So today I’m diving into the Palomar Top pattern! In yesterday’s post, I talked about UNIVERSAL YARN Bella Tweed in “Care” and got the tension sorted. Today, I’m talking about that gorgeous cable motif, which looks daunting but isn’t!
If you’d asked me to knit this earlier in my knitting life, I would have said ‘absolutely not!’ Despite being comfortable with colourwork and lace, cables were something terrifying, something I was convinced, for some reason, was beyond me. Now, I’m quite happy knitting complex cables, and I’m hoping to help you learn too – because, I promise, cables aren’t scary, they’re actually really easy with the right tools and a bit of patience!
Knitting the cables in the Palomar Top using Knit Picks Rainbow Wood Needles
To start with, what are cables?
Cables are where you take a few stitches of your knitting, cross them in front of or behind other stitches in your knitting, then knit the whole row. You’re actually making a cross within the structure of the fabric. This is why many cables are often referred to as ‘crosses’ when defining stitches!
How do you do that? Well, that’s where a cable needle comes in. They come in many shapes and sizes, but the one I’m using here is the Knit Picks Wood Cable Needle. They’re an extra needle designed to hold the stitches of the cable at the front of the back of your knitting while you work, so there’s less fear of losing a stitch. It’s honestly really simple. Simply slip the required number of stitches (don’t worry, the pattern will tell you!) onto the cable needle and put it either in front of, or behind, the work. Then work the stitches from the left-hand knitting needle, then, work the stitches from the cable needle. That’s it, you’ve done a cable! The pattern will tell you how many stitches, if they go in front or behind, and if you’re knitting them or purling them.
Let’s take a closer look at the cable stitches used in the Palomar Top.
First, the 2×2 Right Cross and Left Cross.
Second, the 2×1 Right Purl Cross and Left Purl Cross.
Honestly, once I got into the cable motif, it was pretty easy. My only challenge was remembering that sometimes there would be a knit stitch at the edge of the moss stitch section if I didn’t have the pattern chart readily available. And, the cables only happen on Right Side rows (it’s very uncommon to have a cable happen on the Wrong Side of your knitting, I’ve only ever seen it once!), so it’s easy to follow along!
What was less easy to follow along with was the shaping of the armhole and neckline. I’ll talk about that – and the dreaded ‘at the same time’ instructions – in tomorrow’s post! Join me!
This is part 2 of 5 in this series
Go back to part 1: Casting On the Palomar Tank with UNIVERSAL YARN Bella Tweed this summer
Go to part 3: Help! Tackling shaping in the knitted Palomar Top with Bella Tweed yarn
