Cast On, Bind Off (37 page)

Authors: Leslie Ann Bestor

BOOK: Cast On, Bind Off

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Hold the waste yarn over your left thumb, and the working yarn over your index finger in the slingshot position.

Reach under the waste yarn, over the top of the working yarn, and bring the working yarn under and in front of waste yarn. This is 1 stitch.

Reach over the top of the waste yarn and behind the working yarn, pulling it forward (like doing a yarnover). This is your second stitch.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have the desired number of stitches cast on. If you need to cast on an even number of stitches, start with step 4 (yarnover step). Note that the waste yarn only loops through the bottom of the stitches. All the stitches are made with the working yarn, ready to be knit.

Picking up the Live Stitches

Later, when you're ready to knit in the opposite direction or add a border, pull the waste yarn out and place the live stitches on a needle.

Getting It Right

To use a circular needle instead of waste yarn, skip steps 1 and 2 and instead make a slip knot with the working yarn and slide it onto the cable of a circular needle, using your right index finger to hold the knot in place. Hold the yarn over your left index finger and the cable of the needle between your thumb and middle finger. Proceed with step 3, substituting “cable” for “waste yarn.” When you are ready to knit in the opposite direction, your needle is already in place.

Provisional Crochet 1 Cast On

a.k.a. Provisional Chained

This is essentially the same cast on
as the Chained Cast On (
page 39
). The difference here is that you use waste yarn for the cast-on edge and remove it later, when you are ready to work on those stitches again. If you are proficient with a crochet hook, this can be a very fast cast on.

Extras
Crochet hook in a size equivalent to the knitting needle size required for the project; waste yarn