The Knitting Fiend

This Aran sure has a lot of cable crossings, and I got tired of using the darn cable needle. I decided to work the crosses without a cable. That’s fairly easy to do when crossing only two stitches as for a Left Twist (LT) or Right Twist (RT) which I show for “Wicker Work”.

I usually do things differently when I work a pattern with cable crossing involving more than two stitches, and traveling in a variety of directions. In many repetitive patterns, most of the cable crossing happen on the same row. In that case, I usually use a cable needle. But, for the sweater I’m concocting for Jim, the crossings are on so many different rows, and I got sick of using the cable needle! So, I swallowed hard and began to work most crossings without the cable needle. (I still use the cable needle for a few key crossings.)

Here’s an example of how I am crossing the stitches to work cables on this sweater. Some cables involve crossing knits over purls; some involve crossing knits over knits. Sometimes the right stitches cross in front the left stitches, these are often called front cross cables. I may cross the right stitches behind the left stitches; these are called back cross cables.

To illustrate the technique, I will work a back cross involving a purl and two knit stitches. You can adapt this to any type of crossing you like by dropping the correct stitches in step 2 and crossing the appropriate stitches in step 3.

1. Work across until you arrive at the stitches you want to cross. The three stitches to cross are shown on the left needle tip in the photo above left; the goal is to cross the two knit stitches in front of the purl stitch next to the tip.
2. First, make sure the work is not stretched tightly and stitches aren’t being pulled. Carefully drop the three stitches off the left needle tip. When some of the stitches are purls, they will generally automatically lean to the back; the knits will lean to the front. This is convenient, since you almost always cross knits in front of purls. See figure above right.
3. Insert left tip into purl stitch to the right and right tip into 2 knit stitches toward left making sure knit stitches lie in front of purl stitch. (See below left and right.)
   The order you insert the tips this doesn’t matter, but you need to be sure to cross the stitches as required for your particular cable crossing. In this example, I am crossing the knits in front of the purl, and that’s how I have them crossed on the needle tips.
4. Slip the two unworked knit stitches back to the left needle tip. The stitches are now crossed and in position to work off the left needle; see below left. You can now work them off as specified in the directions for your particular stitch pattern.
   For this particular cable crossing, I need to knit the two knit stitches, purl the purl stitch; so I did. (See below right.)

By the way, sometimes, the cable crosses don’t look terrific when I first finish them. One stitch in the row just knitted off may be loose relative to the others. I find that’s easy to fix by inserting a sock needle into the tight stitch and taking up the slack. I also periodically stretch the knitting laterally and vertically to even out the stitches. Works like a charm.

I find working the cables this way time saving. That said, I have some advice. First, practice on a swatch. Second, do keep the work scrunched up a bit when crossing. Stitches will unravel if you pull the knitting laterally. Last, but not least, keep a crochet hook handy, just in case you do drop a stitch.

I showed off my halter at Knitche! Kathy oohed and ahhed; then she suggested I now need a cardigan.

Of course, she’s right. That means I need to explore the whole buttonhole issue.

I’ve made buttonholes before. But, I’m dissatisfied with the three row buttonholes in Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitting Without Tears.

So, I kept looking, found instructions for one row buttonholes buried in Barbara Walkers “Second Treasury of Knitting” .
and thought I’d give them a try. I decided to test them in seed stitch, garter stitch and stockinette.

I cast on in yellow, and worked the buttonholes on a right side row . That’s kinda-sort-ok. The bind off rolls to the right side. If you look closely at the lower buttonhole in the stockinette portion of the swatch, you just might be able to see the “lip” formed my the chain stitches of that bind off. It’s not tremendously noticable, but a knitter would notice it.

I changed to white yarn, knit a few rows and and worked the button holes from the wrong side. This looks better. The bind off rolls to the wrong side, and the button holes edges look good from the side of the garment people will see. I’d be much happier about my work that way.

So, work these on wrong side row. Ok?

Here are my instructions are for working the 4 stitch wide buttonholes. I expanded a bit from Walker’s discussion, and I took photos. You can easily adapt the buttonholes by increasing or decreasing the number of stitches bound off in step 3 and cast on in step 5.

1. Work in pattern stitch up to first stitch of buttonhole.
2. If yarn is not in front, bring it to front. Slip next stitch from left needle to right. Bring yarn to back, and drop it there; Notice the yarn wrapped around the slipped stitch in the picture to the top right.
3. **Slip a stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Insert left tip into the second stitch on the right hand needle and pass it over the first stitch. (This binds off a stitch.) ** Repeat until you have bound off 4 stitches. There will be a big gap where you bound off the stitches as illustrated in the photo to the right and second from the top.
4. Slip the last bound off stitch from the right needle to the left needle. Turn work.
5. Pick up the hanging yarn, which is now in the front. Pass it between the needles to the back. Cast on 5 stitches using cable cast on as follows: **Insert tip of right needle bewteen the first two stitches on the left needle, as illustrated directly to the right; yarn over and knit a stitch. Slip stitch just created onto left needle. **
6. Slip final cast on stitch back onto right needle. Bring yarn forward between tips; slip stitch on right needle back to left needle. Turn work.
7. Slip first stitch on left hand needle onto right hand needle. Insert left tip into the extra cast on stitch on right needle, as illustrated bottom right. Pass the stitch over to bind off. This seals the final edge preventing a gap. Slip stitch on right tip back to the left needle. Buttonhole finished!
8. Work in pattern to the end of the row.

I worked a whole bunch. Now I’m a pro, right?