I want to show you what I think is a great and simple provisional cast on.
You will need 2 circular needles, one can have a smaller size tip, or just a cable if you are using those handy interchangeables.
Leave a long tail, especially if casting on a large number of stitches. Attach your yarn to the lower needle or cable with a slip knot.
Count the stitches across the top needle. End by wrapping around the bottom needle and bring the yarn to the back to begin to knit.
I have shown the process in 2 colors for clarity, please notice that the furthest stitch to the right is on the bottom needle, and the stitch furthest to the left is on the top needle and that you remove the slip knot.
If you are working in the round, join your work at the end of the first row. I love knowing this new way to begin, and I hope that you will too.
I came up with this when casting on well over 250 stitches for this cowl, which will be published on Ravelry this weekend. Happy Knitting!
Edited to add: This is a great beginning for toe-up socks. I work magic loop style and have begun wrapping for the toe.
I hold, rather than attach the tail with a slip knot, wrap around the top needle and the bottom cable of the same needle.
I cannot thank you enough. I spent about 3 hours last night going from one link to the next trying to do provisional cast on - up the back, in the font, through here, out there, all to no avail. I have never used a crochet hook so they all got rejected, then one that wound around the needle like this but you threaded the needle back down the wound stitches, which I thought I was doing but ended up pulling the cord of my ADDI CLICK so far through that it ended at 90 degrees to the needle end and bent so far back on the needle attachment that the cord will be permanently kinked.......having gone to bed at 12.30 am none the wiser and feeling an absolute loser I discovered this page today and thanks to you I now have a beautiful neat 185 stitches of provisional cast on for the hem of my grandson's Cats Football jumper. Thank you, thank you. Did you make this up. If so you are a genius. Dianne
ReplyDeleteYou just saved my sanity. I can now knit a beautiful toasty hat for my loved one, all thanks to you. I'll never try the scrap yarn method again.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to comment! I am delighted that this tutorial was of help to you both.
ReplyDeleteHi, Neil. I was directed to this post from a Ravelry member. I'm trying a picot edge for the first time and having trouble seeing the stitches I need to pick up for the edge. She thought this provisional cast-off might help. But I'm a bit confused - I am using two different yarns for this process, yes? And if so, how does the cable needle end up with the live stitches? It looks to me like when you pull out the orange yarn, the cable needle doesn't have anything to anchor on to and you lose the cast on. Can you tell me what I'm missing? Thanks for the help!
ReplyDeleteSorry, dang autocorrect changed Nell to Neil. 😦
DeleteHi, Neil. I was directed to this post from a Ravelry member. I'm trying a picot edge for the first time and having trouble seeing the stitches I need to pick up for the edge. She thought this provisional cast-off might help. But I'm a bit confused - I am using two different yarns for this process, yes? And if so, how does the cable needle end up with the live stitches? It looks to me like when you pull out the orange yarn, the cable needle doesn't have anything to anchor on to and you lose the cast on. Can you tell me what I'm missing? Thanks for the help!
ReplyDelete