Knowing how to knit cables without a cable needle is handy! It helps you to knit faster and you don’t have to worry about losing your cable needle in the sofa cushions! 🙂
In this video, I show you how to knit both right-leaning and left-leaning cables without a cable needle.
Tips for Knitting Cables without a Cable Needle
- This technique works best with “sticky” yarns like pure wool (not superwash). It is possible with slicker yarns, but it is harder to keep the stitches from unraveling when you slip them off the needle. The yarn I used in the video was 75% acrylic, 25% wool.
- Remember to pinch those live stitches against the needle. This helps to prevent them from unraveling.
- For RIGHT-leaning cables, the first set of stitches (that would normally be on the cable needle) need to be in the REAR, so insert your right needle into the last set of stitches for the cable in the FRONT
- For LEFT-leaning cables, the first set of stitches (that would normally be on the cable needle) need to be in the FRONT, so insert your right needle into the last set of stitches for the cable in the BACK
Want to Try it in a Project?
The Keavy Pullover or the Goat Whisperer’s Cabled Fingerless Gloves, two projects in the Knit Along Club, would be perfect for developing your ability to knit cables without a cable needle.
The Keavy is a simplified version of an Aran sweater and the Goat Whisperer’s Cabled Fingerless Gloves is a quick project with lots of cables to practice on.
In the Knit Along Club, we guide you through every step of the pattern with written, photo, and video tutorials similar to this one. If you are the kind of knitter who wants to finish projects faster with fewer mistakes, then join me in the Knit Along Club and take your knitting to the next level!