Cable stitches are a decorative technique with the appearance of a twisted rope or a braid. Making cables is much simpler than you may think, and even beginner knitters can make beautiful cabled patterns. Here’s our cable knitting tutorial, where we show you how to do it!

The basic concept is to work your stitches out of order, effectively overlapping the fabric. To do this, you put a certain number of stitches on hold (holding them either in the front or the back of the work); then you work a stitch or more from your working needle; and finally, you return to the on-hold stitches and work them. The only equipment you need is a cable stitch holder for your on-hold stitches, or you can use a spare double pointed needle to serve the same purpose.

Cable | Purl Soho

Cables come in all shapes and sizes. Changing the number and orientation of the stitches, as well as the frequency in which you work a cable row all effect the look of your cable. Holding stitches to the back creates a right-leaning twist in the fabric, and holding stitching to the front creates a left-learning twist. Below we demonstrate the basics by first showing a 6-stitch cable held to the back (C6B), then a 6-stitch cable held to the front (C6F).

C6B: Cable 6 Back

Cable | Purl Soho

Slip 3 stitches purlwise onto a cable stitch holder and let them hang in the back of your work. (“Purlwise” means to insert the right needle into each stitch as if you were purling it.)

Cable | Purl Soho

Knit the next 3 stitches from your left working needle.

Cable | Purl Soho

Then, sliding the 3 on-hold stitches to the right end of the cable stitch holder, knit the on-hold stitches.

Cable | Purl Soho

Continue to follow your pattern until your next cable row!

C6F: Cable 6 Front

Cable | Purl Soho

To cable to the front, follow the instructions above, except after slipping 3 stitches onto the cable stitch holder, bring the on-hold stitches to the front of your work, rather than the back. Knit the following 3 stitches from the left working needle, then knit the 3 stitches from the cable stitch holder.

3/1 LPC + RPC (3/1 Left + Right Purl Cable)

We used the following cables in our Traveling Cable Hat pattern. They may come in handy elsewhere too!

3/1 LPC (3/1 Left Purl Cable)

Cable | Purl Soho

Slip the next three stitches purlwise to a cable stitch holder. (“Purlwise” means to insert the right needle into each stitch as if you were purling it.)

Keep the cable stitch holder at the front of the work.

Cable | Purl Soho

Purl one stitch from the left needle.

Cable | Purl Soho

Slide the slipped stitches to the other end of the cable stitch holder. (Do not spin the stitch holder or try to knit the stitches from the same end that you used to slip the stitches.) Now knit the 3 stitches from the cable stitch holder.

3/1 RPC (3/1 Right Purl Cable)

Making the Right Purl Cable is like making a Left Purl Cable in reverse. You…

Slip the next (purl) stitch from the left needle onto a cable stitch holder; hold the cable stitch holder to the back of your work; knit the 3 next stitches from the left needle; slide the on-hold purl stitch to the other end of the cable stitch holder and purl it.

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