I still cant do it =[ whats wrong!

#1

i’ve been trying for around 2 months now, i still cant knit cables!! i’ve watched lots of videos on youtube, bought a book, signed up to this forum and still cant do it!!

im so confused, right, so say if i was knitting 10 stitches, and i wanted to do a 3 by 3 cross over for the cables. so would i:

a) knit the first 2, take 3 off, purl 3, put 3 back on and purl them, then knit 2. so when i come back i would purl 2, knit 6, and purl 2

b) knit the first 2, take 3 off, purl 3, put 3 back on and purl them, then knit 2. so when i come back i would knit 2, purl 6, and knit 2

c) knit first 2, take 3 off, knit the next 3, put 3 back on and purl them, then knit 2. so when i come back i would purl 2, knit 3, purl 3, purl 2

ok im so confused now, if anyone replies to this, could they also tell me what to knit when im coming back aswel, because all the videos only show it going one way. and say “knit the knits and purl the purls”, coz i have no idea what that means, even though i’ve read the sticky thread, im just a failure at knitting… and no technical terms either, coz i wont know them!!

thank you soo sooo much!!! :hug:

#2

Viviaan,
Cables are [U]usually[/U] worked with a cable needle, so I’m assuming you have one. If not, you can use a double pointed needle or just about anything that is open at both ends. You will knit (or purl) up to the point where you want to make your cable (usually before a cable you will have a few purl stitches; this just makes the cable stand out better). Then you will take your cable needle and slide three stitches off of your left needle onto your cable (or double pointed) needle, knit the next three stitches, then knit the three stitches from your cable needle. To make your cable cross left, you hold your cable needle in the front of your work; to make it cross right, hold your cable to the back of your work (this is [U]after[/U] you’ve slipped your stitches to that needle). What you’re doing is just knitting these six stitches out of order.
After you’ve done with your cable row just knit the next row like it says…knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches. You’ll be able to tell where your cable is just by feeling the stitches. There’s a little bump there where the stitches have been crossed. You’ll be able to see it, also. Those stitches will be purled, since they were knit on the right side of your work.
I said “usually” at the beginning of this because you can do cables without a cable needle, but I think you may need to master this technique first before tackling the cable sans needle. It’s actually a lot easier, but a little intimidating at first because you have to take your needle out of “live” stitches to reverse the order. It sounds a lot worse than it is.
Keep trying…cables are not hard and you need to learn how to do them just so you can pat yourself on the back and not let them get the best of you.

#3

Knitting a cable or arran has been simple for me. Which is a good thing because I can be unforgivably stupid when it comes to doing a lot of things in knitting. Before I tell you how I do it, remember that I german knit, so your mileage may vary.

Before you have knit your way to where you are going to begin your cabling, make sure you have your cable needle or “fishhook” as I call it. For our purposes here (and a short, easy pattern for practice) P2, K6 for 32 stitches, then K2, P6 for 4 rows until you are back to the RS of your pattern. Then you will P2, take your cable needle and on the hook end, put three stitches from the “to be knitted” needle and let them hang. Then K3 stitches. Pick up the cable needle and bring it to the long end and then knit those three stitches, P2 until the end of the row. K2, P6 to the end of the row, then P2, K6, yaddah yaddah until you are 4 rows beyond the cabled row.

If you get confused, you could knit along with several of the videos on YouTube (except for the circular knitting needle nut, avoid her at all costs). I’ve always found it easier to knit cable on circular needles so I can just keep knitting on the right side and not have to worry about losing track of which row I am on.

You’re not a failure, far from it. I kniw for years before I attempted a cable stitch, now they are laughably easy for me. Just don’t ask me to turn a heel. :roflhard:

#4

Cables are usually crossed on the knit row, it’s easier that way. So your k2, would be p2 on the RS and that’s how cables are done; they’re knit sts on a purl st background.

So you do a few rows of p2, k6, p2 on the RS and k2, p6, k2 on the WS. Then the next RS row p2, put 3 sts on a holder, k3 off the left needle, then knit the 3 on the holder, p2. On the WS row you do it the same as the other WS rows - k2, p6, k2.

#5

so if i start with 2 purls, will i have to knit the cables? or still purl?

#6

A cable pattern is basically a rib pattern except every few rows you cross the sts over to form the cable. If you start with 2 purls, then you k6, and p2. When you cross the cables on the RS then you knit the cable sts.

#7

There are all kinds of cables, but the most basic are worked with the right side of the cable all in knit stitches, flanked on each side with some purl stitches.

So if, as in your example you wanted to make a cable that was worked over 6 stitches (3X3) and want to have 10 stitches altogether, here is what I would do. First of all I want to say that the cables are not usually crossed on each right side row, but every so often depending on the effect you want. You might cross a cable every 6 rows or 8, 10, 12, etc. Sometimes they make the crosses closer together, but not commonly. Lets say we want to twist our cable every 6th row.

So first you cast on your 10 stitches. Lets make the first row the right side. So P2, K6 (these will be the cable), P2.
Row 2 and all the back side rows: K2, P6, K2. Observe closely what you are doing here because this will be knitting the knits and purling the purls. That means to knit the stitch, if as you are ready to work it, the stitch loop on the needle has a little vee below the needle (that stitch with a little vee below it is a knit–so knit it). If the next stitch to be worked has a bump right below the needle, the stitch needs to be purled (it is a purl stitch so you purl it).
Row 3: work just like row one. P2, K6, P2.
Row 4: even row, work like row 2. K2, P6, K2.
Row 5: (Cable row. I know I said every 6th row, but we want the cable cross to be on the right side so lets start it on the 5th row to begin with.) P2, slip the next 3 stitches purl wise onto a cable needle or dpn and let it hang in back, knit the next 3 from the regular needle. Now lift the holding needle up and bring it into position to knit off of it, being careful that nothing gets twisted as the stitches come into position. Make sure the working yarn is still behind the right hand needle (if you knit Continental you need to have it behind the cable needle). Knit the 3 stitches from the holding needle. P2
Row 6: return row work as all return rows. Make a mark on a slip of paper, turn a stitch counter to #1 or count that as row 1 however you want to so that you will know when to twist the cable again.
Row 7: regular non twist row, just like row 1 at the beginning. Mark as row #2.
Row 8: return row. row #3.
Row 9: right side non twist row. row #4.
Row 10: return row. row #5
Row 11: this is the 6th row so it is the cable twist. Work it just as row 5 above.

Repeat rows 6 though 11 for the cable pattern. You twist every 6th row on the right side.

The most basic cables are just worked the same way all the time, in this case holding the slipped stitches in back. You can practice holding them in front too. There are a lot of kinds of cables, some that have you knit and purl in the cables, etc. but learn the most basic ones first until they are easy to do and then work up to harder and harder ones. Follow the instructions given for each kind carefully and you’ll get better and better.

#8

First of all I want to say that the cables are not usually crossed on each right side row, but every so often depending on the effect you want. You might cross a cable every 6 rows or 8, 10, 12, etc. Sometimes they make the crosses closer together, but not commonly. Lets say we want to twist our cable every 6th row.

Yep, and most cable patterns have as many rows as there are sts in the cable. So 6 sts, 6 rows works pretty well, though you can stretch it out to 8 rows on a 6 st cable and it looks good too.