This cast on method is really special because it lets you knit in two directions from the cast on edge: you can knit upwards from the cast on edge like you usually do, but once you are finished you can turn your workpiece upside down and start to knit in the other direction.

I use this method for the Tyche Hoodie, where the cast on edge will be the neckline of the hoodie. We will knit the hood in one direction and after it is done, we pull out the provisional cast on and start knitting the raglan increases in the other direction.

As all methods in knitting, the provisional cast on method has many ways to carry out, in this tutorial I show you how to do the one method that has worked the best for me. If you know any other way, that is perfect, feel free to use that for Tyche as well.

The provisional cast on method works perfectly when you are knitting stockinette but if you are knitting another stitch pattern like we do in Tyche (it is called the Seersucker Stitch), there will be a slight shift in the stitch pattern at the place of the cast on:

But I think that is a small price to pay compared to the seam at the top of the hood that we would need to make if we started to knit Tyche there.

To perform the provisional cast on, you will need to make a crochet chain first. It should consists of a few more chain stitches than you will need to cast on for your knitted piece.

You will use the back of that chain to cast on stitches with your working yarn. Starting at the slip knot end of the crochet chain, pick up stitches from under every bump at the back of the crochet chain:

Pick up one stitch from under each bump, continue until you have the number of stitches on your knitting needles you need for your pattern.

After knitting a few rows, the live stitches that are held by the crochet chain can be seen more clearly:

When your pattern instructs you to pull out the provisional cast on, it means you have to pull out the yarn of the crochet chain from your workpiece, so you will be able to pick up the live stitches that the crochet chains have been holding until now. You will start on the non-slip knot end this time, pull out the chain stitches one by one and pick the live stitches up onto your knitting needle as they appear.

I made a step-by-step video about this method too, you can watch it here:

I hope this was helpful to you! You can find more tutorials in my Knitting Help library. If you still need assistance with my pattern, please feel free to contact me via this form or send an email to gynkaknitwear@gmail.com.

I hope to see you in the next one! 🙂

Mici