Basic Cable Strip

[knitqueen]

I've never done cables before - I've watched Amy's video and it seems basic enough. What I have in mind is this. I'm knitting a poncho for my niece. The pattern knits the front and back seperately, then seams together down the arms on each side. I'm not sure if it going to be quite big enough, especially post seaming, so I'm thinking of what I could do to add a bit more to the size. That's what got me thinking of maybe doing a long strip with a single cable and seaming it in down the arms.

Whadda ya think??? How many stitches wide would I do it and how would I know where to take stitches off for the cable?? I guess what I'm looking for is a basic basic cable pattern.

[knitqueen]

Oooooh, found one here , but still any tips would be appreciated!

:XX:

[ekgheiy]

There's no easy way to answer how many sts you should cast on because that would depend on the yarn you choose and the needle you use. Check out The Knit Stitch. It has a wonderful and very simple poncho pattern. You could that as a template for your own design. As far as cable patterns, have you checked out About's knit stitch library? The 6/6, 6/8, and 8/10 are nice and simple.

That double cable you found looks good! I'll keep my eye open for any more...

[ekgheiy]

Have you thought about browsing stitch libaries? Here's one that I've seen in the stores.

[knitqueen]

Thank you, those ones from about.com are good too. I think I'll figure it out, just need to get a cable needle.

About cable needles.....do they come in different sizes as needles do, or is is just one size fits all??

[Norman]

All the ones I've found have been.. One Size.. There are LONGER ones.. but around.. they all seem the same.. they are kinda like stich holders..

Mine don't have the fancy design, but the basic shape of these

http://tinyurl.com/9f78h

[Hildegard_von_Knittin]

If you need a size other than "medium" you might have to order them specially frm your LYS or online. Just like you wouldn't use tiny needles for big fat yarn, or gigantic needles for super thin yarn, your cable needle should be close to the size of the needles you're knitting the rest of the project with.