How to Knit With a Cable Needle

A cable needle is a special kind of knitting needle. It is short, between 2 and 4 inches long. Usually a cable needle is curved in the middle to keep stitches from sliding off while you're knitting. Cable needles are used to hold stitches so that they can be skipped temporarily, and you can go back to them later. Here's how you can knit with a cable needle.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Yarn
• Knitting needles
• Cable needle

1. Use your cable needle to take stitches off of your left hand knitting needle. This allows you to knit stitches out of order. Remove stitches from your left hand needle by sliding your cable needle from left to right through the stitches. When you get to the last one, slide the stitches completely off your left hand needle.

2. Use your cable needle to make cables. The direction your cable will turn depends on how you hold the cable needle. In general, if you hold it in of your other two needles, you will make a cable that twists to the left. If you hold your cable needle behind your other two needles, you will make a cable that twists to the right.

3. Use your cable needle to make woven stitches. To make a woven stitch, such as a honeycomb stitch, you use a cable needle. By holding the cable needle to the front, you will create a raised pattern on top of one that is sunken in.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful that you do not twist stitches as you put them onto your cable needle. To avoid this, slip the cable needle straight through the stitches on the left hand needle, from left to right.
• Cable needles come in different sizes. Make sure the one you use is about the same size as the knitting needles you're using. This will keep your stitches consistent.