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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781612125176 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Storey Publishing, LLC |
| Publication date: | 05/31/2016 |
| Sold by: | Hachette Digital, Inc. |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 224 |
| File size: | 42 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Cable Basics
What is a knitted cable? The basis of a cable is that 1 or more stitches crosses 1 or more stitches immediately to the left or right of the original stitches; then all the stitches are knitted in this new order to create a pattern. To make the switch, a designated number of stitches is slipped to a cable needle; the cable needle is then held in front or in back of the work while you work a designated number of stitches from the left needle; finally, you work the stitches on the cable needle. The result will be a design of stitches that cross to the left or to the right, depending on whether you hold the cable needle with stitches in front or in back.
Terminology
Throughout the knitting literature available today, there are several terms used for the same cable action. For example, let's look at a 4-stitch cable where 2 stitches change places with the adjacent 2 stitches.
If the crossing goes to the left, you may see this cable called any of the following:
* C4L, cable four left
* C4F, cable four front
* 4LC, four left cross
* 4FC, four front cross
* 2/2LC, two over two left cross
* 2/2FC, two over two front cross
* 2/2L, two over two left
* 2/2F, two over two front
If the crossing goes to the right, you'd see R (right) where the L appears or B (back) where the F appears in these names.
Now throw into the mix that cables can be worked in a combination of knit and purl stitches, meaning that knit stitches cross over purl stitches, and you may see these descriptors:
* C4LP, cable four left purl
* C4FP, cable four front purl
* 4LCP, four left cross purl
* 4FCP, four front cross purl
* 2/2LCP, two over two left cross purl
* 2/2FCP, two over two front cross purl
* 2/2LP, two over two left purl
* 2/2FP, two over two front purl
Since it is possible to make a cable crossing with 4 stitches that has 3 stitches crossing over 1, or vice versa, you can see that it can become quite confusing. For this reason, I use the 2/2 naming convention; if the crossing has 3 stitches over 1, it becomes 3/1. I also prefer the L for left and R for right rather than F for front and B for back — the top stitches move left or right, and I can be sure I've got it right by looking at it.
Because there is no standard, be sure you carefully read the explanations for cables in whatever publication you're using.
Symbols for Charting
The best way to present cable instructions is with charts. A chart can visually describe what is happening by showing a left or right cross, as well as knit and purl stitches.
In the next few pages, you'll find symbols for the cable crossings used in this book. The key shows the symbol used, the abbreviation, and the method. Beginning here, you'll find a key to the other non-cable symbols used in the charts presented here.
Cable Symbols
1/1L. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in front, knit 1 from left needle, knit 1 from cable needle.
1/1R. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 from left needle, knit 1 from cable needle.
1/1LP. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in front, purl 1 from left needle, knit 1 from cable needle.
1/1RP. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 from left needle, purl 1 from cable needle.
2/1L. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 1 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.
2/1R. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, knit 1 from cable needle.
2/1LP. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, purl 1 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.
2/1RP. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, purl 1 from cable needle.
2/2L. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 2 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.
2/2R. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.
2/2LP. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, purl 2 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.
2/2RP. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, purl 2 from cable needle.
3/1L. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 1 from left needle, knit 3 from cable needle.
3/1R. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in back, knit 3 from left needle, knit 1 from cable needle.
3/1LP. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, purl 1 from left needle, knit 3 from cable needle.
3/1RP. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in back, knit 3 from left needle, purl 1 from cable needle.
3/2L. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 2 from left needle, knit 3 from cable needle.
3/2R. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 3 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.
3/2LP. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, purl 2 from left needle, knit 3 from cable needle.
3/2RP. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 3 from left needle, purl 2 from cable needle.
3/3L. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 3 from left needle, knit 3 from cable needle.
3/3R. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 3 from left needle, knit 3 from cable needle.
3/3LP. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, purl 3 from left needle, knit 3 from cable needle.
3/3RP. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 3 from left needle, purl 3 from cable needle.
4/4L. Slip 4 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 4 from left needle, knit 4 from cable needle.
4/4R. Slip 4 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 4 from left needle, knit 4 from cable needle.
5/5L. Slip 5 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 5 from left needle, knit 5 from cable needle.
5/5R. Slip 5 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 5 from left needle, knit 5 from cable needle.
1/2L. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in front, knit 2 from left needle, knit 1 from cable needle.
1/2R. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.
1/2/1L. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle 1 and hold in front, slip 2 stitches to cable needle 2 and hold in back; knit 1 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle 2, knit 1 from cable needle 1.
1/2/1R. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 from left needle, slip 2 leftmost stitches from cable needle to left needle, move cable needle to front, knit 2 from left needle, knit 1 from cable needle.
2/1/2LP. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle 1 and hold in front, slip 1 stitch to cable needle 2 and hold in back; knit 2 from left needle, slip 1 from cable needle 2 to left needle and purl it, knit 2 from cable needle 1.
2/1/2RP. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, leftmost stitch from cable needle to left needle and purl it, knit 2 from cable needle.
2/2/2LP. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle 1 and hold in front, slip 2 stitches to cable needle 2 and hold in back; knit 2 from left needle, purl 2 from cable needle 2, knit 2 from cable needle 1.
2/2/2RP. Slip 4 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, slip 2 from cable needle to left needle, hold cable needle in front and purl 2 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.
3/1/3LP. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle 1 and hold in front, slip 1 stitch to cable needle 2 and hold in back; knit 3 from left needle, purl 1 from cable needle 2, knit 3 from cable needle 1.
3/1/3RP. Slip 4 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 3 from left needle, slip leftmost stitch from cable needle to left needle, hold cable needle in front, and purl 1 from left needle, knit 3 from cable needle.
2/3/2L. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle 1 and hold in front, slip 3 stitches to cable needle 2 and hold in back; knit 2 from left needle, knit 3 from cable needle 2, knit 2 from cable needle 1.
2/3/2R. Slip 5 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, slip 3 from cable needle to left needle, hold cable needle in front and knit 3 from left needle, knit 2 from cable needle.
1/3LP. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in front, purl 3 from left needle, knit 1 from cable needle.
1/3RP. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 1 from left needle, purl 3 from cable needle.
2/2L Decorative. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, work 2 from left needle according to instructions, knit 2 from cable needle.
2/2R Decorative. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, knit 2 from left needle, work 2 from cable needle according to instructions.
2/2L Bold Decorative. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, knit 2 from left needle, work 2 from cable needle according to instructions.
2/2R Bold Decorative. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, work 2 from left needle according to instructions, knit 2 from cable needle.
2/2L Double Bold. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, work 2 from left needle according to instructions, work 2 from cable needle according to instructions.
2/2R Double Bold. Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, work 2 from left needle according to instructions, work 2 from cable needle according to instructions.
Other Symbols
[] Knit on right side, purl on wrong side.
[•] Purl on right side, knit on wrong side.
[o] Yarnover.
[l] Knit through back on right side, purl through back on wrong side.
[A] No stitch — ignore this block of chart.
[BB] Work stitch in contrasting color.
[C] Knit 2 stitches together (k2tog).
[D] Slip 1 knitwise, slip another knitwise, place left needle into front of 2 slipped stitches and knit them together through the back loop (ssk).
[E] Slip 1, knit 2 together, pass the slipped stitch over the k2tog (sk2p).
[F] Knit 3 together (k3tog).
[G] Insert left needle from back to front under strand between the needles; knit the stitch through the front.
[H] Insert left needle from front to back under strand between the needles; knit the stitch through the back.
[I] Knit 1 but do not drop from needle, yarn over, knit 1 into same stitch — 1 stitch increased to 3.
[J] Knit 1 through the back but do not drop from needle, knit 1 into same stitch; insert left needle behind vertical strand between the 2 stitches just made and knit the strand through the back loop — 1 stitch increased to 3.
[K] Knit in front, back, and front of same stitch — 1 stitch increased to 3.
[L] Pattern repeat.
[M] Slip 4 stitches to right needle, *pass second stitch over first (center) stitch and off needle; slip center stitch to left needle, slip second stitch over center stitch and off needle; slip center stitch to right needle; repeat from
[N] Work as for 7-to-1 decrease above but slip 3 stitches to right needle and repeat from
[B] Make bobble of choice in 1 stitch (see Bobbles).
[B] Make bobble of choice in 2 stitches (see Bobbles).
[O] Bind 2. Yo, p2, pass yo over purl stitches.
[P] Bind 3. Slip 1 with yarn in back, knit 1, yo, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over the k1, yo, k1.
[Q] Wrap 4. Slip 4 stitches to cable needle, wrap yarn around the 4 stitches twice; with yarn in back, knit 4 from cable needle.
[R] Bead knitting. With beads prestrung, knit a bead into the stitch on right side, purl a bead into the stitch on wrong side (seeBeaded Knit Stitch).
[S] Hook bead knitting. With small crochet hook, pick up a bead, remove stitch from left needle with the hook, slide bead down onto stitch; return stitch to left needle and knit it (see Beading Up Your Cables).
[T] Slip stitch bead knitting. With beads prestrung on yarn, bring yarn forward, slip 2 stitches to right needle, slide up 2 beads, bring needle to back leaving 2 beads in front of 2 slipped stitches and continue in pattern (see Beaded Knit Stitch).
Cable Needle Varieties
There are a few options when it comes to cable needles. One is not better than another — you just need to find the one that's most comfortable for you. Note that for some cables you'll need two cable needles, so be sure you have more than one available.
Working Cable Crossings
Let's get to the knitting! Here we'll look at how to make left-crossing cables, right-crossing cables, cables with knit and purl stitches, and cables that cross in two directions over a stationary stitch or stitches. In the examples that follow, I show a specific number of stitches being crossed, but the same principles apply to crossing with various stitch counts. Unless otherwise specified, slip all stitches onto the cable needle purlwise.
Left-Crossing Cables
To work a left-crossing cable, you'll hold the stitches on the cable needle in front of the work while you work the following stitches from the left needle. I remember that left is held in front because both words contain the letter "f."
3 over 3 Left (3/3L)
1. Slip 3 stitches from left needle onto cable needle.
2. Hold cable needle with stitches in front of work.
3. Knit 3 stitches from left needle.
4. Knit 3 stitches from cable needle.
Completed.
Right-Crossing Cables
To work a right-crossing cable, you'll hold the stitches on the cable needle in back of the work while you work the following stitches from the left needle. In my mind I change "back" to "rear" so I can remember that right is held in the rear because they both begin with the letter "r."
3 over 3 Right (3/3R)
1. Slip 3 stitches from left needle onto cable needle.
2. Hold cable needle with stitches in back of work.
3. Knit 3 stitches from left needle.
4. Knit 3 stitches from cable needle.
Completed.
Knit-over-Purl Cable Crossings
Crossing knit stitches over purls is used to form lattice patterns, diamonds, closed rings, and other cables. The same principles of holding stitches to the front to cross left and to the back to cross right apply.
3 over 1 Left Purl (3/1LP)
1. Slip 3 knit stitches from left needle onto cable needle.
2. Hold cable needle with stitches in front of work.
3. Purl 1 stitch from left needle.
4. Knit 3 stitches from cable needle.
Completed.
3 over 1 Right Purl (3/1RP)
1. Slip 1 purl stitch from left needle onto cable needle.
2. Hold cable needle with stitch in back of work.
3. Knit 3 stitches from left needle.
4. Purl 1 stitch from cable needle.
Completed.
Double-Crossing Cables
Double-crossing cables consist of 1 or more outer stitches crossing over a stable center stitch or stitches. This involves both left and right crossings, and some require two cable needles. These examples are worked over 4 stitches. In the first example the fourth stitch crosses the other 3 from left to right; then the first stitch crosses the 2 center stitches from right to left. In the second example the fourth stitch crosses the 2 center stitches from left to right; then the first stitch crosses the other 3 from right to left.
1/2/1 Right (1/2/1R)
1. Slip 3 stitches to cable needle.
2. Hold cable needle with stitches in back of work.
3. Knit 1 stitch from left needle.
4. Slip the leftmost 2 stitches from cable needle to left needle.
5. Hold cable needle with 1 stitch in front of work.
6. Knit 2 stitches from left needle.
7. Knit 1 stitch from cable needle.
Completed.
1/2/1 Left (1/2/1L)
1. Slip 1 stitch to cable needle 1 and 2 stitches to cable needle 2.
2. Hold cable needle 1 with stitch in front of work; hold cable needle 2 with stitches in back of work.
3. Knit 1 stitch from left needle.
4. Knit 2 stitches from cable needle 2.
5. Knit 1 stitch from cable needle 1.
Completed.
Knitting Cables without a Cable Needle
Many knitters like to work cables without a cable needle, claiming that it's easier and faster. I have not generally found this to be the case, as I end up having to reconstruct stitches that come undone in the process. However, I often work without a needle when working a 1/1 crossing because it's not necessary to drop unworked stitches from the needle. The idea with more than 2 stitches is that you reorder the stitches onto the left needle in the finished cable order before knitting, and then knit them in the "new" order. The technique works for many, so I present the option here.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Cable Left, Cable Right"
by .
Copyright © 2016 Judith Durant.
Excerpted by permission of Storey Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction1: Cable Basics
Terminology
Symbols for Charting
Working Cable Crossings
2: Simple Cables
Standard Rope Cables
Varying Cable Size
Changing the Proportions
Combinations
Double-Crossing Cables
3: Angles and Curves
Angles
Diamonds
Curves and Circles
4: Braids and Pretzels
Braids
Pretzels
Combining Braids and Pretzels
5: Fillers, Ribbings, and Allover Patterns
Fillers
Ribbings
Allover Patterns
6: Dressing Up Your Cables
Adding Texture and Bobbles
Two-Color Cables
Beading Up Your Cables
Reversible Cable Methods
7: Design Considerations
Balancing Patterns Vertically
Balancing Patterns Horizontally
Coping with Take-Up and Splay
Decreasing and Increasing in Cable Patterns
Index
Acknowledgments