A Line Has Been Crossed

After dinner last night I tossed aside the sock I was working on and pulled out the stuff to make Coronet. (It's a Knitty pattern. I put a link in a previous post about it.)
I haven't gone very far over the line, I didn't actually cast on or anything, but I pulled out the Denise tips I would need and I have the pattern, yarn, and needles with me just in case an opportunity to knit comes along.
The line I'm attempting to cross or not cross here is casting on for a new project when I still have so many others to finish.

Maybe a Toe Over the Line
Well, ok, I sort of cast on.
The pattern calls for a provisional cast on. The cabled band is knit flat, then grafted shut, then stitches are picked up along the side to work the top.
The other day someone pointed out that Judy's Magic Cast On(that is a link for the Knitty article, first thing that popped up) is a provisional cast on. This had not occurred to me since I've only used it for some sock toes, you cast on and work in a circle. Well, this person pointed out that you can cast on and just work one side.
What? No waste yarn to worry about pulling out? Sign me up.
My question is do I really have to graft, or can I three needle bind off? But my aversion might be because I selected this pattern when I was still a newish knitter and hadn't memorized the kitchener stitch so the idea of it scared me. Ah, how these impressions linger. My first attempt to kitchener a sock toe shut, which I believe came before I found the hat pattern, was such a disaster I ended up doing a three-needle bind off instead.

But I Crossed Right Back
I only "sort of" cast on because after I got the stuff out I practiced to make sure I can do the cast on without directions. If I hadn't remembered the steps I would have had to fish the directions out as well. But I did remember the steps, although I had trouble remembering which stitches were the twisted ones.
However, I pulled it all out. My intention is to cast on to the 16" cable (or whatever length that short one is) and one of the 5 1/2" inch cables. I'll have my working stitches on the longer cable to knit the band and put the other stitches, for the grafting, on the short cable with the button ends.
Of course my test ended up the other way around. Now I know I have to have the longer cable on the bottom when I cast on. So I'm all set when the time comes.

Swatch? What Swatch?
Well, aside from swatching.
I do want the thing to fit after all.
Can't decide whether I should swatch ahead of time or wait for the plane.
I didn't swatch on the train this morning because I wasn't on the train this morning. Just didn't do enough prep last night to leave the house on time this morning. Which is also why I didn't get further than a practice cast on, because you know once I start I'm gonna keep going.
I should probably swatch over the weekend so I can be sure of the needle sizes to bring with me. That would stink, get on the plane and have the wrong needles. ick.