Close the Gap After a Cable

Learn how to close that gap between a knit and purl stitch that sometimes happens after a cable, or when knitting ribbing.
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I'm using needles from the
ChaioGoo Complete Interchangeable Set:
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The shawl on the mannequin is the Cozy Winter Shawl by Melanie Mielinger
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[@ViraIshnia]

I'm so glad I found this video! I'm having a hell of a time with gaps in my cable stitches!

[@PurlTogether]

You got this!

[@lotte5173]

This tip saved my cable project. I almost was about to throw it away.....I didnt enjoyed working on it at all anymore because of the gaps. Now its fixed....I am so happy! Thank you!

[@tomandkarentully9722]

This video was so helpful!!! Thank you

[@claudiam5358]

Once again Jana you just answered my question. Neater cables are on there way!

[@DonaldBristol]

Thank you! Sheesh, I needed this help :) And thanks for the clear, succinct, and quick video!!

[@misselanys1219]

Thank you so much for this tutorial. I am an old knitter new to cabling and addicted now. I was confused when I watched the video the first time whichnprompted my now deleted stupid question about purls following C4Bs but rewatched it, tried it and it works like a charm. You are a great teacher!

[@tds603]

Genius! Thank you for a simple fix which is much appreciated when doing cables!

[@sandramalone9977]

This is great and very simple, don't often knit cables but may now try some more complicated patterns as they will not look so 'sloppy'. Thank you so much for sharing this great little tip.

[@bettygraham818]

That is such a brilliant tip ! I am a loose knitter, and always have a problem when I change from purl to knit. Thank you.

[@PurlTogether]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rosemongeau7891]

Thank you so much for this very useful video. It allows to re use , recycle high quality wool one might find in a pre used discarded sweater .

[@Amethyst1919]

You can also make the purl like normal, bring the yarn to the back and tug... This takes up the slack in both stitches... I do this religiously.

[@venuschan3536]

i've tried tugging really hard but it still ends up loose ):

[@Amethyst1919]

@@venuschan3536 You might be tugging so hard that it makes the next stitch look loose... I get laddering from magic loop and DPNs because I pull too tight trying to avoid the laddering and end up causing it one stitch over... took me forever to figure it out...

[@Dooley1961]

This has really improved my cabling - thankyou!

[@Tinacrafts2]

Perfect 👌. I’m on block 2 of Norah’s Vintage afghan and this worked great on the sl cable. Thanks

[@virginiavincent818]

Thank goodness. Working on a cable sweater and the gaps were getting ridiculous. Thanks for the tip!

[@siyaz]

You're a genius! Oh and also a great instructor Thank you for all the content you put on KZbin!

[@lindatreggett2604]

I always had "holes" in my cables. Now I know the fix. Thank you so much.

[@elizabethhicks2957]

You’re a great instructor. Thanks for this technique which I’m sure I will use often.

[@kokilapatel5553]

Very very useful trick👍🏻

[@hawk71204]

Awesome just had that problem. Well onward I will know what to do! Thank You for the practical lessons!!! Purl on!😃

[@theastewart6721]

Great tip! Thanks for sharing!

[@cherylhandmadewithlove338]

Thank You so much!! I'm a fairly new knitter and all of your techniques are so informative and so helpful! 🙏🏼 I finally completed a slouchy beanie and I even added a design in the pattern of my own. It getting to being more fun than a battle 👍🏼😊 ... I have yet to find a tutorial that I feel comfortable following to make a pair of socks 🥴 it's me. I so desperately want to make a pair. I think I need the heal and toe broken down better for me. SMH 🤪🤦🏼‍♀️💆🏼‍♀️ But I do get most of my tips from your tutorials and tip videos.. 👍🏼😊

[@jodymiller392]

Oh I wish I would have known this before I finished all of my squares. Lol

[@francesm1704]

Do you have any more videos on cable tips? Thanks! This one was awesome and I can’t wait to try this

[@juliejames7759]

Thanks so much for this- it’s very helpful!!

[@basilthecavy]

Thank you. very helpful

[@dottierobbins6507]

Thank you that was fantastic

[@caterscarrots3407]

Thanks for the video. I'm designing my own cable sweater and this is very helpful, as I have a pretty dense pattern in mind that is basically 4 different cables used in the body of the sweater like so from left to right: Left Twist | 4 Strand Braid | Saxon Braid | Celtic Knot | Saxon Braid | 4 Strand Braid | Right Twist So like, when I go from front to back and vice versa, I would be knitting the left twist on 1 side and then almost immediately after, the right twist on the other side(I plan to knit it in the round, as that's less sewing work(armholes really the only spot I need to sew with a sweater knit in the round, whether it be the tiny hole that results from picking up stitches to knit the sleeve, or the whole strip of bound off stitches to knit the sleeve essentially into the sweater(I've done both before and I think I prefer the bind off and knitting in method over the picking up stitches method, even though the round I'm knitting the sleeves in has a bit of tightness). And the sleeves would similarly be dense in terms of cables except that I would just be alternating the twist and 4 strand braid, the 2 smallest cables. With all this density(sometimes even within each individual pattern, like the Celtic Knot for instance has many rows with anywhere from 2 to 8 cables right nest to each other with no purls in between that aren't involved in the cable itself(there's a lot of 2 knit over 1 purl and 2 knit over 2 purl cables)), I'm bound to run into those holes, so thanks for the tip on twisting the first purl after the cable to minimize those holes. But speaking of those rows with cables right next to each other, will I need to worry about the holes from the knit stitch of 1 cable to the purl stitch of the next like I would if there was just plain purls in between cables or should I just purl those as normal? Or is it perhaps even more important to do this twisting in such rows, what with all the stretching that occurs?

[@PurlTogether]

I would suggest knitting a swatch that incorporates your design elements, before beginning the actual sweater to see where you'll need to make adjustments to mitigate holes.

[@caterscarrots3407]

@@PurlTogether Yeah, I was planning on doing that, doing a swatch where I'm knitting the cables in the order that I would on the sweater, for in my case 64 rows(which would be 1 repeat of the center cable, 2 repeats of the Saxon Braid, 4 repeats of the 4 strand braid, and 8 repeats of the twist.

[@heathertucker7056]

Useful tip! Thank you.

[@dircedasilvaaraujo4187]

Olá, excelente técnica!!! Parabéns 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 Sou brasileira, já inscrita no canal... Admiro seu trabalho 😙💞💟

[@TallPaulKnits]

Great tip, thank you

[@PurlTogether]

Glad it was helpful!

[@peggymalloy8726]

That sure is pretty!

[@diannefitzmaurice9813]

It is great info but would help significantly if either yarn or background was light enough to be able to see the stitches . A piece of white paper behind it is a simple fix. However I thought you were going to show how to fix the gap where the crossover is . Any remedy for that?

[@christynmorales6142]

When you are closing that gap, and you knit into those twisted purls on the wrong side, do you use the same technique for knit as well? Are you supposed to purl in the twisted knits?

[@PurlTogether]

the Turkish cast on is more straight forward to start, since you're just wrapping the yarn around the needles.

[@Enig_Mata]

Thanks so much for this tutorial. I am working on a 12-stitch braided cable and ran into this issue. If I am working in the round, do I purl through the back loop on the first stitch after the cable? Thank you.

[@PurlTogether]

You are so welcome!

[@introvert211]

@@PurlTogether but would you purl through the back loop in the round?

[@PurlTogether]

Yes, you'll want to reorient the stitch so it sits properly on the next round, regardless of whether you're knitting back and forth or in the round.

[@vickidenouden3480]

What about when you're knitting in the round? do you knit into the back loop of that stitch in the next round?

[@PurlTogether]

Yes, just reorient the stitch when you come to it.

[@verandamus]

Continental knitter here. How do I cheat that purlstitch?

[@gwenfahlgren5824]

Will this method help when doing a 1x1 rib stitch with ktbl and p's?

[@PurlTogether]

Give it a try!

[@sidneyhauser1750]

Interesting...I normally do my purl stitches clockwise, this must not be very traditional?

[@PurlTogether]

You certainly can wrap the yarn clockwise, but it will change the way the stitch is oriented on the needle.

[@karenkauffman8193]

This is sorta that technique you use when you want to close up a yarn over.

[@beverlyhess611]

Do you have a picture of the Nora’s Vintage Afghan that is completed? My sister is wanting a “treasure to pass down” and I think the squares I’ve seen would be perfect for that! Thanks!

[@PurlTogether]

There are several photos of afghans other knitters have completed in the Projects section of the pattern on Ravelry

[@beverlyhess611]

Purl Together under Noras Vintage Afghan? Thanks!!! I have got to learn how to use Ravelry better! I’m planning to watch and learn this weekend! Thanks for the tip!

[@britt1356]

Hi! Do you only do this trick on the right side of the work? Or also on the wrong side?

[@PurlTogether]

You'll just want to do this immediately after the cable regardless of which side of your work the pattern instructs you to perform the cable on. Normally though, you wouldn't be cabling on the wrong side.

[@lindsayglynn4693]

Does this work for in the round

[@PurlTogether]

Absolutely.

[@ginninadances]

I've done burn but still have the gap.....

[@PurlTogether]

I think it just takes practice with your tension.

[@ashleyhildebrand6924]

Um...I always wrap my purls clockwise? 😓You mean I've been twisting them all this time??? That's probably okay though, as long as I'm consistent with it in a project, right...? (Or does that just make me consistently wrong?) No one will notice, right...? Right??? 😫 I'm so doomed...

[@PurlTogether]

Yes, you're consistently twisting them. The result is that the stitch is mounted incorrectly on the needle. While it might not make a huge difference in some patterns, you'll want to learn to wrap the purl stitch the counter clockwise, so that when you encounter a pattern in which it does matter, you'll be doing it correctly.

[@kirarobinson128]

It isn't an "incorrect" way to knit. It is called combination knitting in which you are knitting western mounted stitches (where the leading leg is in front of the needle, done by wrapping counter-clockwise) and purling eastern mounted stitches (where the leading leg is in the back of the needle, done by wrapping clockwise). There are a lot of people that knit this way (me included!). Roxanne Richardson videos here on KZbin (Rox Knits) describes this and can help you learn how to see your stitches and explains how it isn't wrong or incorrect, just different. Much like continental vs english styles, there is no wrong way to do it.

[@lyndasoar4345]

Great advice...thank you.