Hello! I’m about to start the Robinia Sweater by Anne Ventzel and I’m unsure what cast on to use for the neckline? I’ve seen a few projects on Ravelry that had it rolling up, and had to use some sort of firming techniques…
Which cast on for neckline?
It probably depends on the yarn that’s used. I love this sweater and have seen a friend’s version that was grand.
I would think a long tail cast on for a nice firm cast on. Maybe a German twisted cast on if you think you need more stretch. I wonder if extending the rib at the neck would counteract any tendancy to roll. Most of the projects look quite nice at the neckline.
Does the pattern offer a choice of round or boat neck at the cast on?
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Thanks for your reply. No the pattern doesn’t offer any alternative neckline and doesn’t give any instructions on the cast on. More than adding stretch I want to add structure as I’m worried about it being too loose (I have small shoulders), and to loose shape over time. The yarn is the Eco Soft by Isagern. I’ll look into the long tail technique!
I wonder. What about a provisional cast on then come back and use an Icelandic bind off to finish it?
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I like GG’s suggestion of a provisional. You might also consider casting on with a smaller size needle to firm up the short rib section.
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Thank you! Can I ask why is a provisional cast on good in this case? I’ve never used one (I’m an advanced beginner :))
I like GGs suggestion of provisional cast on and go back later to bind off with iclandic bind off too. It is a very nice bind off, I’ve done this myself a few times.
A provisional cast on gives you more options later on in my opinion, even if it is only trying out different needle sizes for a regular bind off (life line in the stitches before removing the provisional) so you can see and feel the result when you have a full sweater.
It also gives you a chance to spend longer thinking about what you’d like but it out delaying getting started. Binding off in purl, or a small picot or the Icelandic. You can try a few things on a swatch and hold it up to your (almost) finished sweater to get a better idea of the result.
The Icelandic bind off is very pretty but works better a a bind off, therefore added at the end. There is a matching cast on but it’s harder to get the gauge you want with the cast on and you would only want this type of bind off at the neck, not across the shoulders as it is pretty for edging but not great for seaming. With a provisional cast on, later you can try on the top, tacked together, see exactly where you want the shoulder seams, bind off shoulders in knit for an even seam edge and bind off the neck edge in Icelandic for firmness and the look of it, you can even change needle size between on bind off and the other if needed to get the exact stretch you want for each section dependant on it’s job.
Lots of options.
Otherwise the cable cast on is neat and firm and I like how it looks. I tried a new thing recently where I skipped the ribbing and cast on for the body of a sweater and went back to pick up for the ribbing later. I used the cable cast on and where I picked up stitches, for me, it was a better result than with other cast ons. The cable cast on on mine is hidden inside but has given a lovely neat smooth pick up edge ‘seam’ on the inside and gave a nice firm start to the ribbing (no wonky stitches of uneven size on the first row). The inside looks so nice it could be used for the outside on another project.
First things first, do you know what a provisional cast on is? If not we can help you understand it and choose a way to do it if you wish. I had a very hard time wrapping my mind around the concept and honestly the name was the problem. I finally thought of it as, the cast on the provides live stitches to use later.
Why use a provisional cast on for a neckline? Very good question! Necklines can be a bit tricky. Sometimes they turn out too large and having live stitches makes it easier to adjust to smaller. I can swatch and measure and do math and ask for input and still have things turn out other than anticipated. There are various ways of binding off to give different results in appearance and you can try again if you don’t like the first one. Realizing you don’t like the appearance of a neckline half way through on a top down is discouraging but there is no easy way to redo a cast on that I’m aware of. I find cast ons often don’t look as good as bind offs. In the end it’s knitter’s choice. Swatching and trying a few things is always a good idea. I should do it more often. I like the way an Icelandic bind off looks much like an I cord finish. It’s reasonably stretchy but stable. You can start with an I cord cast on or an I cord then pick up stitches (generally would look better IMO) but I find it fiddly and would rather do a quick PCO and get started. Besides, I change my mind a lot and might want to do something else.
I’ll give an example of one reason for a provisional cast on: I want the edges of my blanket to match. I used a crochet cast on with waste yarn then did an Icelandic bind off after knitting the border in seed stitch. I’ll finish with seed stitch and an Icelandic bind off.
We love getting questions. I particularly love questions about things that took me forever to understand - like PCOs. A PCO might not be what you want here and that’s fine. Understanding that there are different ways to approach things opens a whole world of possibilities. I’ll not mention the frustrations it can bring. 
For me it allows postponing something being finalized.
You’re the boss of your own knitting.
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