Toe Up Socks and the Mysterious Cast On

OK, so it's time to give these toe-up socks a try... on Bells' recommendation, I'm using the Wendy Knits Generic Toe-Up Pattern. I've finished the toe, no worries.



So, I'm up to the bit where you unravel the provisional cast-on (the crocheted chain is the orange bit), and put the new freed up live stitches onto needles, and way hey hey, we're off knitting the foot!

BUT - and this has happened to me before - firstly the cable cast-on doesn't want to unravel - I'm going to have to pull it out stitch by stitch, or cut it out. And - most annoying of all - the resulting line of stitches most definitely are NOT live, but just look like the bottom edge of a normal cast-on - so I'll have to pick up stitches anyway! It doesn't warrant unpicking, but I'm clearly getting something wrong, and I don't know what - must be the way I'm knitting 'into the centre loops of the back side of the chain' when I cast on.


So - please - any ideas as to what I'm doing wrong?!