Free Cable Knit scarf pattern

To do cable knitting you'll need these items.

Needles - That goes without saying. I'll give you the needle sizes when we get started.

Row Counter - This is a very important tool. As you knit, you'll need to keep track of the row number so you know when to do the cable. It's a very handy item that slips right on your needles.


Cable needle - This is a small double pointed needle to keep the slipped stitches safe until you need them. A safety pin won't work because it needs to be "open" at both ends.

That's all you need besides your yarn of course. So Let's get started.

K = knit
P = purl
sl = slip the stitches onto the cable needle
BO = Bind off
That's all you need to know for this pattern.

I've tried various methods of casting on the stitches and found this one to be the easiest and give the nicest edge. It also eliminates the guess work on how much yarn to start with.

1. Create a slip knot on your left needle.
2. Knit into slip knot, and slip the stitch on the left needle.
3. Place the new stitch onto left needle. You now have two stitches on the left needle
4. Knit into the gap in between the last two stitches on left needle.
5. Place knitted stitch onto left needle. You now have three stitches on the left needle
6. Repeat this step until the number of stitches required are on your left needle.
7. Now, begin knitting normally

It's time to get started.
Needles - size 8
Yarn - I used 2 balls of Lions Brand worsted weight yarn Use a solid light color yarn so the cable shows well.
Gage - None. This pattern can be any size you like.

Cast on 38 stitches.
Row 1 - K2, P2 to end
Row 2 - P2, K2 to end
repeat until you have 2"

Pattern
Row 1 - K6,P2,K6,P2,K6,P2,K6,P2,K6
Row 2 - P6,K2,P6,K2,P6,K2,P6,K2,P6
Row 3 - repeat row 1
Row 4 - repeat row 2
Row 5 - K6,P2,sl 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, K3, knit the three stitches from the cable needle, P2, K6, P2, sl 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, K3, knit the three stitches from the cable needle, P2, K6
Row 6 - repeat row 2.

That's the whole pattern. Now you just repeat the pattern until you have the length scarf you want. Then:
K2, P2 to end
P2, K2 to end
repeat until you have 2"

Cast Off Method
K2, BO 1, *P1, BO 1, P1, BO 1, K1, BO 1, K1 BO 1, repeat from * until end

Knit 2 stitches. Put the left handle needle into the first stitch you knitted on the right hand needle and lift it over the 2nd stitch and off the needle. You have bound off 1 stitch.
Purl 1 stitch to keep the rib pattern. Bind off 1 stitch as before.
Purl 1 stitch. Bind off 1 stitch.
Knit 1 stitch to keep the rib pattern correct. Bind off 1 stitch.
Continue until all the stitches are bound off.

When using a 5 bulky yarn.
Use size 10 needles and use the pattern below

Pattern
Cast on 38 stitches.
K2,P2 for 2"
Row 1- K6,P2,K6,P2,K6,P2,K6,P2,K6
Row 2 - P6,K2,P6,K2,P6,K2,P6,K2,P6
Row 3 - repeat row 1
Row 4 - repeat row 2
Row 5 - repeat row 1
Row 6 - repeat row 2
Row 7 - K6,P2,sl 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in front, K3, knit the three stitches from the cable needle, P2, K6, P2, sl 3 stitches to cable needle and hold in back, K3, knit the three stitches from the cable needle, P2, K6
Row 8 - repeat row 2.

With the bulkier yarn, you need to add the extra two rows to stretch the cable out a bit to make the bulkier yarn sit smoother.

I tried doing 3 cables with the bulkier yarn but I found it to be just a bit too heavy.

Now that you're comfortable with doing cable knit, you can start getting creative. Here are a few variations you can do.

1. Instead of doing the middle row just knit/purl, cable knit that section as well to make 3 cables. You can make all the cables go the same way by holding all the sl 3 stitches to the front.

2. Decrease the number of stitches and do the center panel with only 2 stitches instead of 6.

3. Do the center panel with another pattern

Seed Stitch

Row 1 = K1,P1
Row 2 = P1,K1




The Double Moss Stitch

Row 1 = Knit two, purl two across.
Row 2 = Knit two, purl two across.
Row 3 = Purl two, knit two across.
Row 4 = Purl two, knit two across.



The possibilities are endless. Be sure to choose a stitch that looks good on both sides.

Here is a scarf done by a loyal follower, Siu Yan from Ohio. She made this for her toddler so she only used 1 skein of yarn and made the center section narrower. Thanks Siu Yan for your pictures. A great job.

Siu Yan also made this scarf for herself. She added a fringe at the bottom. A nice touch. The cable is more subtle because the yarn is variegated.








"Thanks for allowing me to share. It has been fun!! I had been wanting to do a cable scarf for awhile but didn't like some of the crazy patterns or website that I kept on seeing. Your pattern really helped keep it simple .

Your very welcome Siu, I'm glad you enjoyed this easy pattern.

If you would like to have your scarf showcased,
let me know. I would love to share more.

Studio Knits- This site helps you make your pieces look more professional. Her tips and tricks have helped me many times.

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