hello i hope i dont sound like a complete idiot here, but if i have both knits and purls on the same row, do i flip my work after knitting to purl?
and for cabling, is the cable needle just another knitting needle, or is there something called a cable needle?? does it have to be the same size as the needles i am knitting with?
as u can tell from the questions im asking, im totally new to knitting! just learnt knitting and purling the last two days. 
Kristin,
Having both kinds of stitches on the same row doesn’t mean you have to turn – for example, ribbing is often knit 2, purl 2, knit 2, purl 2, etc. Just bring the yarn forward to purl, then bring it back behind the needle to knit. Really, the only time you will turn your work in the middle of a row is when your pattern specifically calls for it (short rows).
There are special cable needles, but you can use anything in a pinch – double pointed needles, a chopstick, a pencil – it doesn’t have to be the same size as the needles you’re knitting on, but it shouldn’t be bigger, just because that would make it hard to knit off of it.
And whatever you use for a cable needle needs to have two pointed ends–you can’t use a regular straight needle for example.
oooo thank u Julie and Ingrid! i’ll try it out when i get myself to the shop to get more yarn.
Actually, you CAN (in a pinch) use a regular straight needle, it would just take a smidgen of futzing…you could slip the sts to the right needle, then slip them in the right order onto a regular straight.