Elongated Mock Cable Stitch
The Elongated Mock Cable Stitch, used in our Snow Tracks Scarf, is a beautiful all-over cable stitch pattern that eschews the fuss of a cable stitch holder. This stitch uses yarn overs and crossed knit stitches to create a fascinating texture in just two pattern rows… Easy! Here’s our Elongated Mock Cable Stitch tutorial, where we show you how to do it.
Click To See Video Transcript
Hey guys, this is Laura from Purl Soho and I’m going to demonstrate how to work the Elongated Mock Cable Stitch. I have a swatch worked up here in our Gentle Giant, and I’m going to begin by showing you a wrong side row. So I’m going to flip my swatch over here. Let me grab my second needle. Alright, so the first thing I’m going to do on the wrong side row is slip one stitch knitwise with your yarn in front. So you can see my yarn’s in front. Take your right needle, insert it knitwise, and slip this first stitch right off the left needle onto the right needle. The next thing you’re going to do is purl three.
All right. Now we’re going to jump into a repeat that you’re going to keep doing until you reach the end of your row. The repeat begins by doing a yarn over. So I’m going to take my working yarn here over the top of my right needle. And since the next step is to purl, I’m going to bring it back to the front of my needle in order to purl two stitches. So once again, I’m going to take this yarn over the top of the needle for a yarn over bringing it back to the front in order to purl two. Yarn over, purl two.
Now I’m going to show you how to work a right-side row. The first thing you’re going to do is slip one purlwise with the yarn and back. Next I’m going to knit one, and now we’re going to jump into a repeat that you’ll do until the last two stitches of the row. The first thing you want to do is let this next stitch, which was created by the yarn over of the previous round. Do you want to let this yarn over just fall off that left needle. Now you’re going to use the tip of your right needle to knit into the back of the second stitch on the left needle. So knit that stitch, but leave this stitch you just knit into on the left needle and now you’re going to knit into the front of the first stitch on the left needle. And once you do that, you can let both of those fall off the left needle.
Alright, let’s do that repeat one more time. Let this yarn over just fall off the left needle, knit into the back of the second stitch, knit to the front of the first stitch. Let both of those fall from the left needle. So let that stitch fall off, knit into the back of the second stitch, knit into the front of the first stitch. And so you’re just going to continue doing that repeat until you reach the last two stitches, which you’ll knit.
We used this stitch in our free Snow Tracks Scarf knitting pattern, knit up in Gentle Giant. Check out the free pattern to try it out for yourself!

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So clear! Thanks
Oh I just noticed you have them (17’s) in the Purl Soho brand! Still curious about size 15’s though. I know it would shrink some. Thoughts?
Hello Jana,
Thank you for reaching out! You could certainly test it out, though I suspect that it would make the fabric pretty dense.
Let us know how it goes!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
I have made several projects on your site and would like to use the elongated mock cable stitch to knit a throw. How many stitches would you suggest casting on using a size 15 circular needle.
Thank you.
Hello Julia,
Thank you for writing us! The stitch pattern works for any even number of stitches over 8 stitches (e.g. 56 or 58 or 128 stitches, etc.). If you were to make a throw of about 50″ x 65″, I would suggest a 17 needle with a cable size of 47″ and a cast on of 100 stitches. You will need 22 skeins of our Gentle Giant for a throw of this size.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Such a beautiful st. and results. Thank you.
Hello
How do I know the wrong side.
When I cast on then I start is it the wrongside or rightside
Thanks
Hi Gehan,
Thanks for writing in! When you cast on for our Snow Tracks Scarf, you will begin by knitting a wrong side row. Once you have knit 5 or 6 rows, the wrong side and right side will be more evident ad you will see the pattern that is pictured emerge. In the meantime, you can affix a removable stitch marker to the right side as an indication of which side is which until the pattern emerges!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
I am interested in making an extra large queen size quilt (using a bed skirt with it). How many skeins will I need? Thanks
Hi Mariann,
Thanks for writing in! For a blanket of about 90 x 110 inches (queen quilt size), you would need approximately 65 skeins of Gentle Giant! The stitch pattern works for any even number of stitches over 8 stitches (e.g. 56 or 58 or 128 stitches, etc.), so at a gauge of 2 stitches per inch, you will want to cast on 180 stitches.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
I have some chunky yarn that has been looking for a pattern! This looks like great fun, thanks so much!
Is it possible to knit this stitch in the round? I would love to make a cowl.
Hello Danielle,
Thank you for reaching out! At present, we only have this pattern written to be worked flat. The most straightforward way to make this into a cowl would be to knit the scarf as written and then seam up the two ends. If you have a cowl that you like the fit of, you can measure the circumference and knit to that length before finishing it and sewing the ends together!
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
After I cast on, when I try to slip the first stitch knit wise, it just falls off, what am I doing wrong? Thanks.
Hi Karen,
Thanks for reaching out. Are you using a long tail cast-on? If so, then I often see this issue occur when the cast-on tail is slightly too short! I’d recommend leaving at least an 8-inch tail, so that the first stitch does not unravel when you work it.
All the best,
Lili