Purlbed

Hand knitting › Cables

4-stitch cable

A narrow rope of two stitches crossing over two, every few rows, standing out from a purl background. On a cable row, slip the first 2 cable stitches onto a cable needle and leave it at the back (right-leaning cross) or in front (left-leaning cross), knit the next 2, then knit the 2 from the cable…

What you work it with

Hand knitting · Tools: Needles for the yarn plus a cable needle (or work without one); smooth, light-coloured wool shows cables best; stitch markers around each panel.

Symbol chart

One or two repeats of the stitch pattern, drawn as seen from the right side.
1234Purl on RS, knit on WSKnit on RS, purl on WSC4B: 2/2 right cross (hold 2 in back)Read from the bottom: RS rows (odd) right to left, WS rows (even) left to right.

Steps

  1. Set up: p2, k4, p2 (RS); k2, p4, k2 (WS).
  2. Work 2 rows plain.
  3. Cable row (RS): p2, slip 2 to the cable needle at the back, k2, k2 from the cable needle, p2.
  4. Work 1 WS row plain.
  5. Repeat steps 2–4 for a cross every 4 rows.
  6. Always cross in the same direction for a rope.

The full card

What it looks like
A narrow rope of two stitches crossing over two, every few rows, standing out from a purl background.
How it behaves
The crossings pull the fabric in, so a cabled piece is narrower and thicker than plain stocking stitch on the same stitches.
How it works
On a cable row, slip the first 2 cable stitches onto a cable needle and leave it at the back (right-leaning cross) or in front (left-leaning cross), knit the next 2, then knit the 2 from the cable needle. The stitches swap places and twist the column.
Tools
Needles for the yarn plus a cable needle (or work without one); smooth, light-coloured wool shows cables best; stitch markers around each panel.
Parameters
Panel: 4 knit stitches with 2 purl stitches each side. Cross every 4th row for a tight rope, every 6th for a gentle one. Cast on about 1 extra stitch per 4-stitch cable for the draw-in [inference].
Steps
1) Set up: p2, k4, p2 (RS); k2, p4, k2 (WS). 2) Work 2 rows plain. 3) Cable row (RS): p2, slip 2 to the cable needle at the back, k2, k2 from the cable needle, p2. 4) Work 1 WS row plain. 5) Repeat steps 2–4 for a cross every 4 rows. 6) Always cross in the same direction for a rope.
Charting
Read from the right side. The four-cell bar over the k columns is one cross (here C4B, the 2/2 right cross); the purl squares are the background. The cross is always on a RS row; WS rows are worked as the stitches face you.
Limits and common problems
Crossing in the wrong direction makes a kink: keep the cable needle on the same side every time. A loose stitch at the edge of the cable is common; pull the first knit stitch after the cross snug [inference]. Cables need more stitches than plain knitting to reach the same width.
Combines with
6-stitch cable, Braid cable (plait), 2×2 rib, Seed stitch (moss stitch)
Pieces and assembly
Hat bands, sweater panels, scarf edges. Count rows from the last cross, and place a marker on each cable row.

Written in our own words from machine manuals, knitting references and swatching. Knit a test swatch before a whole piece.

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