The Knitting Fiend

A while back, I showed how to cross cables without the cable needle. I like to do that when working fairly narrow simple cables; I use the cable needle for more complicated cables.

Here’s how I work the a cable cross illustrated by the part of the grid enclosed in the little red rectangle shown to the left. The symbol indicates that I should cross the two knit stitches to the far left over a purl stitch and two knit stitches — but while I do this, I want the purl stitch to stay in the center.

I don’t know about other knitters, but I’m not brave enough to do this without a cable needle. This is what I do:

Knit until you reach the 5 stitches involved in the crossover. There will be two knit stitches, a purl stitch and two knit stitches on the left needle tip as shown above left. Slip the first two knit stitches onto the cable needle and hold behind work as shown above right.

Next, slip the purl stitch to the right needle tip as illustrated below left. Drop the two knit stitches off the left hand needle and slip the purl stitch back to the left needle tip as shown below right. (Make sure the work isn’t stretched while you do this.)

Insert the right tip into the knit stitches you dropped earlier; see above left. Slip the purl stitch onto the left tip; see above right. Now, with the two stitches on the cable needle still behind the work, work knit the three stitches on the left tip as they present themselves; that is, p1, k2.

Finally, knit the two stitches off the cable needle being careful not to twist; that is, you want to knit the stitch that was furthest to the right before you started crossing everything first; illustrated to the left.

Voila! It’s twisted.

When you are done, store the cable needle somewhere handy. I just stitch it into the knitting!

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This has been added to How To Knit.