In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through exactly how to knit cables for beginners step by step, and you will see that it is actually much easier than it seems!
If you are new here, start with my learn to knit post. If you already know the knit and purl stitches then you can absolutely master cables!
What you will need:
- Yarn : I’ve used Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Fisherman colorway here.
- Knitting Needles: The yarn I’m using called for a US size 11, 9mm needle. I’m using a Bamboo Knitting Needle from this set.
- A Cable Needle: A cable needle is a great tool to have, if not you can use an U shaped hairpin easily too. It is the blue bendy thing I’m holding in the photo below.
how to knit cables video
Click on the video box below or head over to my YouTube Channel and enjoy this knitting cables for beginners video https://youtu.be/gT1R_bKtSwo
What is Cable Knitting?
Cable knitting is a technique where instead of knitting your stitches in order, you change the sequence to create a twisted design that appears like the stitches are moving.
While knitting cables, we are essentially making our stitches twist or overlap, and we do this by pulling a few stitches off our needle, placing them onto a place holder, knitting the next few stitches and then knitting the stitches from the place holder. By knitting the stitches out of order the cable overlap occurs and this is such a stunning stitch!
We do not need to do the twisting or cabling on every row. It occurs once in an every few rows.
how to knit cables For Beginners Step by step
Let’s see how to knit cables with a small swatch.
Here is a Simple C3F Cable Pattern: (More explanation on C3F below)
Cast on 12 stitches
Row 1 and 3: Knit
All Even Rows: K3, P6, K3
Row 5: Cable Row: K3, Slip next 3 stitches onto Cable Needle and place in front of work, K3, Slip the 3 stitches from Cable Needle back onto the left knitting needle, K6
Repeat these 6 Rows to grow your your cables!
Even though this is a 6-row repeat pattern, the magic happens on the 5th row- the cable row. The other rows are all simple repeats with just knits and purls. So even if you are a beginner, you should try this!
Cable knitting Terms:
- Cable Forward: In the above tutorial, we slipped 3 stitches off the needles and onto our cable needle then placed these stitches in front of our work. This is CF= Cable Forward. To be more specific, this is C3F= Cable 3 stitches Forward.
- Cable Backward: In the same way, you can place the cable needle which holds the slipped stitches to the back of the work and continue. This will create a different kind of cable where the cable will appear to disappear behind the work and look beautiful. The CB = Cable Backward.
- Cable row: The row where the twist happens
Can You Knit Cables Without a Cable Needle?
Yes! Once you’re comfortable, you can skip the cable needle and rearrange stitches directly on your needles. But if you’re a beginner, stick with a cable needle—it makes things much easier.
Make Your Own Cable!
You can vary the number of stitches to transfer onto the cable needle, make it 5, 8, or 10! By changing the number of stitches and how often you cable (every 6 rows or every 4 rows or more) will change the outcome of your knit fabric!
I hope you found today’s knitting cables for beginners tutorial useful friends! If you have any questions, drop a comment below, and let’s chat.
Once you figure out the cables, you will open up so many new options! You can use these cables to build so many other designs. Check out my cable knit lumbar pillow next!
Cable knitting looks intricate, but it’s really just about changing the order of your stitches. Once you try it a few times, it becomes second nature.
Start with a small swatch, practice a simple cable like C3F, and soon you’ll be ready to knit cozy cables into all your projects.
