Reversible Cables © 2024 Kathryn Doubrley

This article is an excerpt from my book Every Which Way Reversible Cables. Cables give delightful texture to a knitted fabric but there is a definite “right side”. For ordinary cables, all of the twining designs normally occurs on a single side. The cables may be on background of purl fabric but almost always, the cables themselves are knit stitches. The back of a cable is rather uninteresting, slightly distorted looking fabric. In some knitted projects such as blankets, cuffs, turn down collars, and scarves, both sides of the fabric are often visible. Making both sides attractive is something of a challenge. Reversible cables are the perfect solution. Reversible cables are based on ribbing of some kind. The most common sort of ribbing, knit 1, purl 1 ribbing, is made on a knitting machine by alternating one stitch on the main bed with one on the ribber. But for reversible cables, the ribbing must be at least knit 2, purl 2. It can be wider. When we set up the machine with 2 stitches on the main bed alternating with 2 on the ribber, those pairs of stitches may be cabled and the cabling can occur on both beds. The ribbing to be cabled could also contain blocks of three or four stitches on each bed but all of the samples are built on 2X2 cables. The pink hat is from my Every Which Way Reversible Cables book. It is based on four stitch blocks of knit stitches alternating with four stitch blocks of purl stitches. When the fabric is complete, the cable crosses that took place on the side of the fabric that is not on display tend to hide in the channels created by the ribbing so they may escape notice. However, with the work still on the machine, the fabric is still stretched enough that they are obvious. Cabling for a standard cable goes like this: knit 3 rows. Cable each pair of stitches that is on the main bed by lifting each stitch of a pair to be cabled on a separate tool, crossing them and replacing them on the opposite needles from which they started. Knit 3 rows and repeat. The number of stitches involved and the number of rows between cabling actions may vary but the action is very similar at all times. Cabling for the reversible cabled had required an adjustment because it is best to cable the stitches on the main bed and those on the ribber on different rows. Doing so makes the cables look better and the knitting easier. Should we try to cable all of the stitches on any single row, they would get very tight and stress the yarn and the machine. In order to get nicely spaced cables on both beds, it’s best to use an even number of rows between the cable crosses that occur on one face of the fabric. In this case, 4 rows worked well. So the cabling progressed as follows. Knit 2 rows. Cable the pairs of stitches on the main bed as described above. Knit 2 rows. Cable the stitches on the ribber. Repeat. On each face of the fabric, the cable has been made at intervals of 4 rows. When working cables on ribbing, I generally make the ribbing one stitch size larger than I would otherwise choose for the yarn and machine in use. This is because both the cables and the ribbed structure pull the fabric in. To my eye, the ribbing looks better a bit looser than usual and the fit is still snug enough in most situations. It’s always best to swatch a bit to make certain of the ideal stitch size before committing to a whole project. Reversible cables are a bit labor intense because there are twice as many cable crosses as usual for the amount of fabric. Also, you must learn to work cables on the ribber. Expect to feel very clumsy at first. But it is do-able and you will improve. It is simply an unfamiliar task. Because it is time consuming, reversible cables are well suited to small areas where they will make a big impact. Cuffs and collars are ideal. If working on a larger project, such as a scarf or blanket, using the cables on the hem area only can make a bold statement and save the knitter from undue stress. A hat with a turned up brim will look strangely long when the brim isn’t turned up. The center two photos are the same hat shown first without, then with the brim turned up. The doubled fabric makes it very warm. SINGLE BED REVERSIBLE CABLES These Are more work than reversible cables by means of a ribber but in some ways they are easier. Since all of the stitches are on one bed, there’s no need to learn the somewhat awkward task of crossing stitches on the ribber. Instead, we create the ribbing by dropping stitches and laddering back up as purls, as we normally do when hand manipulating ribbing. After re-forming, the cables are crossed. Just as for reversible cables produced with a ribber, in order to get nicely spaced cables on both beds, it’s best to use an even number of rows between the cable crosses that occur on what will eventually be one face of the fabric. In this case, 4 rows worked well. So the cabling progressed as follows. Knit 2 rows. Cable the pairs of stitches on the main bed that are intended to remain knit stitches. Do nothing the alternate pairs of stitches on this row. Knit 2 rows. Drop and re-form the pairs of stitches that are designated for purls. Cable the stitches that were just reformed. Repeat. On each face of the fabric, the cable has been made at intervals of 4 rows. PROJECTS OTHER THAN HATS Two of my favorite ways to use reversible cables are on collars and cuffs. A turtleneck collar maybe made so that whether worn up or down, the cabling is visible. The cuff option may be used to make a sleeve that converts from full length to three quarter length. It’s also a good choice for growing children because the sweater may first be worn with turned up cuffs and later without the turn up.