I am a new, “internet taught” knitter. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who knits and I’m out in the boonies so I don’t have a yarn store I can go to for help, so any help anyone can give me, I’d really be grateful for.
I’m making a bag and it has cables. However, after the row of cables it says knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches. I have found 2 threads on here about this, but I am still confused.
Does this mean I can read the previous row backwards and do it that way, or do I do the opposite( which I think would be just repeate that row again). I have read somewhere someone said you actually knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches. I’m just so confused on this.
Thank you,
Stacey
The easiest way to do it is to look at your knitting. If there is a V (knit stitch) on the left tip, knit it. If there is a purl bump, purl it.
You could read the directions backwards and reverse the stitches, but it’s time consuming and easy to get confused.
Yes, Ingrid is right.
You just knit the stitches on the knit side of your work - which, if you’re doing cables, is the cable side. And you purl the stitches on the wrong side of your work.
Wait, I just realized something. What I just said holds true for the cabled stitches only. Often in Irish sweaters, there are panels of different columns of stitch patterns.
In that case, do what corresponds to the pattern stitch. For example, often you will have the actual cable stitches (stockingette stitch, with the v’s on the right side) centered between 2-3 stitches on either side that are purled (lumpy, with the v’s on the wrong! side). This sort of frames your line of cables, making the cables stand out easily for all to admire.
But from your standpoint… the instructions for the right side of your work would thus mean knit the knit stitches (such as the cables themselves) and purl the purl stitches (such as the “background” for the cables). Then, on the wrong side, you would purl the purl stitches (meaning the cables, the wrong side of the stockingette stitch) and knit the knit stitches (meaning the “wrong” side of the background stitches that make your lovely cables stand out).
Does this help?
Dot
Except for the row you do the crossovers on, cables are like ribbing. Work the stitches as they appear on the side you’re knitting on. Don’t try to figure out what you did to them on the front side, that way lies confusion.
Basically, just look at the work. Let’s say you have
PP KKKKKK PP
If you’re knitting in the round, you’d do exactly the same thing and get
PP KKKKKK PP
PP KKKKKK PP
If you’re working on something flat, you’ll end your front-side row and see
PP KKKKKK PP
When you turn it around to work the back-side row, you’ll see the back of the last row, so it’ll look like
KK PPPPPP KK
in which case you work the stitches the way you see them:
KK PPPPPP KK
KK PPPPPP KK
When you’re working cables, duplicating a row like that makes the cable twist look longer. If you wanted to, you could write out all the rows stitch by stitch, and it’s not a bad idea when you start. After a little while, you’ll have it figured: okay, the cable twists on Row 1, then all I have to do is make sure the edge stitches and the ones that will make up the cable are all in the right order for the next seven rows. It’s eventually easy, or I couldn’t do it 
Just what Becky said. You stitch them the way they look to you as you’re stitching.
Learning what the stitches look like can save you hours of frustration. Here’s a picture I used to help new knitters learn.
Oh my goodness. You all are the greatest. I truly cannot say thank you enough. I finally get it. AND, I have 10 rows of the pattern done and it looks like the picture. Thank you so much. And the picture was fantastic. My family is crocheters and my mother really wanted this knit bag and now she’s getting it thanks to all of you. 
Have a great day,
Stacey