The Knitters Bible3

Measure the cable panel and the reverse stockinette (stocking) stitch each side.

Adding a cable panel

You can add a cable panel to the plain sweater pattem on page 144. To be in proportion. a cable panel sbould measure about one third of the width of the front Any smaller than this and it will look lost and have no impact Any bigger and it will dominate and become an all-over fabric instead of a panel.

Designing the panel To design your panel choose cables from the Stitch library (see pages 108-16). Start with a central feature cable. something bold or intricate. and then add complimentary but smaller cables each side. For example, the centre cable may have three stitches in each of the strands and uses C6F and C6B to cross the strands so it would look better with six stitch cables each side rather than thinner four stitch cables.

Chart the cables on graph paper with two stitches of reverse stockinette (stocking) stitch each side of the cables.

For example, the sweater shown here is a size 38in (96.5cm) with an actual chest measurement of 44in (I l2cm).The front measures 22in (56cm) therefore the panel should be about 7in (I8cm).

Knitting the garment

Knit the back of the garment Using the same needles you used to get the stockinette (stocking) stitch tension. cast on the required number of stitches for the cable panel you have designed plus at least three stitches each side for stockinette (stocking) stitch. Knit a gauge (tension) square of the cable panel. Lay it out fiat and measure the cables and the reverse stockinette (stocking) stitch

each side. Do not include the stockinette (stocking) stitch. If it is over a third of the width of the back, use fewer stitches between the cables. but no less than two because each cable should have room to lie against reverse stockinette (stocking) stitch. If is too narrow. add another smaller cable on each side.

When you were knitting the cable panel gauge (tension) piece you will have noticed that you need morę stitches to get a panel which is the same width of stockinette (stocking) stitch.

Cables puli the knitted fabric together and the reverse stockinette (stocking) stitch acts a bit like a rib. rolling under the edges of the cables.

Lay the back of the garment fiat on a table with the right side towards you. Using a ruler. measure the width of the cable panel in the middle of the fabric along one row and place a pin at each side. Count the number of stitches across the row between the pins.This is the number of stitches of stockinette (stocking) stitch that will be replaced by the stitches of the cable panel.

For this example. the cable panel measures 7ź4in (I9cm) and has 58 stitches (see sample below).The same width of stockinette (stocking) stitch has 33 stitches.

To calculate the number of stitches needed for the front of the sweater. subtract the number of stockinette (stocking) stitches and add on the number of cable panel stitches. Take away the number of stitches cast on for the rib (this must stay the same as the

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Add a cable panel or colour motifs to this simple sweater.

Cable panel sweater knitted in fisherman (aran) merino wool on size 6 (4mm/UK8) and size 8 (5mm/UK6) needles. See page 145 for pattem.

back) to work out how many stitches to increase evenly on the last rib row.

For examp!e, the back of the sweater has 99 stitches: to place the panel in the middle. 99 sts minus 33 sts to be removed = 66 sts. so there will be 33 sts of stockinette (stocking) stitch each side of the cable panel of 58 sts. For the front there needs to be a total of 66 sts + 58 sts = 124 sts.The rib of the sweater is worked on 99 sts. The number of increase stitches from the rib to the front stitches is 124 sts minus 99 sts =

25 sts.These increase sts are usually worked into the last row of the rib.

To place increases (MI) evenly in a row. calculate as follows: divide the number of increases minus one. into the number of stitches in the row for the number of stitches between increases.

In this example. 25 incs minus I = 24 incs. then 99 sts drv>ded by 24 incs = 4.125 sts. round down to 4 sts. which will leave 3 sts to be worked at the sides.The increase row is rib 2. MI. (rib 4. MI)

24 times. rib 1. 124 sts.

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