TWO-COLOR RIGHT CABLE
Two-color 6-st cable
1 Slip 3 main color stitches to cable needle and hold to the back.
2 Being sure sure to twist the 2 strands of yarn to prevent a hole in the work, knit 3 stitches with contrasting color.
3 Knit 3 stitches with main color from cable needle, being sure to twist the strands as before.
1 Slip 4 sts to cable needle and hold to the front.
2 Being sure sure to twist the 2 strands of yarn to prevent a hole in the work, [k1 CC, k1 MC] twice.
3 [K1 MC, k1 CC] twice from cable needle, being sure to twist the strands as before.
8-ST LEFT CABLE
Two-color 8-st ribbed cable
T E CHNI Q UE
USING CABLES HORIZONTALLY Cables are knit vertically or constructed so that they travel either to the right or left. In some garments, however, placing cables horizontally adds interest to the design. A hat brim, sleeve cuff, or mitten cuff can feature a cable placed horizontally. Cables can be used as horizontal edgings on sweaters or shawls. To use cables in this way, knit a cable panel as a separate piece. You can cast on using a conventional method, such as the long-tail cast on, or start with a provisional cast on that you will graft to the live stitches at the end of the piece to form a tube. If you are seaming the sides of
your garment, a conventional cast on is satisfactory. If you are knitting your item in the round, as for a hat or mittens, then use a provisional cast-on so that the grafted seam will not be visible. It is less conspicuous to cast on in the middle of the cable, rather than at the point where the cable crosses, for a smooth seam or graft. Once the cable is knit, you can pick up stitches on either side and then work vertically. If the cable is to be positioned in the middle of your piece, as for the waistline of a sweater, you will be picking up stitches on both sides of the cable panel.
You can add some additional stitches on the sides of the cable panel to set up the pick-up row or to form an edge that doesn’t curl. For example, if the cable is on a background of reverse stockinette, a garter-stitch edge on the sides of the cable panel will provide a foundation for the picked-up stitches or a smooth bottom edge. It is useful to swatch and block your cable panel to determine how many stitches to pick up. You can test this by picking up stitches on your blocked cable swatch. Because the pieces are oriented differently, they will stretch differently. You may find that
Cable with picked up stitches changing needle sizes for either the cable or the work above or below the cable insertion piece will give you a smoother fabric. Some sweaters that are knit side to side also may feature horizontal cables.
blocking 184–187
grafting 192–193
picking up stitches 171, 196–198
shawls 279–294
contrasting color yarn/CC 158, 165
hats 296–303
provisional cast on 36, 37
swatch 159–162
garter stitch 30, 46
long-tail cast on 33
reverse stockinette stitch 46
sweaters 203–278
gloves and mittens 304–312
main color yarn/MC 158, 166
seaming 188–195
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