It is not difficult to pick up stitches from an edge formed by the provisional cast on, but when we do it for the first time, the task could seem intimidating.
If the live stitches sit on a piece of scrap yarn, they are often uneven and some of them could even be concealed, making the whole idea of picking those stitches up quite scary. if the live stitches are held by a crochet chain, it could be puzzling to find a way to retrieve them.
In reality, the process is simple and straightforward. We move stitches from the scrap yarn to a knitting needle one by one using a few common-sense tricks that make this method easy-peasy no matter whether the provisional cast on was done with or without a crochet hook.
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In this tutorial, we’ll explore both options.
PICKING UP STITCHES FROM SCRAP YARN
How to Pick Up Stitches from the Provisional Cast OnIf you used a variation of the provisional cast on method that is done without a crochet hook (like the way described over here), start by untying the ends of the scrap yarn and removing any knots and bows you made to keep the stitches from slipping off that piece of yarn.
It is easier to start picking up stitches from left to right. As an additional bonus, once all stitches are transferred to a knitting needle, we can work the first row or round right away, without any need to reshuffle the stitches on the needles or turn the work.
If the first row that you plan to work on the picked-up stitches is a wrong-side row, place your project with the wrong side of the fabric facing you.
In most cases, we start to work with a right-side row, so I placed my little swatch so that I see the right side of the fabric.
STEP 1
To open the first stitch, pull the end of the scrap yarn that is hanging at the left side of the project. Depending on the side of the fabric that is facing you, the first stitch will be either a slip knot or a tiny half-stitch as is the case in my swatch.
Insert a knitting needle into that stitch from the top down (or from right to left if you follow the way the stitch sits on the scrap yarn).
STEP 2
Pull the scrap yarn out of the picked-up stitch leaving that stitch on the knitting needle.
Repeat these two steps until you pick up all stitches sitting on the scrap yarn.
Easy, right? But depending on the type of yarn you use, things could get less straightforward. That’s when it helps to know a few pro tips.
TIP #1
If you don’t see a stitch clear enough to pick it up in step 1, grab the part of the scrap yarn that runs between this stitch and its neighbour, then take the part of the scrap yarn at the other side of this stitch and pull both parts of the strand up.
This is a sure way to open even the tiniest of stitches.
TIP #2
If you find it difficult, or at least, uncomfortable, to insert a knitting needle into the opened stitch, use a needle that is a few sizes smaller than the size you used to make your project.
Thinner needle makes it way easier to pick up stitches, and you don’t need to move stitches to a needle in a “correct” size before you work the picked-up stitches for the first time.
Simply take the picked-up stitches on a thinner needle in your left hand, and a needle in the correct size in your right hand, and work the first row or round according to the pattern you follow.
The size of the new stitches depends on the size of the needle you hold in your right hand, while the size of the needle you hold in your left hand is not that important. That’s why this little trick helps us make it easier to pick up stitches from the scrap yarn without changing the tension of the fabric.
TIP #3
If your project is wide and there are quite a few stitches sitting on the scrap yarn, soon the strand that you pull out from the stitches as you pick them up will become annoyingly long.
Feel free to cut it short every now and then to make it faster and easier to pull this yarn out of your stitches.
It is a “waste” yarn, after all. We are not supposed to preserve it, so when it starts to slow you down, simply trim it.
PICKING UP STITCHES FROM A CROCHET CHAIN
This method is based on the fact that we can easily unravel a crochet chain releasing the live stitches and picking them up one by one as we liberate them.
The tricky part comes from the fact that a crochet chain unravels easily only from one end, so it is very important to find the correct end of the chain before we attempt to liberate our stitches.
Look at the chain and notice that it is formed by a set of Vs stacked on top of each other.
The end of the chain that we are looking for will be at the top (the wider part) of those Vs.
Fun fact – the same approach works when we want to open bags (like sacks of flour or rice) that are stitched at the top.
Undo the last chain at that end and unravel all empty chains (if any) until you get to the chain that holds the first stitch.
To make sure we can work stitches right after we pick them up without reshuffling them on the needles, it is better to pick them up from left to right.
Place your project so that the unravelled crochet stitch is at the left side of the fabric and take a knitting needle in your left hand.
STEP 1
No matter whether you now see the wrong or the right side of the fabric, insert the knitting needle into the first live stitch from the top down.
If this stitch is concealed, pull the loop and the tail of the crochet chain up to make the stitch bigger.
If that’s not enough to comfortably pick up stitches, take a needle in a smaller size (see tip #2 above).
STEP 2
Pull the tail of the crochet chain to undo the chain attached to the stitch that we’ve just picked up.
Repeat these two steps until you pick up all stitches and the chain is unravelled.
The last stitch will be smaller than the rest of the stitches. It is ok. Insert the needle into that stitch the same way, from the top down, and pull the scrap yarn out of that stitch.
HERE’S A VIDEO TUTORIAL THAT SHOWS EVERY STEP
No matter whether the provisional cast on was formed with or without a crochet hook, make sure you pick up the small half-stitches. Otherwise, the number of stitches will be one stitch short. Count the picked-up stitches before you start the first row or round to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
SAVE IT FOR LATER
This and 36 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #7.