cast on but, in all honesty, I ended up swearing out of frustration :-( By following along this video I have now grasped it and I am also very fast!!!!!!!!Being also a crochet person helped....Thank you ever so much!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank youuuuuu🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 i hai not knit for long time and I didnt remember how to do this cast on that its my Favorite❤ thank you so much. Your speaking and teaching are very nice❤

This is an excellent cast on and video, thank you! :-) It will be a much needed substitution for the long tail cast on and guessing the amount of yarn needed.

Amazing tutorial, It is such a lovely cast on so even and just a little stretchy it works so well, patience needed to begin with, not hard at all and you are an amazing instructor, thank you. Always amazed at how many ways things can be done.

LOVE this especially using the crochet hook!!!!

Thank you! This is great. So easy to do and so easy to understand your instructions.

Thanks a bunch, I watched the original version and thought "crochet hook" looked to the right of the screen and there was this vid. =D Thank you for thinking of all of us continental knitters too, I was having a terrible time trying to juggle the needle hook and yarn.

thank you so much, you taught me how to do this cast on, then you go and have another video posted showing me all these improvements! at jo ann's they sell this book called "everything the internet didn't teach you about knitting" and, man, that book must be full of scrap paper

I had viewed the two-needle way to do this cast-on, and thought gosh that's stupid, I bet I can think of a way to make this more efficient. And you've saved me a lot of thinking! Thank you for posting this!

Wow, just cast on a sock. Looks neater than any top down cast on I've ever done. Thanks so much. I normally do toe up so have a harder time going this direction.

this makes so much more sense than the other video i found on CWCon.....and the final stitch......thank you!!!!!!

Perfect! Took some work but it’s the best for mid-row cast one that’s still stretchy, thanks 🌸🤗

Oh my, thank you! I was struggling with this cast on & you just made it so easy:)

This is so slick! Thank you for a great demo !

Well done tutorial with a great way to do my favorite cast-on. Thank you so much.

I am so-o-o glad I found your video and this technique. I found it very fiddly at first but now I have got the hand of it, it is wonderful. Thank you so much. Diana

It looks so nice if only I had found this video a couple of days ago while I was working on a christening gown. Thanks bunches.

Mimi great demonstration of this cast on. I would love to see this done with the double yellow line on the size 11 needles for your felted slippers socks. Thanks again

Great cast-on!! so easy and tidy...love it!!! thank you for sharing!!

Excellent information. I'm so excited to have a streamline for this cast on. It's also on of my favorites, but the way I knew to do it was awfully fiddly.

Just found this... will be using it now.... it's so neat looking!...thank you for the demo!....

Oh I love this 😳 My new favorite knitted cast on.

Very new to this cast on and you did a great job of explaining.

I'm going to use this for my mitten pattern where I have to cast on extra stitches at the thumb. Thank you very much!

excellent, Ilove raising my knitting to a fine art, and I welcome all your wonderful refinements! Blessings@

Clear and informative video tutorial thank you. ❤️

Oh my bob!! Well, ... unless I need a stiff (tight) cast on - this is it for me!! Thanks!!

Beautiful cast on! Thank you for a great tutorial.

This is a great tutorial for this cast on. Thanks for sharing!

Continental @1:45 Thanks so much for this!

Hi nice video. I do have question, can you do a video with a bind-off with the same look as the cast-on?

Thank you! Such clear instructions!

Thank you!!! Love this new cast on! It’s beautiful and fast! I do have the book “Cast On Bind Off” by Leslie Ann Besror and this stitch is not in it!

If you opt not to use a crochet hook and use 2 knitting needles, this same yarn motion (over both needles instead of over the top one, under the bottom one) eliminates the need to remove the needle every stitch. It's just a little bit trickier to catch the yarn at first using a needle instead of a hook, but very doable.

Quicker and easier! My favourite, too.

wow to put elastic cord into needles thank you

Great tutorial. Thank you. Finally can 'do' this cast on

This is great! Thanks! 👍😉

You are amazing to watch!

Very useful technique! Thanks a lot!

EXCELLENT tutorial. Thanks!

I like this cast on for cuff-down socks, but I find that the sock yarn keeps splitting! Of course, I don't see the errant plys until I've done several more stitches or even started the cuff. Argh! Will using a larger crochet hook help solve this problem? I really don't want to go back to the German Twisted Cast-on. Thanks.

For those of us who are also crocheters this version is superior to the one done with two needles - no need to pick up a loop with your fingers to do a manual bind off (ugh). Thanks for posting.

What size hook do you use? I appreciate the step by step. Very well explained. Thank you.

Love this cast on!

So clear!

thank you, Mimi!

kool would like to see on finished hat or something but its worth try thanks

So much easier using the crochet hook!

Oh my. Wow. Thanks.

Thank you so much! Yours is the easiest method to follow for this beautiful cast on. Since it is more elastic than the long-tail, I was thinking about using it to start hats. Can this cast on be joined in the round? I usually cast on one more stitch than called for and join by transferring the extra stitch to the second needle and pulling it over the last cast on stitch. Do you think this would work for Chinese waitress cast on? Thanks in advance.

Great ...love the cast on❤️

Mimi--can you use this cast on in conjunction with the Tulip-style buttonhole to add stitches for a sleeve in a yoke. Knit in the round bottom up, so there's a bind-off of 10 stitches at each of the underarms, and then cast on approx 50 lr 60 stitches for the sleeve addition on the yoke. I was thinking it would work to do the bottom part, the bind off as in the Tulip buttonhole so it is reinforced and looks even on both sides, then cast on the required stitches using the CW cast on because it is sturdier yet stretchy. What do you think?

I've been conversing on Rav with other sock knitters and, not surprisingly, they love this cast on for cuff-down socks! I'm wondering if you have come up with a good way to join this cast on for in the round knitting?

Terrific, it would be helpful if when you start the video you showed the finished product so we could see what we were going for, what was emerging, how stretchy and all that. Just a thought.

Is there a way of casting off so it looks same as cast on?

Great cast on and demo, so thank you very much, most helpful!

This is awesome! Thank you so much!

Super instruction technique. Thank you

Thank you ❤

After you finish casting on can you go straight to ribbing stitch or do you need to knit one round as a set-up?

This looks great! Only trouble is, I'm a one-handed knitter these days, so I can only manage loom knitting. You don't happen to know of a link to a loom knitting version of this, do you? x

Great job!

Hi Mimi Please update your old address for this video with the new address. I've let many folk know about this wonderful addition to CWCO at the old address. Thank you.

Muito mais prático, ainda mais, quando se tem que colocar muitos pontos. Obrigada.

1:50 for the continental knitters

Awesome! So helpful.

Turkish bed socks from Churchmouse?! Do you have tips for that pattern? 🙏🏼💞

So neat!

This is 'genius'!