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Writer's pictureThe Crafty M.D.

Swatch It Up Block 9: Braided Cables

Ohmigosh, you guys! Flo gave me the pattern write up for this week a week ago. And, I kid you not, it is 10 PM the night before release of this block and I am just getting around to putting it together.


This week is especially exciting because we are going to be starting the Arm blocks! Woohoo. That means that we are in the home stretch, It also just occurred to me that by the time we finish these sweaters, I'm fairly certain it will no longer be cold enough to wear it. As I seamed some of the blocks together, I had the wayward thought that it would also make a nice blanket, in case you are interested. In that case, I would recommend using the body block sizes for all of the blocks.


Also...if you are using a different yarn and working off your own gauge, I recommend checking the block equation, since it will change for the arms.

Materials Worsted Weight Yarn US size 8 knitting needles Tapestry Needle

Cable Needle Measuring Tape



BRAIDED CABLES





Notes

Braided cables are a classic knitting staple that add a bit of flair to any knitted piece. They look quite tricky, but once you get the hang of them and understand how the structure of the cable works to create the braid, it’s super easy to modify them to create even more intricate cable patterns! For this week’s swatch, we’ve chosen the basic 3/3/3 braid cable, which is one of the most popular cables that will help us learn how cables are built in knitting.


Gauge

Gauge is a little elusive on this swatch given the cable

18st x 24r =4 x 4" (10cm) in STOCKINETTE

Tip: pay attention to this, especially if you are modifying the pattern.


Abbreviations

K - Knit

P - Purl

RS - Right side

SL - Slip stitch

WS - Wrong Side


Finished Size

Do NOT measure the stockinette border. This will be used for seaming and shouldn't contribute to the finished size of the sweater.

Sizes are width x length


XS: 13.75 x 7.25 in (35.5 x 19 cm)

S: 14.25 x 7.25 in (36.5 x 18.5 cm)

M: 15 x 7 in (38.5 x 17.5 cm)

L: 16 x 7 in (41 x 18 cm)

XL: 17.5 x 6.75 in (45 x 17 cm)

2X: 19.5 x 6.5 in (50 x 16.5 cm)

3X: 21 x 6 in (53.5 x 15 cm)

4X: 22.5 x 6 in (57.5 x 15 cm)

5X: 23.5 x 5.5 in (60 x 14 cm)


Instructions


Cast on 71 (73, 77, 81, 89) (97, 103, 111, 115) sts


Row 1: Knit across (rs)


Row 2: Purl across (ws)


Note: I'm being a little lazy here because it's late and I'm tired. If this is too difficult to understand, let me know and I will edit this by size later. However, this is how my mind works, so we are gong to go with it for now.


Wherever you see, the # sign, use the number of stitches for your size:

23 (24, 26, 28, 32) (36, 39, 43, 45) sts


Row 3: K2, P#, K9, P3, K9, P#, K2


Row 4: P2, K#, P9, K3, P9, K#, P2


Row 5: K2, P#, *slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in front of your work, K3, K3 from cable needle, K3*, P3, repeat from * to * one more time, P#, K2


Row 6: Repeat row 4


Row 7: Repeat row 3


Row 8: Repeat row 4


Row 9: K2, P#, *K3, slip 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in back of your work, K3, K3 from cable needle*, P3, repeat from * to * one more time, P#, K2


Row 10: Repeat row 4


Repeat rows 3-10 until you reach 44 (44, 42, 42, 40) (40, 36, 36, 32) sts rows or your work is ~1/4 inch or 1 cm less than your desired total length.

Note: if your last row is a cable row, repeat row 4 instead


Row 11: Purl across (for seaming border)


Row 12: Knit across (for seaming border)


Bind off

 

If you are going to alter the pattern...Hehe....So...


Here's the thing. Cables are a little different to grade. I recommend making your own swatch with 2 are 3 cables. You probably will not want all that bulk under your arm. Once you find out how wide those cables are, subtract that from the width of the arm you decided upon. Once you have that number, use the gauge for stockinette in that yarn to figure out how many more stitches you need.


?st x ?r =4 x 4" (10cm)


Plug this into the final equations for the Bust Blocks:


Gauge st x gauge row = 4 x 4 inches


_____ (arm block width) x ( _____Gauge st / 4”) = # sts _____

_____ (arm block length) x ( _____Gauge rows / 4”) = # rows _____


Once you have your stitch and row count, use those numbers in the pattern instructions above.

 

Still having some trouble?

We have a lot of resources this week.


1)Instructables has a nice video tutorial on how to do a cable. Be careful though, it's a little different that our pattern.

2)For Dummies also has a good write-up.

3)And Just for funsies, another YouTube Video.


Post this graphic to your social media if you're taking part in the KAL, and use the hashtag #swatchitup21 so we can see your progress.


Check back here next week to learn a new stitch.

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