If you're new to knitting, one of the most intimidating concepts can be... THE CABLE. But, they're actually super easy once you get the hang of them and can add all sorts of intricate detail to your knitting. Ready to learn how to do a basic cable?
This tutorial is for a C4F (cable four forward), meaning that there will be four stitches involved and they will twist to the left, but you can switch it up and cable more stitches and in the other direction once you've got this down.
First, identify the stitches that will be involved in the cable. Here, they are the column of four knit stitches in the middle of the swatch.
Follow your pattern and knit until you get to the stitches to be cabled.
This is where your cable needle comes in. I never use one of those specialty needles for cabling and prefer a double pointed needle. I have even, in a pinch, used a pencil. So, your choice!
Slide the next two stitches onto your cable needle and hold it in front of your work.
Next, knit the remaining two stitches from the left hand needle. Your cable needle will be hanging out in front and it will probably feel a little awkward.
Once you've knitted those two stitches, your work should look something like this:
Now you're going to let your left hand needle dangle in the back (I usually scoot my stitches back a bit so they don't slide off the needle) and knit the two stitches on the cable needle.
Once you've knit the two stitches from your cable needle, your work should look something like this:
Your cable is complete and you can finish your row! On your next row, just work straight across your needle.
Like I said, this is a forward cable because the cable twists to the left and you hold your cable needle in front of your work. To get it to twist the other way, simply hold your cable needle in the back of your work for a C4B (cable four back).