What is a provisional cast-on?

A provisional cast-on is any method of starting a piece of knitting that leaves the first row of stitches 'live'. Rather than having a cast-on row with a finished edge, a provisional cast-on means that you can pick up the stitches in the first row later and use them the way you would any other row of live stitches anywhere else in your knitting project.

When to use it:

Because a provisional cast-on creates a row of 'live' stitches, you can go back to your first row and use those stitches to do a number of different techniques that require stitches to be on the working needle.

This is very helpful when you need to graft the cast-on edge to another row, if you need to knit in the opposite direction from the cast-on, or if you are knitting something like a folded hem where you need to connect the cast-on edge to a row further up your project.

Other ways to work a Provisional Cast-On:

Like many knitting techniques, there is more than one way to work this cast-on. To see other options, check out our posts about The "One-Step" Crochet Method and The Spare Cord/Cable Method. All three versions are completely interchangeable so it's 100% knitter's-choice on which one to use.

INSTRUCTIONS

In this method, you will use a crochet daisy chain to hold your first row of stitches.

To watch my quick video reel, see How to Provisionally Cast on Using into a Crochet Chain

MATERIALS

Everything you need for your knitting project + waste yarn and a crochet hook.

CAST-ON

STEP 1: Make the daisy chain

Using your crochet hook and waste yarn, create a daisy chain that is 3-5 stitches longer than the cast-on number for your project.

Start by creating a slip knot with your waste yarn, and placing the slip knot on your crochet hook.

Create more stitches in the daisy chain by looping your yarn around the back of your hook, and pulling it through the stitch currently on your hook.

Continue adding stitches to the chain until it is about 3-5 stitches longer than the number of stitches you need for your cast-on. When you have enough stitches on the chain, break your waste yarn and pull the tail through the last stitch to keep it from unravelling.

When you have finished your daisy chain, tie a knot in the tail of yarn to help you remember which end of the chain is the "end" end (i.e. the part that you worked last and not the part you started with your slip knot) since that's the end you'll need to find later when you're ready to get your stitches back on a needle.

 

STEP 2: Pick up stitches in the daisy chain

Using your project needles and your project yarn (the background color of your first chart if knitting colorwork) pick up and knit one stitch into each ridge on the back of the daisy chain until you have the correct number of stitches you need on your knitting needles.

When looking at your daisy chain, there is a right side (RS) and a wrong side (WS). The RS will have "V"s, and the wrong side will have little bumps, that look a bit like purl ridges. You'll be picking up into these "bumps".

Starting at one end, pick up and knit one stitch (using your project yarn) into every bump on the daisy chain. There should be a little "tail" of daisy chain leftover at the end. It's helpful to have a few extra, to make it easier to find the end later.

 

STEP 3: Start knitting!

You can simply either turn your work, or join to knit in the round as you normally would. The crochet chain and your provisional row will be there waiting for you when you need them.

Once you've knit a few rounds, you'll be able to see your provisional cast-on as a round of contrasting yarn at the end of your project.

REMOVING THE PROVISIONAL CAST-ON

To watch my quick video reel, see Removing a Provisional Cast-On. 

When you've finished knitting your project, you'll need to get your provisionally cast-on stitches back onto a needle. Whether you are grafting two ends of an Infinity Cowl or Reversible Cowl together, or if you are knitting in the opposite direction, you'll need to take out the daisy chain and get that first row of stitches ready to work again.

To do this, you'll need to start by finding the "end" end of your daisy chain - i.e. the end of the daisy chain that you worked last, NOT the end you start with a slip knot. If you followed the steps above, this end will be marked with a small knot in the tail of yarn.

To start, pull the tail of yarn back out through the last stitch in your daisy chain. If you keep pulling this tail, the daisy chain will unravel, so don't pull to much yet!

Starting at the beginning of round, using a second set of needles (in the same size or smaller than your project needles) pick up the right leg of each stitch in the first row of knitting (the row you pickup up and knit from the daisy chain).

It's helpful to pick up a couple of stitches, and then pull the waste yarn out of those stitches (rather than doing it one at a time, or pulling out the waste yarn before picking them up).

Once all the stitches from your first row of knitting are back on a knitting needle, you can move on to the next step in your pattern!

 

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Blog co-written by Jamie Lomax and Grey Lundy.