First, take your cable needle and slip
the first 2 stitches onto it from the left
hand needle. This one has a notch in
the middle of the needle to allow these
stitches to settle into the middle and sit
more easily. Right now these stitches
are just hanging out, waiting to be used
again when they are next needed!
Cable needles are essential tools for knitting cabled stitches!
The next step is to knit the next 2
stitches as normal (as shown above).
This can feel a bit fidgety with the cable
needle attached to the work, but you’ll
get the hang of it with practice.
These two steps above will be described
in a knitting pattern something along
the lines of “slip 2 sts to cn and hold
in front, k2.” Cable needle is typically
abbreviated as “cn.”
C4L (left cable over 4 sts) Step 1: Slip 2 sts onto cable needle.
C4L (left cable over 4 sts) Step 2: Knit 2 sts from the left needle
The next and final step is to slip the
stitches on the cable needle back
onto the left hand needle, and then
knit these 2 stitches as normal. You
could even try knitting the stitches
directly from the cable needle, if you’re
comfortable with it!
And then, you’re done! On the left of
the photo above you can see a closeup of the C4L cable, and how it leans to
the left. There are a few steps involved
in creating a simple cable like this, but
with practice you will get more quick
at it. Some knitters develop habits like
leaving the cable needle tucked behind
their ear like a pencil, or piercing it
through their sweater like a pin, to hold
onto it, ready to grab for the next cable.
In tomorrow’s post will look at the
opposite direction, C4R! Give the C4L a
try if it’s new to you, and see how you
like it. You may find knitting cables with
a cable needle is easier than you think!
C4L (left cable over 4 sts) Step 3: Slip the first 2 stitches back onto the
left hand needle, from the cable needle, then knit them as normal.
KNITmuch | issue 1
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