For some reason I’ve been terrified of knitting cables. Maybe it was the extra needle in the mix, or perhaps it was just the fear of the unknown. Whatever it was, for the longest time I resisted learning to knit with cables.
But I could resist no longer. I decided to start with a shawl pattern that uses a gorgeous yarn from Knit Picks called Stroll Gradient.
With two balls of this yarn, size 4 circulars and my new trusty cable needle, I got to work.
Knitting Cables Was a Disaster at First
My first go was quite frankly a disaster. I got about 1/3 of the way through the pattern before I had to unravel the entire thing, vowing to never touch any blasted cable patterns ever again. After I calmed down a few days later, I changed my mind. I picked my (three!) needles back up and set out to do the impossible – complete the shawl. Knitting cables and all.
It’s funny, but after starting the pattern a second time things really clicked into place for me. The interesting thing was that it wasn’t only the cables that improved. First of all, yes, I did figure out how to maneuver knitting cables. Now, I feel confident with them (well, sort of). But, another thing that I hadn’t anticipated is I started learning how to really read my knitting.
You see, a mistake I had made in just one row of knitting led to me having to unravel a week’s worth of work. Any knitter knows how frustrating that can be. (Yes, I know I should have put in a lifeline). But, as I approach take two, I can see my mistakes as they happen. (Yep, they are still happening). The difference is, I’m able to fix them without having to throw my hands and needles up in despair.
So, while I wasn’t glad to unravel a week’s worth of knitting, it was worth it in the end. However, if, like me, you are new to knitting cables, I’d recommend starting with something simpler than a light fingering weight shawl. 🙂
Also, it wouldn’t hurt to work through a class as you attempt your first project.
But if you can’t resist the idea of a gradient shawl, here is the pattern I’m working on: Gradience Shawl
*I’m an affiliate for Knit Picks and Craftsy (yay!) That means I will get a wee bit of money (and you’ll get some karma points) if you buy anything from my links
