Knitting Cables

The simple technique of cabling (crossing one group of stitches over another) lends itself to many interpretations in knitting. It's easy to do, you can make all kinds of interesting and imaginative cable patterns. All it takes is a little patience and practice.

You can make any kind of cable by suspending (holding) a number of stitches on a cable needle (cn) while you knit that same number of stitches from the LH needle. Then you knit the suspended stitches either by returning them to the LH needle and knitting them or by knitting them straight from the cable needle. This process of knitting stitches out of order enables you to cross stitches, creating cables. Whether you're making simple or intricate cables, all you're doing is crossing stitches. Easy, right?

Standard or rope cables are the most basic cables. They generally cross stitches predictably up a single column of stitches. You can make a rope cable over almost any even number of stitches from two to twelve — or more. (To see how it’s done, check out How to Knit Standard Cable Stitch [Rope Cable].)

• If you want to make a cable that looks like it's twisting to the left, you hold your suspended stitches in front of your work while you knit from the LH needle.
• If you want to make a cable that twists to the right, hold the suspended stitches in back.

Instructions for a 6-stitch left-twisting cable usually read something like this: Sl 3 sts to cn, hold in front, k3, k3 from cn. Instructions for that same cable, but twisting to the right, read like this: Sl 3 sts to cn, hold in back, k3, k3 from cn. (How to Read Knitting Abbreviations can help you decipher this explanation.)

You may also see abbreviations like C3F and C3B. The C before the number tells you that these stitches are cable stitches. The number tells you how many stitches are involved with this particular maneuver. The F or B indicates whether you should suspend the stitches to the front or the back of your work.

Knitting a standard cable

When you knit cables, you don't have to cross stitches on every row. (Thank goodness!) The row on which the stitches are crossed over each other is called the turning row. After the turning row, you work several plain rows, and then you work another turning row. Standard cables have the same number of plain rows between turning rows as there are stitches in the cable. If the cable is 6 stitches wide, for example, you work the turning row every 6 rows.

To try a 6-stitch left-twisting cable, cast on 14 stitches and then follow these steps:

1. Work Row 1 (RS): P4, k6, p4.

The first and last k4 (knit four) stitches make up the background fabric for your cable. The six stitches in the middle are where you'll form your cable stitches.

2. Work Row 2: K4, p6, k4.

3. Work Row 3: P4, k6, p4. (same as row 1).

4. Work Row 4: k4, p6, k4 (same as row 2).

5. Work Row 5, the turning row: P4, sl 3 sts to cn and hold in front (see Figure 1a), k3 from LH needle (see Figure 1b), k3 from cn (see Figure 1c), p4.