A Better Way to Knit Cables? Give ‘em a Right Hook!
August 28, 2009 | 
Author I have been learning to knit over the last two months. When I first really looked into knitting and found some great books at the stores I was very excited about cables, for one thing. Cable knit garments looked so odd – not that I had never seen them before. It was just cool that you could do that with knitting, what with all the patterns you could make moving the cables left and right.
Then I tried doing cables. Not so much fun. Using a cable needle was a bit cumbersome. A couple of times, with my slippery nickel plated Options needles I have lost loops off my left or right needle in the process and had to restrain my panic as I prayed to the knitting angels that I could retrieve them. Maybe cables should be done on bamboo by default, I thought. No.
Then I discovered, as in a recent post, that you can do cables without needles in a sort of pinch and switch method. I’ve experimented with this and while it sure looks easy on video, and maybe is easier with larger needles, for a tighter knit on smaller needles it is more precarious than using a cable needle. I thought there had to be a better way.
I had come across a cable thimble on another web site and wondered if that would be a useful tool, but found no instructions on how to use it. I tried making one myself with wire, but still couldn’t figure it out. Plus, the little cable thimble sells for about 10.00 USD and that wasn’t worth it.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am starting my Fountains pattern scarf in red superwash by Cascade. Well, after all the above experimentation, struggling with the pinch and switch method, I just about quit last night. I all but ripped it out. I even decided on another pattern called “lighted torches” that doesn’t have any cable crossovers.
Then an impression came into my mine, and image from the Angels of knitting: use a crochet hook held in the right hand along with the right needle to temporarily hold the outer loops while doing the swap with the inner loops. So I tried it this morning with a crochet hook and it worked! It was much easier to manage the switcheroo of the loop sets. No struggling with the tightness of the loops, no fear of losing loops, and it seemed quicker to do.
Here’s how to do cables this way. You are ready to do your crossover. Let’s say it is a three plus three crossover. I chose a crochet hook to give me the extra security for the loops in limbo, and it keeps the loops from closing down. Use a crochet hook that is a size or two smaller than your knitting needle – this makes the loop transfers a bit easier. I used a size 5 hook with a size 6 needle. Hold the crochet hook along side the right needle. If your instructions say to hang the cable needle in the back, then put the crochet needle in back of your right needle and in front if it says to hang the cable needle in front.
The switcheroo with the loop sets on the right needle and hook, ready to be moved back to the left. And Max makes an appearance as well at the upper right. I was using his needles.
Use the crochet hook to pick up the first three (outer) loops off the tip of the left needle. Then slip the next three (inner) loops from the left needle to the right needle. Now slip the outer loops from the crochet hook back to the left needle, and lastly use the left needle to pick up the three loops you slipped to the right needle. Now you are ready to just resume knitting.
Summary of the switcheroo:
1. Slip first set of loops from left needle to crochet hook at the back or front of the right needle per your pattern instructions.
2. Slip second set of loops to the right needle.
3. Slip first set of loops from crochet hook to the left needle.
4. Drop the crochet hook when it’s empty.
5. Slip second set of loops back to the left needle. All loops have been returned to the left needle.
6. Knit the loops.
7. Get up and dance around.
As you can see, it’s a good bit different from using a cable needle. The hook is used to rearrange the loops before knitting them and is not let go of until the loops are rearranged. Then you drop it and knit all the loops for the crossover without interruption. With a cable needle you transfer the first half to the cn, knit the other half, knit the first half off the cable needle. In any case, this way seem less clumsy and more secure as I don’t ever loosen my grip on the left needle. I’ve had my left needle slip out of loops while working with the cable needle.
So now the world is a better place. We can cable without fear. I just knew that scarf was not going to be fun until this idea came to me. I just hope it makes cables easier for some as it has for me.
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Tags: 2 Responses to “A Better Way to Knit Cables? Give ‘em a Right Hook!”
Thanks for sharing over on Ravelry!
This basic idea of “rearrange and then knit” has been around for quite a while. Actually, the last Interweave Knits had an article on exactly this, although they didn’t use a crochet hook for the rearranging.
As an idea, there’s one more method you might try.
http://www.grumperina.com/cables.htm
It’s a bit more elegant and involves fewer steps. With this method there is no extra implement, and you actually work half the cable before the rearranging. There’s a pinch involved, but the pinch is done on stitches that have already been worked, and so they’re way looser and less precarious.
Thanks for the link. I tried this and while I’m sure I need more practice, after four trials of this technique I’m not so sure it’s less precarious or easier than the other pinch method. The slip-knit-pinch-swap-knit approach it uses does add a tiny bit of breathing room during the pinch and swap part, but there are still loose loops that can come undone if not careful. I found it touchy. Again, a lot of practice would make this easier. Make yourself a cable practice swatch about thirty stitches wide and do lots of them to see if this method will work for you. I’m not crazy about it as my crochet hook method is easier from the start and definitely more secure.
Another thing I found is that where Grumperina says to put the yarn in front, for Portuguese style you would not do that or you get a yarnover. Leave the yarn on top / in back as for a knit stitch as usual in the Portuguese style. Knit the second set of loops. This will also leave a sort of float behind the slipped stitches. You may want to pinch that in your pinch-swap to deter the loose loops from pulling out. The float will disappear when you knit the remaining set of loops.
I have another post on yet another way of doing a cable, this time with a third straight needle, that is pretty handy. It sounds ideal for when you have a lot of cables to do.