Brenda's Easy Peasy Provisional Cast-On

You might remember that when I made the Opal &Mohair socks, I used a provisional cast-on for the second sock.

There are many ways to do a provisional cast-on. Sally Melville speaks often of the 'Crochet Cast-On' for provisional work. Elizabeth Zimmermann had a method of 'flip-flopping' the hands to do a figure-eight provisional cast on.

But me, I always look for the easy way to do anything. So I ask myself,
" What is the point of a provisional cast-on?"
It is to have live stitches available to be picked up and knit in the opposite direction at a future point in the knitting.
Hmmmm How could I do that easily?

Then, remembering that knitting unravels easily in the direction opposite to which it was knit, I had a brain wave.


Here is

Brenda's Easy Peasy Provisional Cast-On

1) Cast on for your project in waste yarn. Anything will do, but you will have better luck if you choose yarn about the same gauge as your project.

2) Work a row or two. I say 'or two' for no reason other than it is often easier to do things in knitting if you have something to hold on to.

3) Work one row using this.
"What is that?" you say. Dental Floss. Dental floss is slippery. It will pull out easily.

4) Complete your project. When you are done knitting, simply pull out the dental floss. Off will drop the waste yarn, and Voila! Live stitches to be picked up.

Easy peasy n'est-ce pas?