Cables in the Round

In the last two days I've cast on nine times and knit four cuffs for my EZ EPS sweater.

I think this one works, finally.

For some reason yesterday I just couldn't getting my knitting brain to kick in. First I couldn't knit the first row and join in the round successfully. Then I didn't catch that the issue I had with my cable came from not accurately converting the pattern to circular knitting until I'd knit a second cuff.

The 'Wrong Side' rows for the 4-rib braided cable of my swatch are symmetrical so I could just convert knits to purls and purls to knits. (Ignore the unidentified error in the middle of the cable panel below for this discussion.) (K2, P2)x2, P1, (P2, K2)x2 became (P2, K2)x2, K1, (K2, P2)x2 without regard for which direction the stitches traveled.

But the 3-rib braided cable I used for the sleeves has a first row of K3, P4, K2, P2, K2. When I first converted this I forgot that I would not just knit this wrong side row from the right side, but also in the opposite direction so I needed to knit P2, K2, P2, K4, P3. (No, I didn't swatch this cable - officially. Sleeve = swatch) I'm sure I've learned this idea before but (Ssh, don't tell anyone) this is my first non-class or fooling around cable project so this time I had to learn it for real.

The other wrong side rows read Knit the Knit Stitches and Purl the Purl Stitches so no issues there. That actually lead to some confusion as I only had a problem with one row and it was the first one after the cast-on.

Then today, after spending the afternoon looking at Roman art from the Louve and panels from the Gates of Paradise with a very large number of other people, my brain tried and failed to figure out a clever way to start this cuff with a couple rows of something akin to the 2x2 ribbing before morphing into the cable.

I went back to my original plan to start the cable at the sleeve edge and am finally pleased.

While working on the swatch I had an 'Aha' moment and a 'Duh' moment simultaneously. If I intend to knit my sweater in the round, I knit my swatch in the round. Since it usually takes me a couple of needle sizes to get a good gauge, this can take a lot of time and yarn.

However, I also knit in the round on two circular needles - which are knitting opposite sides of the swatch totally independently and can be different sizes. I used a purl row to mark change in needle size on my swatch after I came to this realization.

I made sure to measure row gauge in the center of each side where it would have less influence from the change in gauge.

Note I used my new size 7US Addi Lace needles. I really, really like the way these feel and knit. I do need some shorter ones for this project.

The yarn is Jaeger Extra Fine Merino Aran in Maple. The first photo above shows the color most accurately. Jaeger no longer exists, but Cucumber Patch does still have some.

Comments

[RobinH]

Ooh, that's going to be very handsome. I like the little 'column' of braid in the sleeve.

I had the same RS/WS issues with my cabled cardigan when I started knitting the sleeves in the round (as a cardigan, I'm knitting the body back and forth on a circular, so that part wasn't a problem). But after about the sixth time I tried to do my 4x4 cable on row 3 or 5, I adapted your idea of chaining stitch markers together as counters- so one color is right side rows, the other is wrong side rows. That helped me get my twists in the right place. (If you come up with an aide memoir for which *direction* they're supposed to be crossing, I'll be eager to hear that one. I'm still struggling with that one.)

[margene]

It may have taken some effort but it sure looks good. Does it make you feel better that I had to reknit a plain stockinette sleeve?

[Karen B.]

I totally understand what you mean when it comes to the "flat to circular" conversion conundrum. I'm glad you've solved the problem. What you've got there looks awfully promising!

[Birdsong]

What a great cable pattern! I admire your perserverance... that is a lot of cuff-knitting. Good tips on getting gauge in the round.... I have to strive to get the gauge and make extra-big swatches that are more like garments, so sleeves at least have a constructive feel like I am working towards the garment.

[Birdsong]

What a great cable pattern! I admire your perserverance... that is a lot of cuff-knitting. Good tips on getting gauge in the round.... I have to strive to get the gauge and make extra-big swatches that are more like garments, so sleeves at least have a constructive feel like I am working towards the garment.