This waste yarn provisional cast-on gets stitches on your knitting needle super fast! It’s also known as a “scrap yarn cast-on”, or (my favorite), the “itsy bitsy spider” cast-on. Here’s a tutorial to help you master it. And to see why I call it the Itsy Bitsy Spider Cast-On.
What is a Provisional Cast-on?
A provisional cast on is a temporary cast on. It leaves live stitches that you’ll need to go back and secure later. The “waste” or “scrap” yarn is yarn that you will remove after the knitting is complete.
There are different types of provisional cast-ons. A crochet cast-on can be either permanent or provisional.
One type of waste yarn or scrap yarn cast-on simply has you start knitting with waste yarn for a few rows, then start working with the project yarn. When the project is finished, you go back and remove the waste yarn, leaving live loops at the bottom of the piece. This method is often used in machine knitting.
The cast-on I’m describing below is a very quick and easy cast on that takes just seconds to do..
Materials You’ll Need
What you’ll need for this provisional cast-on:
- Project yarn
- Small amount of waste yarn (scrap yarn) in approximately the same weight or slightly smaller than your project yarn. You’ll be removing this yarn later and discarding it. Choose a smooth yarn in a contrasting color. Make sure it’s not too fuzzy or bumpy so it will come out easily and won’t leave bits of fuzz in your stitches. You’ll need a length slightly longer than your cast-on width.
- Knitting needles. You did a swatch, of course (right?) so use the size needle your swatch told you that you need to match the pattern gauge.
- Two hands
Preparing for the Cast-On
Before we get started with the cast on, stop for just a moment and warm up your hands with a little exercise, as follows:
With your non-dominant hand (that’s the left hand for right-handers and the right hand for left-handers) form an “L” with your thumb and index finger. Point the index finger up and the thumb out to the side. Keep your other three fingers loosely folded down, if you can.
Now, rotate your wrist so that the index finger points down.
Do that a couple of times: Point up, point down. Feeling warmed up on that side?
Hold the knitting needle in your dominant hand in your normal way. Keeping the needle pointed to the side, twist your wrist to “scoop” the tip of the needle like you are scooping ice cream.
Next, put those two motions together:
- With your non-dominant hand, point up; with your dominant hand scoop the needle.
- With your non-dominant hand, point down; with your dominant hand, scoop the needle.
Now you are ready to cast on!
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Instructions for Waste Yarn Provisional Cast-On
- Holding the waste yarn and the project yarn together, put a slip knot on the needle. Leave a 6″ [15 cm] or longer tail of the project yarn to weave in later. (See video below to see these steps in action.)
- Holding the needle in your dominant hand and hanging on to the slip knot with your index finger. put the two strands of yarn in the palm of your non-dominant hand and fold your middle, ring and pinkie over the strands to hold them.
- Insert the thumb and forefinger of your non-dominant hand between the two strands coming from the needle, then spread those fingers apart, so that the project (working) yarn is over your index finger and the scrap yarn is over your thumb. You may recognize this as the way you set up for a long tail cast on.
- Point up with your non-dominant hand. Still holding onto the slip knot for the moment, with the needle tip, scoop the project yarn from back to front and onto the needle.
- Point down with your non-dominant hand. With the needle tip, scoop the project yarn from back to front onto the needle.
- Point up with your non-dominant hand. With the needle tip, scoop the project yarn from back to front and onto the needle. (About now you’ll figure out why I call it the Itsy Bitsy Spider Cast On.)
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the number of stitches you want to cast on. Do not count that slip knot as a stitch. Be sure you scoop only the working yarn — the project yarn — and not the waste yarn. Your stitches may seem to slide around the needle but that’s OK. Aim for a medium tension — not too tight!
- When you have cast on the desired number of stitches, you’ll need to go ahead and knit (or purl) the first couple of stitches to secure the cast-on, but I usually work the entire first row.
As you work that first stitch of Row 1, be sure that the scrap yarn crosses over the working yarn so that you have a stitch to work into.
When you come to the slip knot, simply drop it off the needle and let it stay there until you remove the scrap yarn.
Voila! You’ve cast on a bunch of stitches!
Waste Yarn (Scrap Yarn) Provisional Cast On
How to Use the Scrap Yarn Provisional Cast On
Once you’ve practiced this cast on, you will find it is a very fast way to get stitches on the needle. I often use it when I want to try out a stitch pattern or technique and I’m not concerned about matching the cast on to the pattern.
If you are knitting a “real” project — not just a swatch — you’ll need to go back and do something with the stitches. When you remove the scrap yarn, you’ll be left with live stitches to go back onto a needle, so don’t remove the scrap yarn until you are ready to deal with them!
Sometimes I know I’ll be adding an I-cord or lace edging to a piece and want to be able to work those live stitches. Or, if I know that the fabric I’ll be making will be a ripple or wave or zig-zag, I’ll use a loose temporary cast on so that I can go back later and bind off those stitches in a way that better reflects the shape of the fabric.
Try out this scrap yarn provisional cast on and let me know what you think! Will you incorporate it into your next knitting project?
And do you think Itsy Bitsy Spider Cast On is a better name for it?
