The Left and Rights of Cables
Cables are so cozy, and in between tasks on this busy December I can't help dreaming of sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace with some hot cocoa, a bulky knitted project and a cozy cabled blanket on my legs. How relaxing!
Even if you add one cable to your project, you add a whole new layer of interest and sophistication to your piece. Cables might feel a little bit daunting--what with adding a whole extra needle to the mix--but fret not, we have you covered with some of our tricks and tips.
Tip #1: Not all Cable needles are created equally
There are several kinds of cable needles, and not every person likes to work with every kind. Some of the basic ones are J Cable needles, straight cable needles, and bumped cable needles. You can even use an extra DPN.
These all seem to be personal choice, and I would suggest trying out a couple different kinds and seeing what feels most natural to you. Don't forget, these needles all come in different materials as well, and you may find you like bamboo for its gripping properties, or want your stitches to slide off more easily with something like stainless steel.
Tip #2: Be careful using "busy" yarn
At the end of your cabling project, you want to be able to see the crisp cables, shining in all their twisted glory, and using a "busy" yarn might get in the way of this. Using a solid, semi-solid, or even a mottled or self-striping yarn might work well, but if you have a highly variegated skein of yarn, you might want to save it for another project.
If you are in doubt as to whether your yarn might be too busy for the cables, make a small swatch and see how it comes out. Even tweed yarns can change the look of cables, which might be your desired effect. You just want to make sure you are going to get the exact effect you are looking for.
Wjadio's Central Park Hoodie. See the full project here. This is a good example of cables with tweed yarn. It has a very fun effect and is beautiful. The yarn is not too busy, but if you want extremely crisp cables a solid color yarn shows up differently.
Tip #3: Chose your fibers wisely
If you want a nice robust stand out cable, you might need to choose your fiber content wisely. A yarn with high bamboo or silk content might drape a bit too much or have too high a shine. Something with a lot of angora or mohair might have too much of a halo, and blur the lines of your cables.
This is another time that making a swatch will come in handy. In this case, you will definitely need to wash and block the swatch as well, because this will relax the fibers into the natural state that you will end up with after washing and blocking your actual project.
Tip #4: Use a chart keeper
You definitely don't want to lose your spot while doing cables. If you happen to have ever lost your spot while cabling, you probably already know, but it can be extremely hard to find your spot again.
To avoid having to sit for a half hour to re-read your knitting, use a chart keeper. You can buy a chart keeper, or make one yourself, but any kind of chart keeper is invaluable when knitting cables, or doing most other projects for that matter.
Tip #5: Install a safety line
There is a chance you will be knitting along, and accidentally cable 2 forward instead of backwards across a row, and luck might have it that you realize this 3 rows up--I might speak from firsthand experience on this one--but if you install a safety line you can confidently rip back to the line and re-knit your problem rows.
To install a safety line, thread a contrasting color scrap yarn through a tapestry needle and then bring the tapestry needle through all the stitches on a particular row. You can have as many safety lines in your project as you want, and all you have to do in the end is pull it out. Viola, instant confidence that you won't lose too much progress if you get distracted!
Tip #6: Use a cable needle close to the size of your knitting needle
Cable needles come in all different sizes in addition to all the different shapes. Sometimes I end up just using an extra DPN that is lying around. But over time I have found that if I use a cable needle that is not close to the same size as my project, I come across a few problems.
If I used a cable needle that was much bigger than the project needle, I ended up with slightly stretched out stitches. If you used a needle that was too small, it was sometimes hard to insert my regular needle quickly and easily into the stitch to transfer it back. I always found that using a more similarly sized needle helped to alleviate all of these issues.
That's it for tips and tricks with cables. We hope this inspires you to start a cable project or helps you in the next one you have planned! Let us know in the comments section if you have any extra tips and tricks for cabling! If you have an idea for a tips and tricks blog post, let us know by emailing us at thehookandneedlenook@gmail.com!
.png)
Comments
Post a Comment