Provisional Cast On....now what?

#1

I did a crochet provisional cast on using these directions:
http://www.knittingatknoon.com/provisional.html

It was easy to figure out and it looks right, but now what? Do I just stick my needle into the first stitch and start knitting?

I tried that and went for a few rows, then tried to un-do the cast on and I ended up with one too few stitches. I must be doing something wrong. When I started knitting, I just held my working yarn in the back and went with it…am I supposed to attach it somehow first? That’s the stitch (the first one knitted) that seemed to get lost when I tried to un-do it.

Also, and this might be my problem, am I supposed to start knitting from the FIRST stitch that I cast on, or the LAST stitch? I started on the last one, the one with the loop attached that gets un-done to recapture the stitches.

I hope that made some sense and that someone can help me! I want to start on this tonight. :thumbsup:

#2

I’ve always just started knitting. You can use a slip knot to pull through as your first stitch for a bit more security. Don’t take out the provisional cast on though, until it’s time to pick up and use the live stitches from it.

#3

I always end up one stitch short when transferring the stitches to the new needle after doing a provisional cast on. It is my understanding that it will always do that. So far, I have just been scooping my needle down and picking up the outside part of the knit stitch below it. But, if anyone has a better idea of how to avoid this, I would :heart: to know, too!

#4

Yep, just start knitting. It’s a little awkward at first, but once you get done with the first row it’s all the same. I’m making the double hat so this was my first time with it, too.