Cabling Help

How-to Questions
1

Hi All,

My very first post here on knittinhelp.com! Just started knitting about three weeks ago, made a couple of scarves but wanting to try something a little fancier than what I’;ve been doing, which just simply knitting rows :slight_smile:

Wanted to try making a scarf with a cable pattern, but have been trouble with my practice cables.

I find them very hard to knit, and when I cross stiches, the effect isn’t particularly nice. It just looks scrunched and tight, and I can’t picture how they’d come out like I see in the photos.

Can anyone give some general advice on how to make nice cables. Do you have to knit with a looser tension than normal so that they can cross over easily? Is it hard to judge if you’ve done a crossover nicely until you’ve knit more rows? Maybe the hanging loops get tighter as they’re off the needle, should I use a large cable needle to make sure the loops are easy to knit later? Is the cable effect easier / nicer looking with thick or thin yarn?

Any help / general advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

2

When people have tight cables, it’s usually because they’re slipping the stitches onto the cable needle as if to knit. You should slip them as if to purl. Is that what you’ve been doing?

3

I believe so, I transfer them to the needle as shown in the video on knittinghelp.com, and yes, that is the direction one would insert the needle if one were to purl…

I’m not sure why… I have such a hard time knitting off the cable needle. Maybe if I knit with less tension that will change things…

4

Maybe if you use a cable needle smaller than your regular needle? I use a dpn for a cable needle–it’s a lot easier for me to maneuver than a regular cable needle.