Charts Series Part 3 of 4: Working From Charts: Cables
One of the main differences between Cable charts versus the Knit/Purl or Stranded Colorwork charts is that cable stitches occupy more than one box in the charts.This applies to Cable charts Keys as well.
As you can see from the Key above, the cable stitches are larger than the single Knit / Purl square. The two cables represented in the charts are C2/2R, and C2/2L. They are 2-2 cable crosses that utilize 4 stitches, so the box occupies the width of 4 stitches.
WORKED IN THE ROUND / WORKED FLAT:
Much Like Knit/Purl patterning, Cable charts can be worked both in the round and flat. Typically, the cable patterning only occurs on the RS of the work, which makes working the cable stitches much easier. If worked flat, You will most likely see both RS and WS chartsed. The same principles apply to working WS rows in cable patterning as it does in all charts: When looking at the charts, regardless of whether or not you are working flat or in rounds, the charts is a visual representation of what your knitting looks like from the RIGHT SIDE.Cable Charts Worked Flat:
Row 1 (RS): *P2, k4, p2, k4, p2; rep from * across.
Row 2 (WS): *K2, p4, k2, p4, k2; rep from * across.
Row 3 (RS): *P2, C2/2L, p2, C2/2R, p2; rep from * across.
Row 4 (WS): *K2, p4, k2, p4, k2; rep from * across.
Row 5 (RS): *P2, k4, p2, k4, p2; rep from * across.
Row 6 (WS): *K2, p4, k2, p4, k2; rep from * across.
Row 7 (RS): *P2, C2/2L, p2, C2/2R, p2; rep from * across.
Row 8 (WS): *K2, p4, k2, p4, k2; rep from * across.
Repeat Rows 1-8 for pattern.
(Note: We've updated our cable symbols slightly to have 2 diagonals instead of 1 in the years since first publishing this tutorial, but all of the methodology is exactly the same)
Cable Charts Worked in Rounds:
Since the charts is in ROUNDS, you work all rounds from right to left as follows:
Rounds 1-2: *P2, k4, p2, k4, p2; rep from * around.
Round 3: *P2, C2/2L, p2, C2/2R, p2; rep from * around.
Rounds 4-6: *P2, k4, p2, k4, p2; rep from * around.
Round 7: *P2, C2/2L, p2, C2/2R, p2; rep from * around
Rounds 8: *P2, k4, p2, k4, p2; rep from * around.
Repeat Rounds 1-8 for pattern.
In Part 1: Knit/Purl Patterning, we went over working repeats versus working across the whole charts, so we recommend you reference that post for working Cables as well!
Want more cable tutorials? Learn how to cable without a cable needle here and how to work cables across repeats here.
