Cast On, Bind Off (39 page)
Authors: Leslie Ann Bestor
CHARACTERISTICS
⢠Provisional edge
⢠Easy to remove waste yarn
⢠Can be tricky to find bumps on back of chain
GOOD FOR
⢠Crocheters
⢠Adding a border or I-cord
⢠Working in the opposite direction later
⢠Hems
Using smooth waste yarn, crochet a chain that is several stitches longer than the number of stitches you need to cast on. Cut the yarn and pull it through the last loop. Make a knot on the end of this yarn so that you know which end to start with when pulling the chain out later. Put the crochet hook aside.
Turn the chain over. Insert the tip of your knitting needle into the bump on the back of the first chain. Wrap your working yarn around the tip and pull a stitch through. Repeat across the back of the chain until you have cast on the desired number of stitches. You may have extra crochet chain hanging down at the end; if so, just ignore it.
For how to pick up live stitches, see the box on
page 115
.
Cast Ons
Tubular cast ons create an edge
that appears to have no beginning to it; the stitches seem to just roll over the edge. They are extremely elastic in construction and are frequently used for ribbed edges, making them useful for hats, gloves, mittens, socks, and sweater cuffs that need a lot of stretch. They are called “tubular” because the first few rows create a tube of knitting, with the knits and purls separated into front and back. This is accomplished by knitting every other stitch and slipping the ones in between, making two layers of fabric.
The needle size for tubular cast ons can be a little tricky. Many people recommend needles a size or two smaller than used for your ribbing to keep the bottom from flaring out. You want to make sure, though, that you don't tighten it up so much that you compromise the elasticity these cast ons are known for. My preference is to use the size needles called for in the ribbing. As with all new techniques, a little swatching will give you the answer.
The instructions in this section are for K1, P1 ribbing, but they can be easily modified for other ribbing patterns. The directions for creating K2, P2 ribbing at the end of this chapter (see
page 135
) are applicable to any of these cast ons.
Tubular
page 120
Provisional Tubular
page 123
Yarnover Tubular
page 127
Italian Tubular
page 132
This edge starts with
half the number of stitches needed cast on in waste yarn followed by four rows in stockinette in the main yarn color. You then increase by picking up stitches from your first row of main color knitting; this creates the tubular edge.
Extras
Waste yarn
