I love that my day job focusses on helping knitters learn new techniques. And I find it particularly fun when I can suggest using techniques in a way that might not be immediately obvious. Today, I’ve got a pair of video tutorials for the crochet provisional cast on and grafting, skills that you’ll use individually time and again over the course of a knitting career. But they’re also a pair that work together particularly well. I’ll dive into some of their more common uses in today’s post, but I also want to highlight a perhaps less obvious application: they make a great way to start toe-up socks if Judy’s Magic Cast on isn’t your cup of tea.
It seems we can’t stop talking about the provisional cast on here at Arnall-Culliford HQ – a sign of just what a useful tool it is to have in your knitting toolbox! It played a supporting role in March’s featured Confident Knitting technique, the folded hem. It’s also a skill that comes up rather frequently over at The Knitalong Hub – many knitters love it, I think, as it builds a lot of flexibility into a project.
A provisional cast on makes the tidy folded hem of Martin’a Behm’s Flux Hand Warmers possible! Photo © Jesse Wild.
If you’ve not come across it before, a provisional cast on creates a cast-on edge with live stitches that can be returned to later. As ever, there are many ways to to accomplish that. In today’s video tutorial, I’m sharing my personal favourite, the crochet provisional cast on. It’s simple to work and unzipping the cast-on edge when you’re ready to ‘free’ your live stitches is not only easy and scissor-free (no risk of accidentally snipping your stitches) but also rather satisfying. In this video tutorial, I’ll show you how to make your crochet chain directly on your knitting needle, eliminating the need to pick up bumps from the wrong side of a tiny crocheted chain. So gather your things (you’ll need your knitting needle, smooth waste yarn + crochet needle of a corresponding-ish size) and let’s get started: Crochet Provisional Cast On (YouTube link).
If you are left handed, then you may find it easier to work the crochet provisional cast on with this video tutorial: Left Hand Crochet Cast On
There are loads of reasons you might want to start a project with a provisional cast on. You might want to add a knitted-on edging, such as a lace border or i-cord. Or you may want the option to go back and add length to your knitted item. Or perhaps you want your cast-on edge to match your cast-off edge exactly, and that’s easily accomplished if you can work a cast off across a provisionally cast-on edge.
Quite often though, if you’ve used a provisional cast on, it’s because that cast-on edge will be grafted to another piece of knitted fabric later. This method is sometimes used for things like lace scarfs – you work two identical, provisionally cast-on panels, then graft them together for a neatly mirrored scarf. It’s also often used for longer cowls, where the stitches you finished with are grafted to those with which you started. And the provisional cast-on edge + graft can also be used to close up the start of a tube, no seaming required. So in today’s pair of videos, I’m demonstrating that on the circularly knit Destination Scarf from MDK Field Guide No. 17: Lopi.
But, to return to where we began this post, it’s also a lovely way to start toe-up socks if you don’t get on with Judy’s Magic Cast On (with all due respect to Judy!). You can provisionally cast on the toe stitches, work away on your sock, then graft the toe together whenever you fancy, just as you would a cuff-down sock.
This video will show you how to graft, or seamlessly join, two sets of stitches in stocking stitch: Grafting (YouTube link)
Crochet provisional cast on + grafting – the perfect pair! I hope you find that these tutorials come in handy soon, whether it’s to cast on a pair of socks or knit your own Destination Scarf. We have a whole little series of videos supporting MDK Field Guide No. 17: Lopi, including these two, over on our YouTube channel, and you can pick up your own copy of the Field Guide in the online shop! Happy knitting!