Cables aren't scary, I promise!

I'm working on a pattern with cables in it called "Knotwork Cabled Headband" by Lucy Liebenstein.  Here's a step by step for the cables, but these instructions apply to any cables you might find.  This pattern has front and back cables, all that means is that you hold the cable needle to the front or back of your work.  All cables are basically the same, different pattern writers just call them different things or have you hold a different number of stitches to the front or back

Here's how to do the front cable in this pattern (row 8).  I've yet to find a pattern with a cable where the writer doesn't spell out exactly how the cable is done.  I'm going to show you the front cable first because it's easiest to see, even though it comes second in the pattern.

The instructions say C6F:  Slip 3 stitches onto cable needle.  Hold in front of work.  Knit 3 from left needle, then knit 3 from cable needle.

 Here we go.  I've done the first 7 stitches ( K3, P1, K3)
in row 8 and I'm ready to do the cable.

Since the cable needle is going to be held in the front, I hold my working needles a little out of the way behind the cable needle.  Here I'm slipping the first stitch (just like it was on the working needle) from the left needle to the cable needle. 

There are a lot of different types of cable needles.  I like this one (I think Clover or Lantern Moon makes it) because it's bamboo and not slippery, and the ends have a slightly larger area than the middle so the stitches won't slip off.  I also like the bamboo ones that have the lines around the circumference of the needle scored in the wood.  They help to hold the stitches on the needle too.  I tried a few different kinds before I decided what worked best for me.

So now I'm slipping the second stitch onto the cable needle.  Are you with me so far?

And now I've slipped the third stitch onto the needle.  That's done. 

Now the instructions tell me to knit 3 stitches from the left needle. 

 This is where it gets a tiny bit fiddly.  If you think that the cable needle is in your way while you're knitting off the working needle, by all means stick an end into the finished knitting to get it out of your way.  Ignore it until after you've knitted those 3 stitches from your left needle.  Don't worry too much about tightness, just knit like you normally do.  Here's stich #1.

Now I'm doing stitch #2 from the working left needle.

Here I'm knitting the third stitch from the left needle.  The cable needle is still being held on the front of the knitting.  In the next step, you're going to use it just like a little DPN and knit right from it. 

So now you're going to knit off the three stitches on the cable needle. 

I've stuck my left working needle into my finished knitting to keep it secure while I am not using it.  This also keeps that needle out of my way.  Just knit as you normally would, using the right needle and the cable needle as your left needle.  Easy so far, right? 

Ok, you've knitted the three stitches off your cable needle, so now pull your cable needle out and do whatever the next direction in your pattern says to do. On this row, you do two of these front cables, then knit 3, p1, knit 3. 

 And this is how the finished row looks.  Your cable doesn't look like much yet.  The next couple of non-cable rows are what makes the cables pop out.

 



Now we're going to do the other cable in this pattern, C6B (row 4).  The instructions for this one say:  Slip 3 stitches onto cable needle.  Hold in back of work.  Knit 3 from left needle, then knit 3 from cable needle. 

It's going to be basically the same as the other cable, but our stitches on the cable needle will be held in the back.  You're going to have to move your working yarn around to keep it in the right place to do those knit stitches, same as the other cable.

Here, I've stuck my right working needle into the knit fabric to get it out of my way while I slip the stitches onto the cable needle.  I have the working yarn held in front, since the cable needle is going to go behind the work.  You don't have to do that, as long as you make sure when you go to knit again that your yarn isn't looped around anything.

Here, I've got my cable needle holding 3 stitches back behind my fabric.  I'm now knitting 3 stitches from my left needle.  See how you have to occasionally move the yarn to do your knit stitches?  Just make sure it isn't looped around the cable needle and you'll be fine. 

 Here you can see I've made my 3 knitted stitches on my left needle (I'm still working on the third stitch here).

 Next bring your cable needle up and again use it like a knitting needle.  You'll be knitting the three stitches from it starting from the right most stitch, just like if it was a DPN.  Make sure your needle is lying flat with the stitches it's attached to.  Sometimes it might twist a bit.  Remember to have your yarn where you need it to knit those stitches.

Stick your left working needle in the work if you want to keep your stitches from falling off.  You can also stick a needle protector on the end of it, or slip the needle way up on the knitting if you're using a circular.  Just do whatever feels right so your knitting doesn't come off that left needle while it's not being used.

Now I'm knitting off the last stitch on the cable needle.

 Here's another shot of the cable needle with 3 stitches on it being held behind the work while I knit 3 off the left needle.  That's all there is to it, really.  Just hold the stitches on a cable needle and then knit them off.  Front or back, it's done the same way.

 

And here's the 3 cables done.  Again, don't expect to see much when you finish the row, they "develop" as you do the straight knit or purl rows between cable rows.

Every knit pattern writer can make their cables different, but they'll include directions on what to do and in what order.  I've seen some patterns that hold more stitches than they knit off the working needle, some hold less. 

All cable patterns do basically the same thing.  They hold some stitches either in the front or back, you knit some stitches (or purl, it can happen) and then knit or purl what's on the cable needle.  Just follow the patterns, they're all going to be similar in the way they're done.  And have fun!  It's going to take a little practices for it to feel a little less strange.  But cables are so gorgeous in knitting, it's worth a little discomfort to learn to make them.