The Mock Cable Rib is a lovely twisting stitch pattern that closely resembles a fully cabled fabric without all the fuss of a cable stitch holder. By simply reordering the stitches of a 2×2 rib, this technique will become second nature after just a couple of rows! Here’s our Mock Cable Rib tutorial, where we show you how…

K2tog, leaving stitches on left needle, insert right needle between 2 stitches just worked and knit first stitch again, slip both stitches from left needle together.

Click To See Video Transcript

Hey guys, this is Laura from Purl Soho and I’m going to show you how to do Mock Cable Rib. As you can see here, I have this small swatch, and yeah, let’s get started. So the first thing I’m going to do is take two knit stitches and then two purl stitches, and then the real fun begins. So here’s my first knit and my second knit. Now I’m going to purl two, so that’s one and two. 

Alright, so now I’m going to show you how to do a right twist, knitwise. It’s knitwise, we’re working it from kind of the right side of the fabric here. And yeah, let’s get started. So the first thing I’m going to do is use the tip of my right needle and insert it into the next two stitches as if to knit two together. I’m actually going to do a step very similar to knitting two together. So wrap your yarn, pull your needle back through, but don’t let those two stitches fall off the left needle. What you actually want to do is use the tip of your right needle to knit into that first stitch again. Now, once you knit into that first stitch again, it’s at that point that you can let those two stitches fall off the left needle. 

Here we are a little bit up close. I just want to show you that right twist knitwise one more time. Insert your needle as if to knit two together. Let those stitches stay on the left needle in order to knit into that first stitch again. Now that you’ve knit into that first stitch again, now you can let those stitches fall off the left needle. 

Now if you’re ever working mock capable rib in the round, you’re going to need to know how to do a right twist purlwise. So this is a new swatch. I’ve worked all of these twists purlwise. You can see they look the same as right knitwise, but done in a different fashion. Let me show you how. 

First we’re going to take two knit stitches and now let’s get into a right twist purlwise. So since I’m working purlwise, I’m going to bring my yarn to the front. Next I’m going to insert my right needle into the second stitch on my left needle to purl it. Then I’m going to insert my needle into both the first and second stitch on my left needle and I’m going to purl those two stitches together. Once I do that, then I can let those stitches fall from the left needle. 

Here we are guys zoomed in and I just want to show you how to do that right twist purlwise one more time. So I’m going to purl into the second stitch on my left needle. I’m going to keep that stitch on the left needle in order to purl the first and second stitch together. And then once I purl those two stitches together, I can then let those stitches fall from that left needle. And that’s how you do a right twist purlwise.

NOTE: At 01:47 of the video above, we demonstrate Mock Cable Rib Purlwise, incorrectly saying you will need to know this technique when working Mock Cable in the round. However, a Mock Cable Purlwise is only necessary if you are working a double-sided Mock Cable fabric in the round, like in our Mock Cable Columns Hat, or a Mock Cable on the wrong-side row of any flat-knit item. Sorry for the confusion!

Mock Cable Rib | Purl Soho

For some great practice, start with our Mock Cable Columns Hat or Soft As A Cloud Cowls (above)! Check out the free patterns to try it out for yourself!

Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 45 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 1000’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!