Emily Ocker's Circular Cast On
Designed by Emily Ocker for top-down lace shawls, this circular cast on creates an invisible closed centre that is even tighter and tidier than the disappearing loop. Standard for circular Pi shawls and centre-out doilies.
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Method
Make a slipknot far from the working yarn end. Use a crochet hook to draw a loop of working yarn through the slipknot. Transfer this loop to a DPN. Use the hook to draw subsequent loops through the slipknot, each becoming a stitch on the DPN. Continue around the slipknot loop.
Why it disappears
The slipknot acts as the centre of the cast on, with each stitch growing outward from it. When the centre loop is pulled tight, the slipknot becomes a knot at the centre with the stitches radiating outward in a perfect circle.
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Best uses
Top-down circular lace shawls. Doilies. Round baby blankets. Any project where the cast-on must form a closed circle with no visible centre.
Pairing
Pairs naturally with the Pi shawl construction (Elizabeth Zimmermann), where stitches double at intervals (round 4, 8, 16, 32...) to create a flat circular shawl.
Abbreviation reference
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| DPN | double-pointed needle |
| CO | cast on |
Tips
- Use a crochet hook one or two sizes smaller than the knitting needle for cleaner stitch control.
- Pull the centre tight only after the first round, when all stitches are stable.
- For Pi shawls, place markers between sections at the first stitch-doubling round.
In depth
Emily Ocker's circular cast on is the cleanest and tightest of the centre-out cast ons. Because each stitch is anchored to a single slipknot at the centre, the resulting cast on can be pulled completely closed without distortion — making it the standard for circular lace.