How to Cable Stitch
Many knitters avoid cabling as it looks complex, but just try it and you will see that it is a deceptively simple technique to master. Cables are stitches that have been lifted with a third needle and crossed to another place in the work: needless to say, it’s the third needle that puts people off. The actual cables are usually worked in a stocking (stockinette) stitch on a background of reverse stocking (stockinette) stitch or sometimes a moss (seed) stitch.
All cables have been made using the techniques shown although they will use different numbers of stitches. For example, ‘C6B’ means ‘cable six back’: here you would slip three stitches onto the cable needle, holding it at the back; then knit three stitches from the left-hand needle, and finish with the three stitches from the cable needle. The pattern you are working from will tell you how many stitches to put on the cable needle and how many to knit. Holding the cable needle at the back of the work makes the cable twist across to the right.
Step 1• Work to the position of the cable. Slip the first two stitches from the left-hand needle onto the cable needle and leave it at the back of the work. *Cable Tip*"Using a cranked cable needle like the one shown makes it almost impossible for the stitches to slip off while you are working the next stitches on the left-hand needle. Once you are confident with cabling, try using a straight cable needle, which makes the process a bit quicker. "
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Step 2• Work to the position of the cable. Slip the first two stitches from the left-hand needle onto the cable needle and leave it at the back of the work. |
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Step 3• Now knit the two stitches from the cable needle to complete the cable four back. If you find that the first stitch purled after the cable needle is baggy, try purling into the back of it to tighten it. *Cable Tip*• Holding the cable needle at the front of the work makes the cable twist across to the left. This is called Cable four front (C4F). |
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