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CABLES Regular Cable Cables are a simple, hand-manipulated way to decorate or embellish a garment. On the following samples, I have knit several styles of cables, but the rules for these are the same. ˇ Always drop your garter stitch (on either side of the cable) before you turn the cable. This will reduce stress on the needles, and make it easier to turn. ˇ Mark your machine bed (with a marker, this will wipe off after you are finished) so you don't loose your place, and turn the cable at the wrong place. You will notice this mistake on one of the samples below. ˇ When latching up your garter stitch, always centre the stitch so the stitch is formed evenly. ˇ Always close the latches of the needles before you push them back into the bed, or you may loose your stitches. ˇ Pull the needles to D or E position once the cable is turned to reduce stress on the needles. Needles will break very easily. Another point to remember is how often to turn your cables. The larger the cable, the fewer rows between the turns. When doing a 5 x 5 stitch cable, you should have 10 + rows between the turns. To reduce stress on the needles, attach a strand of yarn at the first turn, and continue to knit the first row of the cable with this strand. With this strand, you must always knit starting with the side above where you previously left off, thus allowing the loose end of the strand to continue to pick up the slack, or your cable will be much too tight. You will have one extra row of stitches on these needles, but it is not apparent in the finished garment. It actually adds to the effect. In this case, the stitches are knit AFTER the cable has been turned. When you are turning a larger cable, the stitches have to be knit onto the extra strand BEFORE it is turned. You will notice that extra strand of yarn in the pictures as it was knitted in pink. To make the cables, you decide where you want them, how large and how many rows you want to knit in-between. It's best to practice some on your swatch. If you are making 3 X 3 cables, as in the picture on the right of the middle set below, then you take the edge stitches on either side of the six you will be cabling, and let them drop (to be knitted up with a purl stitch afterwards) and then using your 3-pronged tool, lift off the first three stitches. Then lift off the next three stitches onto another 3-pronged tool. Take the set with your right hand and re-place them onto the 3 needles on the left side. Take the set from your left hand and re-place them onto the 3 needles on the right. Here is where you will note how tight it feels to move these stitches. The extra row will make a big difference. Look at the tension on the swatches below with the pink extra row in comparison with the regular cables. After switching needles, then knit up the same amount of rows of plain knitting between the next section to be cabled. I usually knit several rows before purling up the side stitches that were dropped. You can do that any time you prefer.
11/16/2003
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