Tag: cables

Knitting Tutorials

Knitting Tutorial: 10-stitch Left Leaning Cable

by Kati
left leaning cable

If I had to pick one knitting technique/texture to use for the rest of my life, that’d definitely be cables. I absolutely LOVE cables! They’re easy, quick to learn and add amazing texture and detail to any knit piece. I’ve used them in all my beanie designs and have a few cable sock designs coming out as well. This big, 10-stitch cable will be used in one of them so let’s get to the instructions!

A left leaning cable is made by slipping stitches onto a cable needle in front of the work. All simple cables work the same way and these instructions can therefore be used for any sized left leaning cable: by adjusting the number of stitches slipped onto the cable needle you’ll be able to vary the size of the cable! For example if you’d like to make a 6-stitch cable, you’d slip 3 stitches onto the cable needle, knit 3 and then knit the stitches on the cable needle and so on. But in this one, we’re slipping 5 stitches onto the cable needle, leaving them in front of the work, knitting 5 stitches and then knitting the stitches on the cable needle. In my patterns, I’d name this C10F: the cable is 10 stitches in size and the cable turn is made in the front.

My beautiful yarn is Worsted Superwash Merino in the colorway Peony by Unicorn Yarn Co, find all her amazing yarns here!

So let’s get to the pictures!

left leaning cable

Step 1: slip 5 stitches purlwise (one by one) onto the cable needle in front of the work. Slipping the stitches purlwise is essential – you don’t want to twist them!

left leaning cable

After step one, your cable needle or extra DPN should look like this!

left leaning cable

If you do your cables with a DPN, align the needle with your left needle so that you have space and can comfortably knit 5 stitches from the left needle.

left leaning cable

Step 2: knit 5 stitches from the left needle like you normally would.

left leaning cable

5 stitches done, now onto the stitches that are waiting on the cable needle!

left leaning cable

Step 3: knit 5 stitches from the cable needle.

left leaning cable

And voilà, your cable is ready – easy, fun and look at that texture!

I also have a tutorial for the little lace stitch on both sides of the big cable, find it here!

I’ll be off to knit some more cables now, I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

xx, Kati

Knit Lookbook Knitting

Favorite Cable Beanie by The Chesapeake Needle

by Kati
favorite cable beanie

One look at my Instagram and my designs, and it’s pretty obvious – I’m absolutely obsessed with cables! I love how versatile, beautiful and squishy they are, and how you can create so many different designs with simple cables. They’ve definitely always been my favorite knitting technique and I’ve been using them in all of my designs (Vilja, Hilla and Aava to name the latest!), and once you learn the tips and tricks on how to master cables I promise knitting them is like riding a bike!

favorite cable beanie

I purchased the Favorite Cable Beanie pattern from The Chesapeake Needle a few days back and I fell so in love with the pattern that I ended up knitting it in two days! I love the clever way Lindsey used the cables in the design: having the cable turns on different rounds creates such a beautiful, unique and interesting look.

favorite cable beanie

I didn’t have any medium weight yarn at home, but I obviously did have a skein of Phil Looping and 4mm needles, and after making a little swatch I was happy to see the gauge matched and I could get knitting right away! The yarn knits up beautifully with a smaller needle size, and I’m especially in love with the brim and the way the stitches aren’t too stretchy when wearing the hat.

favorite cable beanie

The only adjustment I had to make with the slightly heavier yarn was that I decided to make the hat a few rounds (that is 3 rounds) shorter to avoid making it too tall, and I couldn’t be happier with how the beanie fits! I’d definitely say this is the perfect cable project even for makers who are just getting into knitting cables, and the pattern also comes with clear instructions on how to use a cable needle so Lindsey’s got you covered. It’s a 3-sizes-in-1 -pattern so with one purchase you’ll get the adult, toddler and child version – how amazing is that!

In short, I fell head over heels in love with this beginner-ish friendly pattern and can’t wait to make many more of these!

xx, Kati

Knitting Patterns

Free knitting pattern: The Onni Mittens

by Kati
mitten pattern

Hi there folks, so glad to see you’ve found your way to this free mitten pattern so let me present to you: The Onni Mittens! Onni is the Finnish word for happiness and if you ask me, keeping your hands warm when the first snow falls and  you’re drinking hot chocolate from a take away cup while enjoying the cool, crisp air should definitely be the dictionary definition of comfy (might’ve gotten a little poetic there but let me have my delusions about the perfect winter that doesn’t include rain, wind that makes the snow hurt your face and gloomy skies!). But anyway, back to the mittens. They have an intermediate cable pattern, a double cuff and thanks to the bulky yarn, they work up in no time!

mitten pattern

In this free pattern you’ll find full written instructions on how to make the mittens from start to finish and a knitting chart for the pattern as well. The pattern is actually worked like any other cable pattern or chart would be (even if it doesn’t really look like traditional cables…) but don’t let the cables scare you – once you get the hang of the pattern you’ll be knitting the mittens up in no time! In this mitten pattern, by slipping stitches onto the cable needle you’re actually changing the places of the knit and purl stitches and this way creating the diamond like shape.

mitten pattern

If at any point you have any questions don’t hesitate to leave a comment on this post or send me an email at kati@katimaaria.com!

Also if you share a picture of the mittens on Instagram, please tag me @katimaariaknits and use the hashtag #onnimittens – I can’t wait to see your designs! You may also sell the finished product but please give credit to the designer.

So let’s get knitting!

mitten pattern

Measurements

One size, will fit an average woman. Length with the cuff folded: approximately 24cm/9.4 inches

Yarn & needle variations

First things first: if you identify yourself as a tight knitter, opt for bigger needles!

The pattern is designed for bulky yarn (weight category #5) and 6mm/US 10 needles. If you wish to make the mittens more chunky you can choose a  bulkier yarn or for example knit with double stranded bulky yarn (like I did with the pink mittens) but keep the needle size at 6mm/US 10 or any needle size to obtain the gauge. I’ve found that this way, you’ll get more texture to the work but as the needle size remains the same and rather small for chunkier yarn, the gauge doesn’t radically change and you can still follow this pattern from start to finish.

For example, the chunky pink mittens in the pictures are knit with double stranded bulky yarn (Phil Looping by Phildar, find it here!) using 6mm/US 10 needles.

The grey mittens are knit with double stranded worsted yarn (Alpaca Wool by Novita, find it here!) using 6mm/US 10 needles, making the yarn an equivalent to a category #5 yarn.

Materials

  • 6mm/US 10 DPNs or any needles to obtain the gauge (if you’re a tight knitter, give 8mm/US 11 needles a try for example!)
  • Approximately 100m/109 yards of bulky yarn (weight category #5) with the following gauge: 10x10cm/4×4″ of stockinette stitch with 6mm/US 10 needles = 14 stitches, 22 rows
  • Cable needle or extra DPN
  • A little piece of contrasting color yarn for the thumb hole
  • Tapestry needle

Abbreviations

K = knit
P = purl
M1 = make one stitch by picking up the yarn in between two stitches with your left needle and knitting it through the back loop
C3F = slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and leave in front of work. Knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch and then knit 1 stitch from cable needle.
C2B = slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and leave in back of work. Knit 1 stitch and then purl 1 from cable needle.
C2F = slip 1 stitch onto cable needle and leave in front of work. Purl 1 stitch and then knit 1 from cable needle.
K2tog = knit 2 stitches together
Skp = slip 1 stitch, knit 1 stitch and pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch

Cuff

Cast on 24 stitches on your 6mm/US 10 needles. Work the mittens with 4 needles: keep the work on 3 needles in a triangle shape and knit with the fourth one. Share the stitches evenly so that you have 8 stitches per needle. The beginning of the round is between the 1st and the 3rd needle (see needle map below!).

mitten pattern

Click the image to open it bigger!

Join the work in the round and *K1, P1* all around (round 1) and repeat round 1 for another 17 times, knitting a total of 18 rounds for the cuff or until it measures 10cm/4 inches.

Increase round

1st needle: no increases, knit 8 stitches
2nd needle: increase 3 stitches evenly, for example in the following way:

  • K1, M1, K3, M1, K3, M1, K1

3rd needle: no increases, knit 8 stitches

Body

After the increases, you’ll have 27 stitches on the work: 8 stitches on needle 1, 11 stitches on needle 2 and 8 stitches on needle 3. You’ll knit stockinette stitch on the 1st and the 3rd needle until the end of the mitten and work the cable pattern on the 2nd needle.

The following written instructions are only for the 2nd needle, knit stockinette stitch on the 1st and the 3rd needle.

Round 1: K1, P3, C3F, P3, K1
Round 2: K1, P3, K3, P3, K1
Round 3: K1, P2, C2B, P1, C2F, P2, K1
Round 4: K1, P2, K5, P2, K1
Round 5: K1, P1, C2B, P3, C2F, P1, K1
Round 6: K1, P1, K7, P1, K1
Round 7: K1, P1, K1, P5, K1, P1, K1
Round 8: K1, P1, K7, P1, K1
Round 9: K1, P1, C2F, P3, C2B, P1, K1
Round 10: K1, P2, K5, P2, K1
Round 11: K1, P2, C2F, P1, C2B, P2, K1
Round 12: K1, P3, K3, P3, K1

The knitting chart for the cable pattern can be found at the end of the post!

Repeat rounds 1-12 twice more (you’ll knit the rounds three times total) and finish by knitting round 1 once more before starting the decreases.

When you’re knitting rounds 1-12 for the second time, make the thumb hole on round 4 (round 16 on the total row count after starting the cable pattern).

  • For the right mitten, make the thumb hole on the 3rd needle: knit 2 stitches, then knit 4 stitches with a contrasting color yarn and move these 4 stitches back to the left hand needle. Finish the needle by knitting stockinette stitch and continue onto round 5.
  • For the left mitten, make the thumb hole on the 1st needle: knit 2 stitches, then knit 4 stitches with a contrasting color yarn and move these 4 stitches back to the left hand needle. Finish the needle by knitting stockinette stitch and continue the round normally.

Decreasing

Round 1:

  • 1st needle: K5, K2tog, K1
  • 2nd needle: skp, K7, K2tog
  • 3rd needle: K1, skp, K5
  • stitch count after the round: 23

Round 2:

  • 1st needle: K4, K2 tog, K1
  • 2nd needle: skp, K5, K2tog
  • 3rd needle: K1, skp, K4
  • stitch count after the round: 19

Round 3:

  • 1st needle: K3, K2tog, K1
  • 2nd needle: skp, K3, K2tog
  • 3rd needle: K1, skp, K3
  • stitch count after the round: 15

Round 4:

  • 1st needle: K2, K2tog, K1
  • 2nd needle: skp, K1, K2tog
  • 3rd needle: K1, skp, K2
  • stitch count after the round: 11

Round 5:

  • 1st needle: K1, K2tog, K1
  • 2nd needle: K3
  • 3rd needle: K1, skp, K1
  • stitch count after the round: 9

Cut yarn and pull through remaining 9 stitches, tighten and secure the end well by weaving in on the wrong side of the work.

Thumb

Remove the help yarn and pick up the 7 stitches the yarn was holding. Pick up 5 extra stitches from around the thumb hole adding the total amount of stitches to 12 (if you want to make a bigger thumb you can pick more stitches from around the thumb hole). Share the stitches evenly on 3 needles so that you have 4 stitches per needle. To avoid stretching the stitches and making holes at the core of the thumb, knit all the stitches through the back loop on the first round. After the first round, continue knitting stockinette stitch until the thumb covers approximately half of your thumb nail.

Decrease by knitting 2 stitches together at the end of every needle (repeat on every round) until you have a total of 6 stitches left on the thumb. Cut yarn and pull through remaining 6 stitches, tighten and secure the end well by weaving in on the wrong side of the work.

Knitting chart

And here’s the visual for the cable pattern! After knitting the cuff, you’ll repeat rows 1-12 for a total of three times and then knit row 1 once more before starting the decreases (no chart for the decreasing part so head back up a little to see the written instructions!).

mitten pattern

Click the image to open it bigger!

And there you have it, your Onni mittens are now ready (you see, I told you they would work up in no time)!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this pattern and will be making all the mittens for the winter!

xx, Kati