Sometimes in knitting, we want to knit in one direction and then return to where we started to knit in the other direction.
One option is to simply pick up the stitches from the cast-on edge and start knitting, but this leaves a noticeable ridge on the inside of the work. A provisional cast on gets around this by leaving the cast-on stitches live and ready to work in the opposite direction. Depending on the method, those held stitches are kept in place either by waste yarn (which is removed later) or by a spare needle. The most common waste-yarn approach in hand knitting is the crochet chain; the most popular spare-needle method is Judy’s Magic Cast On (JMCO).
I have used both extensively and I am a big fan of JMCO. I have also used a long-tail cast on as provisionally, with waste yarn as the thumb yarn, and main yarn as the index finger yarn. After knitting, you can pick out the waste yarn, though it does not unravel as cleanly as the crochet chain does.
When I took up machine knitting a few months ago, I found that the standard approach to starting most projects there is to cast on with waste yarn, knit a few rows, and then join the main yarn. Waste yarn is king in machine knitting: the only extra step is a short stretch of knitting before the main yarn begins. The result is a provisional cast-on: the first row of main yarn stitches stays open and can be picked up later to work in the opposite direction, make a hem, or bind off. The waste yarn then comes out with a single snip and a pull. The stitch structure is the same in hand knitting, so I decided there was no reason not to try it.
What I like about this is that it requires nothing you do not already have: no crochet hook, no spare needle, no new technique to learn. The cost is a few rows of waste yarn at the start, which is not much for most projects. I did once use this on a 250-stitch cast on and found myself wondering whether the crochet chain might have been faster, but for anything small it is not a consideration.
Note, I have only tested this working flat, not in the round, although I can’t see a reason this would cause a problem.
Tools needed: project needles, waste yarn, main yarn, scissors or snips, a smaller needle for picking up stitches (optional).
Step 1. Cast on the required number of stitches in waste yarn, using any regular method (long-tail, knitted cast on, backwards loop, cable cast on, etc.).
Step 2. Knit at least one row in waste yarn. Two or three rows is better.
Step 3. Knit one more row in waste yarn, keeping your tension looser than usual. This will make it easier to pick up the stitches later.
Step 4. Join the main yarn and knit one row in plain stockinette. This is a set-up row; the following row will be the first row of your pattern.
Step 5. Work your pattern as instructed, until it is time to pick up the stitches from the provisional cast on.
Step 6. With the wrong side facing, pick up the first set of loops in your working yarn. A smaller needle makes this easier, though it is not mandatory.
Step 7. Carefully snip a stitch in the waste yarn on the side opposite to where the tail sits (the final row of waste yarn knitted).
Step 8. Pull on the tail of the waste yarn from that last row. It should come away easily, and the waste yarn will simply fall free.
Step 9. You can now work your pattern in main yarn as instructed.
This simpler provisional cast-on works well when your stitch count is small, since knitting a few rows of waste yarn is not much of an imposition, or when you do not have a crochet hook or spare needle to hand. I have used it when making short row toes, a technique that machine knitting prompted me to revisit in hand knitting. If you would like to find out more about short-row toes, you can read about them here:
The cult-like Ranunculus starts with a circular needle provisional cast on at the neck/collar.
I'm not dummy at knitting and when I tried it I had to do it 3 times before I got my head around it (and yet it's such a popular pattern out there in the wild!)
Once I'd cracked code it was amazing BUT I admit I gave up on it all about halfway through the yoke and it now sits in its bag frowning at me from across the room .
Well, that's just brilliant and easy.