Machine Knitting Techniques: Cables

Cables are a traditional knitwear favourite and feature increasingly in contemporary fashion collections. By simply crossing stitches over, in effect altering the order in which they are knitted, patterns from the simplest twist to the most intricate directional patterns can be produced on even the simplest knitting machine. Once a few basic techniques have been mastered, the number of cable designs available is virtually endless. With the learning of a few more advanced methods, different directions soon suggest themselves, giving scope for the knitter's own creativity to truly flourish.

BILL KING has been fascinated by the knitting process for the past forty years, and is a freelance designer working closely with the knitwear industry, experimenting with knit structures and techniques in relation to current fashion trends. He has written a regular feature for Machine Knitting Monthly for the past fourteen years and holds regular knit workshops in the UK and overseas.