Learn to Knit: Cable Cast On

I’ve been exploring some knitting basics lately on my YouTube channel and I recently did a video on the cable cast on.

Cable cast on is similar to knit cast on, which is what I like to teach beginning knitters because it lays the groundwork for forming the knit stitch.

The only difference with cable cast on is that you go between the stitches to pull up you next loop instead of working into the previous stitch. If that doesn’t make sense, check out the video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAPbxBdtQyo]

It always seemed to me that these cast-on methods were pretty much the same, that choosing one over the other was more a matter of preference than any real difference between them.

So I decided to compare the two to see what difference, if any, there was. As you’ll see in the video I worked the cast ons with the same yarn and the same size needle, and they look pretty much the same.

But that doesn’t mean they are the same. I was interested to see that the cable cast on was a lot less stretchy than the knit cast on. (I worked them one right after the other and tried to make them as similar in tension as I could.)

In the video I kind of make it sound like a firm cast on is a bad thing. There are a lot of times when we wouldn’t want to use a firm cast on, such as the bottoms of hats or the tops of socks, where we need extra stretch for things to fit our bodies.

But there are definitely times you’d want a firmer cast on. When working buttonholes, for instance, doing a cable cast on instead of a knit cast on might make the difference between floppy and firm buttonholes. I’m definitely going to try it the next time I need to cast on in the middle of a project.

Do you ever work cable cast on? Do you find it firmer than other options? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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