I was going to write, “cables are hot,” but really, do cables truly ever go completely out of fashion?

Regardless of the vagaries of the catwalk, cables on Aran sweaters, home dec items, and other knitted objects are always popular, but cables are indeed out on the fashion forefront again. My first project as a real, live knitter (one year ago now) was a giant single cable scarf in Rowan’s Big Wool (I giggle when I look at it now, but hey! everybody has to start somewhere), but I’ve recently become quite enamoured of the things.

I’m throwing a six-strand woven cable onto a “scowl” I’m finishing up as a belated Christmas gift, and realized that I’ve never really thought about cables and making them look really nice. Mine were looking…okay, but no one would ever pick up a piece of mine at the moment and gush, “Look at the cables on this!”

How to get gush-worthy cables?

The switch from purl to knit on the right hand side of the cables was okay, but the switch from knit to purl looked a bit anaemic and stretched out.  The last stitch of a braid section, where the crossover happens, always seemed just a bit stretched out, giving away the underlying structure and pulling the rounded beauty of the braid section slightly off. The cable wasn’t really popping off the background. What am I doing wrong? And how do I fix it?

A The Knitter article on cables highlighted the Emilio Pucci design above, and I am eager to try my hand at a design similar to it, or at least “inspired” by it. (The “cut abs” look of the original would highlight exactly the wrong part of my physique!) But that much work would mean I’d want the materials to be top-notch (read “expensive”) and the cables to be absolutely fabulous.

Out onto the Net I went. Which led me straight to the Queen of Cables: Janet Szabo of Big Sky Knitting Designs. (LOOK at the definition of the cables on the cover of her Cables 1 book!) I’ll be writing a Spotlight on Janet and her work (and cables!) after our KAL for Knit a Square is over, so stay tuned for that, but, in the mean time, here’s a few tips from Janet, who kindly answered some questions from me about cables.

Z: When you see a great job of cabling, what does that mean? What are the things you look for in good knitting of cables?

JS: If we’re talking about the structure of cables themselves, I look for good relief between the cable and the background stitches, with even tension across the cable and no loose stitches.

If we’re talking about an *arrangement* of cables, on the other hand, then what I look for is a pleasing balance between lots of different elements: texture vs. simplicity (so the eye has a place to “rest”); balance between visual weight (not too many heavy cables overwhelming a few lighter cables); balance between scale (wide cables combined with narrower ones), etc.

Z: Can you please give me a specific hint that you think would be the one biggest thing the majority of knitters can do to improve the look and fabric of specifically (as opposed to general knitting) their cables?

JS: Absolutely. Yarn construction has the biggest impact on the appearance of cables. Think, for a moment, about what happens when you walk into a yarn store. What attracts you first? Right–it’s color. We’re all drawn to particular colors, and then we want to touch. Unfortunately, many knitters choose yarns based on color and touch alone, without considering how the construction of the yarn will impact the project they’ve chosen.

For good, sharp cables, I always choose a tightly-spun and tightly-plied smooth, multi-ply yarn. A tightly-spun yarn will give excellent stitch definition, and more plies makes a “rounder” yarn, which tends to cause cables to “pop.” A corollary to yarn choice is needle choice–cables definitely benefit from being knit at a tighter gauge on slightly smaller needles.

Z: Which of your books, archives of the newsletter, or DVDs would you most recommend first to the knitter who wants to knit beautiful cables?

JS: For rank newbies, I’d definitely recommend the DVD. It has all sorts of great info to get newbie cablers off on the right foot. More experienced cables would probably find the Cables 1 book the most helpful. It has technical information as well as tips to help launch knitters into the fun world of designing with cables.

Stay tuned for an upcoming Spotlight on Janet’s work in design, teaching, and other projects, with a few more hints on how to make your cables look their best! (And I’ll be sharing Janet’s advice on my cabling deficiencies!) Take a look at Janet’s beautiful patterns, too.