Stitch Easy Cables on Fingerless Gloves

Cable knitting is one of the basic skills of knitting that I think everyone should try once or twice. So many beginning knitters think that cable knitting is hard, and while it can be challenging when there are lots of twists and turns of different kinds in the same pattern, it’s actually not difficult as a concept.

All cable knitting asks of you is that you knit stitches in a different order than the way you normally would. This makes a twist that, through regular repetition, makes a cable pattern.

It’s a great idea to start learning about cable knitting with a simple pattern that includes just one or two cables across the work. That way you just have to focus on when and where to turn your cables one at a time, which makes it a lot easier.

The Thicket Fingerless Gloves from Mirella Moments are a good option for a first cable knitting project if you’re already comfortable working in the round. (And if you aren’t, why not learn two skills at once?)

These are fun because the cable is mirrored on each glove, with a right twist on one and a left twist on the other. That way in this one project you get plenty of practice with the mechanics of cables and you’ll be ready for a more complicated cable knitting project right away should you choose to try another.

This pattern uses worsted weight yarn and some in one size. The pattern doesn’t include a cable knitting tutorial but if you need more help than the description of how to do it, that’s easy to find elsewhere.

These mitts would be a great gift for that person who is always cold, too, so why not get a jump on your holiday knitting and whip up a pair?

The free pattern is available from Mirella Moments.

[Photo: Mirella Moments]

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This is a project that kind of stopped me in my tracks when I saw it while scrolling Ravelry. It’s such a fun contrast of a semisolid color worked in stockinette stitch and a more tonal yarn worked in a feather and fan variation.

(See more about feather and fan in this post on my blog; I also have a feather and fan scarf if you want to practice.)

The Nitty Wrap from Renate Dziedataja is worked in fingering weight yarn from a Finnish mill, and the name is the Finnish word for meadow. You of course can use whatever yarn you have handy.

It’s even more interesting because the project is worked from one short end across to make a long rectangle, and the two different sections are joined using intarsia. Generally we think of intarsia as being used for colorwork, so this is a fun different use of it. The lace section is charted in the pattern but it’s pretty easy to follow.

And of course it’s totally optional but to add a little more interest and tie the two colors of yarn together the designer also added some embroidery along the short edges on the stockinette side. A drawing of what she did is included but you can also add different designs if you’d rather.

The shawl has I-cord edgings to give it a nice finished look that doesn’t take away from the organic simplicity of the design.

As shown, the shawl measures about 22.5 inches/57 cm wide and 59 inches/150 cm long. You can of course adjust this according to your preference, the amount of yarn you have and the gauge you are getting. Try a thicker yarn to make a wider shawl if you like.

This pattern is available in English and Latvian for free on Ravelry.

Photo: Renate Dziedataja

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