LOVE THEM or loathe them, knitting charts are a great way to present detailed knitting instructions in a concise manner. This is particularly true for intricate cable knitting patterns where there can be a lot going on at once. However, like a lot of pattern instructions, designers often have their own way of sharing cable instructions - which means that it’s not surprising that knitters feel like they are seeing something different every time they read through a cable knitting pattern. Never fear, though: there are a few key things to remember that will help you decipher cable knitting patterns wherever you find them!
In this masterclass, we will focus on the different abbreviations and symbols in cable knitting patterns. For the basics of cable knitting and reading charts, you will find two great articles on Gathered. how: – www.gathered.how/knitting-and-crochet/knitting/how-to-cable-knit/ – www.gathered.how/knitting-and-crochet/knitting/cable-knitting-tutorial-how-to-read-cable-charts/
BACKGROUND
I was a reluctant cable knitter for many years. I knit quite tightly, and this is amplified when I knit cables. Everything comes out really small! However, I recently needed to design a bed runner pattern and I wanted to use cable stitches. When I sat down to write the pattern, I realised that I didn’t know the standard language for cable instructions, and so I decided to do some research.
I took out all of my pattern books that had even a hint
