"When I unzip my provisional cast-on, why are there one fewer stitches going "down" than going "up," AND, what can I do about it?"
Same thing happens in knitting when working the other way from a provisional cast-on. If you cast on a certain number of stitches and work "up," when the provisional cast on is released, there will be one fewer live stitches to knit "down."
Five stitches provisionally cast on yield only four stitches waiting to pick up and knit "down." It's not a mystery--it's the same thing as your fingers, Five stitches knitted "up" leave only four spaces between them, and that's what you're picking up with the provisional cast-on--the spaces.
The analogy is not perfect--there are obviously loops, not spaces, when a provisional cast on is released. However, like the spaces between the fingers, these loops are the bars between the stitches, they are stitch TAILS, not the actual loops themselves.
Below shows what this would look like in real life if you had nine stitches, then removed the provisional cast-on, took the needles out, and somehow made the fabric lie flat. See that complicated business on the right and the loop on the left? That's what happens when you pull out the provisional cast-on: The half loops of the right and left tails get pulled upwards to the next row, leaving only the full loops of the tails between the upwards loops: five upward loops make four downward tails, nine upward loops make eight downward tails. The pattern remains: always one fewer downward loops than upward.
On the upside (har!) there are two different ways to solve this problem.
#1 Remove a stitch
Suppose you want to knit on 8 stitches. Try this trick: provisionally cast on nine stitches. On the first and second row, knit all nine. On the third row, knit 2 stitches together (k2tog) where you think they'll be least obvious. In plain stockinette, see if you like the k2tog right in the middle, or if you find an edge less obvious.
On the upside (har!) there are two different ways to solve this problem.
#1 Remove a stitch
Suppose you want to knit on 8 stitches. Try this trick: provisionally cast on nine stitches. On the first and second row, knit all nine. On the third row, knit 2 stitches together (k2tog) where you think they'll be least obvious. In plain stockinette, see if you like the k2tog right in the middle, or if you find an edge less obvious.
Below, the needles and the provisional cast off have been removed, and the fabric has magically been made flat. The k2tog is in the middle of the row, picked out in green. There were originally nine stitches cast on and worked "up," leaving eight tails. However, after the k2tog, there are a matching set of eight live loops at top and bottom.
In short:
The alternative to removing an extra stitch going "up" is to ADD an extra stitch going "down."
Provisionally cast on the correct number of stitches, and work all the stitches "up" normally. Unzip the provisional casting on, catch the live loops on your needle, and on the second or third row knitting "DOWN," add a stitch by any method you like, or try the invisible increase and see if you like that.
In short:
In short:
- Provisionally cast on one extra stitch
- Row 1 and 2: Knit every stitch going "up"
- Row 3: Somewhere along the third row, wherever you think it will be least obvious, k2tog to get rid of the extra stitch going "up."
- Rows 4 and following: knit normally
- when the time comes to release the provisional cast on, there will be the correct number of stitches to knit "down."
The alternative to removing an extra stitch going "up" is to ADD an extra stitch going "down."
Provisionally cast on the correct number of stitches, and work all the stitches "up" normally. Unzip the provisional casting on, catch the live loops on your needle, and on the second or third row knitting "DOWN," add a stitch by any method you like, or try the invisible increase and see if you like that.
In short:
- Provisionally cast on the correct number of stitches
- Knit every stitch going "up"
- When you come to release the provisional cast on, there's one fewer loops going "down."
- Pick up the stitches going "down" and knit for two rows.
- On the third row, add a stitch by making a nearly invisible increase.
Provisional cast on makes a 1/2 stitch discontinuity--a jog-- between where the stitches go "up" and where they go "down."
Not only is there always one fewer stitch going "down" than "up," but the offset between the tails and loops causes another problem, also. Specifically, when knitting"down," the downward knitting is 1/2 stitch off the upward knitting.
This 1/2 stitch discontinuity or jog makes little difference in stockinette. This is because stockinette appears directionally symmetrical. Take any piece of stockinette fabric, look at it closely, then turn it upside down and look again. The "V" stitch pattern looks the same both ways. The only way to see the offset in stockinette is at the fabric edges, where the 1/2 stitch jog shows as a tiny bump on either side.
Other knit fabrics are not so forgiving. A continuous ribbed fabric would show a 1/2 stitch discontinuity between where the stitches are knit "up" and where the stitches are knit "down." To minimize, provisional cast on is usually used along a border where the fabric pattern is going to change anyway: the classic location is at the border between the bottom band and the body of a sweater, or at the border between cuff and sleeve. Because the bottom band or cuff is likely to be made in ribbing, while the garment body or sleeve is likely to be made in a different pattern, the discontinuity -- the jog -- of the provisional pick-up line is disguised.
Geek note: Do you wonder why you'd want to put the cuff on a sleeve via provisional cast on? With a provisional cast on, the cuffs (and bands) can be length-adjusted after the main garment has been knit and tried on. Makes it easier to get a sleeve which hits right where you want it, or a sweater of perfect length at waist or hip.
If making a garment with just one fabric pattern -- a pattern which would look bad with a jog -- you would have to arrange matters so that at the line of the provisional cast on, there would be several rows of plain stockinette stitch or some other distraction, to hide the offset.
Geek note: Do you wonder why you'd want to put the cuff on a sleeve via provisional cast on? With a provisional cast on, the cuffs (and bands) can be length-adjusted after the main garment has been knit and tried on. Makes it easier to get a sleeve which hits right where you want it, or a sweater of perfect length at waist or hip.
If making a garment with just one fabric pattern -- a pattern which would look bad with a jog -- you would have to arrange matters so that at the line of the provisional cast on, there would be several rows of plain stockinette stitch or some other distraction, to hide the offset.
An example is lacy scarf worked in a directional lace pattern. In order to have the two lace patterns match at the lower ends of the scarf, you could start the scarf in the middle with a provisional cast on, and work first towards one end, and then towards the other. However, you might not want the 1/2 stitch jog at the cast on. A classic solution is to design the scarf with a stockinette panel.
In the middle of a stockinette fabric, there will be hardly any visible discontinuity where the provisional cast on lies--there will be a 1/2 stitch jog at the edges, but none in the middle. Also, the shape of a scarf with a narrow stockinette pattern lies very well on the neck--the narrow bit goes around the back, adding no bulk, while the pretty lace panels show their glory on the front. Another advantage: the narrow stockinette band has the same number of stitches as the lace panels--no increasing required. This is because lace (pretty nearly any lace) is much wider than a stockinette fabric with the same stitch count, due to all the yarn overs.
--TECHknitter
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