Rarely have I had to use the crochet chain provisional cast on. Now, it is one of my new "best friends". The Ice Queen pattern requires the knitter to go back and pick up the originally cast on live stitches to do the ENDLESS.BEADED.PICOT.BIND OFF. No kidding, I counted 65 beaded little bumps and I’m still going. Very pretty, very, very shiny. Perfect magpie entertainment. Pictures of that will come another day. This post is about the cast on, or rather the release of the live stitches from the cast on. SO SLICK!
See the little blue stitches in the center of the green chain? They are just sitting there waiting to be released.
and finally….
I don’t know why I have tried to avoid this method. There were times when my stitches didn’t release well and I had to cut the chain away. It soured me. This time I used a bigger yarn for the chain. Slick. I can see using it for times when I don’t want to commit to say a hem vs a ribbed bottom, or top of a sock or….
Comments
13 responses to “the crochet chain cast on”
I’ve had problems unzipping the chain, too, but the last time I did it I got it right. Of course, I’m not sure what I did differently so who knows if I’ll be able to do it again.
Thank you for the tip on the PCO. I shyed away from it because of horror stories and accounts of thing going wrong. I can see where it would be useful for the length of a sleeve…
Oh..and ENDLESS.BEADED.PICOT.BINDOFF. YEAH!
Talk about one step forward, two steps back!!
I’m doing the picot bind-off for the shoalwater shawl. talk about endless! But At least I’ve learned how to do it. I’m planning to apply it to my long-suffering branching out scarf which I made with a provisional cast on. One of the photos on Knitty shows a picot edge without instructions.
I heart the provisional CO too! I use cotton yarn: size 5 for small and size 3 for big yarns, and it zips right off.
It has the added benefit of being a butt-ugly stripe of yarn for non-knitters to ask questions about, or be puzzled about, as in *why is she knitting that beautiful lace with that ugly bright orange stripe at the beginning?*
Love to confuse them.
Bigger yarn! Good idea!
I first found that Cast on in The Knitters Book of Finishing Techniques, where Nancie Wiseman has you actually crochet right over the knitting needle. For some reaon I like that so much better than making a chain and then picking up the loops from it. It’s become my only provisional cast on!
I used the provisional cast on for Anne’s Casino Shawl that I just finished. I always have problems unzipping it however. Using a larger yarn is a good idea. How is Cheryl’s method done?
I’m a fan of this cast-on too. Using a contrasting color and weight really does help. Leftover sock yarn with nylon in it is what I usually go with.
I usually use one of three different cast-ons. Guess it’s time to learn another. Thanks for the good nudge.
This is a way of provisional cast on I haven’t used yet, worth to give it try !
Oh!Canada is also going te be very pretty, I really love the Swallow color you are using.
Clever use of larger yarn. I didn’t think of that.
Having trouble finding 6/0 ice blue silver inside beads.
Oohhh! I am so grateful for this post. I’ve been thinking (with trepidation) about that step of the Ice Queen as I knit.
The “one stitch at a time” makes sense! Finally “a stitch in time saves nine” makes sense!
I couldn’t figure out the crochet cast on until I saw your post. After I read how you did it I was able to cast on for the beret in Classic knits. Thank you.