Knitting Cables Without a Cable Needle
Left your cable needle at home? No problem! This video by Domiknitrix shows you how you can make your cables on the fly, with no extra tools necessary. It does take a small leap of faith, your precious stitches will be floating in the breeze for a hot second, but once you master the technique you’ll be free to knit cables anytime, any where!
Knitting Cables Without a Cable Needle
< Knitting cables without a cable needle
So, you’re knitting cables without a cable needle.
If you’re new to knitting cables, this might seem like an impossible task.
But, once you get the hang of it<, you’ll wonder why you never did it before.
First, let’s discuss why knitting cables without a cable needle is so difficult.
Knitting cables without a cable needle
When you knit cables< without a cable needle, the cables twist.
When a cable twists, it’s much harder to knit. Bellclarke
Twists can also create holes, or gaps, in the knitting.
Knitting Cables without a Cable Needle
Cables are made by knitting stitches out of order. The temporarily skipped stitches are held behind the work (for a right-leaning cable) or in front of the work (for a left-leaning cable.) Most knitters use a short, double-pointed cable needle to hold the stitches until they are worked after the cable twist, but there are ways to manage sometimes without using a cable needle. Learning this technique could make your cable knitting faster and more convenient.
Basic Ground Rules
Making cables without a cable needle means letting some stitches hang off needle for a short time. This works better at larger gauges and with non-slippery yarns. Thus worsted wool at 4 or 5 stitches per inch is better for this technique than a silk or rayon at 8 stitches per inch. Anything in between will depend on your own manual dexterity. It is also best to have no more than 3 stitches off needle at a time, so don’t go beyond a 3×3 cable.
2×2 (3×3) Cable Instructions
Knit to the point where instructions tell you to transfer stitches to a cable needle. Substitute these instructions:
For a left-leaning cable, slip 2(3) stitches off left needle and press the loose stitches to the front of the right needle using the right thumb. Knit the next 2 (3) stitches from left needle. Slip loose stitches back onto left needle, being careful not to twist them. Knit those stitches. One front cable twist is now complete.
For a right-leaning cable, slip 2(3) stitches off left needle and press the loose stitches to the back of the right needle using the right index or middle finger. Knit the next 2 (3) stitches from left needle. Slip loose stitches back onto left needle, being careful not to twist them. Knit those stitches. One back cable twist is now complete.
You may make adjustments based on how you hold your yarn and needles. As long as you knit the stitches in the correct order and do not twist them, you will achieve the cable twist. Congratulations on adding another knitting skill to your toolbox!