Crochet cables and ribbing

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about crochet cables. Back when I was just a newbie I understood that the only way to make cables and ribbing was with post or raised stitches. Now, it occurrs to me that over the years I have worked quite a few cables that don't include a single post stitch. So how about, this month we look at some of the solutions that I've found.

 

Post-stitch ribbing is chunky, heavy and has almost no stretch. I used to think it looked OK until I realised that there were better solutions.

 

Possibly the revelation arrived when I discovered I could make ribbing using Slip-stitches. Fortunately for me this coincided with my ability to make a slip-stitch fabric! Really, I had forgotten how hard it was in the beginning. My first swatch ended up in a tight little knot where, the rows got shorter and tighter. It requires a lighter grip on the yarn and a bigger than normal hook. Probably, for the first time it would have helped to use a stretchy lofty wool yarn rather than unforgiving cotton. I'm afraid that everyone who over comes this pain barrier becomes a slip-stitch evangelist. You will just have to forgive me when I wax lyrical on this subject!

Slip-stitch ribbing is not only light weight and stretchy but it also looks like knitted ribbing. I've even discovered that it is possible to hold shirring elastic thread along side your yarn to create a rib that is truly elastic.

 

Linda Skuja's Mals Clay Sweater*

There is of course another kind of ribbing which has been around, probably, since before post stitches. Worked horizontally to the main fabric in short rows, back loop only (BLO) Double crochet (Sc-US) or Half Treble (Hdc-US) gives the appearance of ribbing, but it has very little stretch. Linda Skuja uses back loop only Htr (Hdc-US) ribbing, seen here, on her Mals Clay Sweater. Despite the lack of stretch it is visually very appealing.

 

When it comes to cables I suppose my first question is; what is a cable? Is it something like an knitted Aran sweater or do we say, hey this is crochet we make our own definition?

 

Tea Cozy design by Saichika from Japanese Wonder crochet*

For me, in the beginning there was only this kind of heavy and unforgiving post-stitch cable which is accompanied by those dull rows of Double crochet (Sc-US). But then I made new discoveries.

 

Charmer Cowl by Lena Fedotova*

Lena Fedotova (aka Ravliki), on her Charmer and Adventurer cowls,

Adventurer Cowl by Lena Fedotova

uses long intertwining rows of Foundation Dc (Sc-US) and BLO Dc. This requires you to carry the working yarn with you on the foundation row of the interlocking cable, as it winds it's way in and out of the last cable. The yarn magically un threads itself on the return row! Interestingly, there is no supporting structure behind the cables. Without the ugly Dc base the cables make a 3 dimensional lace and a soft fabric.

 

ZigZag Hat by Tanja Osswald*

Tanja Osswald should certainly feature here, she has a whole collection of stylish and complex cable fingerless-gloves. I have yet to find an excuse to make one, so instead, here is her Zigzag cable hat. It is made using three different slip-stitches in combination, but she also sneaks in extra chain and short rows. This allows the cables to wiggle their way along the hat.

Cabled Slip Stitch Mittens by Anna Lindmark*

Anna Lindmark (aka Mmatildas Virkstad) uses the same combination of slip-stitches in short rows to create her signature cables. The cables are built one section at a time. They seem to appear magically as you move along the row.

 

All of these ribbing and cable solutions produce cables running horizontally in rows. By turning the fabric 90 degrees we can make them appear to run vertically. Indeed, Anna's gloves are worked from wrist to fingertips. She makes them in one moulded shape rather than separate pattern pieces. I often think that this aspect of crochet is vastly under appreciated. So often we view designs as a knitter or dressmaker would. We are missing out on this ability to mould our fabrics to fit.

 

Lady Mabel Sweater by Susan Walsh

Another example of fooling the eye by turning the fabric at 90o is Susan Walsh's (aka Peppergoose) Lady Mabel Sweater. The sweater is worked from cuff to cuff to enable the cable to run vertically.

The cable is built from short rows of Dc (Sc-US) worked one by one.

 

Now we are getting into muddy waters! So far everything I have shown you is unmistakably a traditional rib or a cable, with the possible exception of the Lady Mable Sweater. Now, I leave it to you to decide what is a crochet cable and if it matters. Possibly, I am the only one of us that feels this compulsion to name and categorise all things crochet!

 

For Them Sweater by Tatsiana Kupryianchyk*

I offer you Tatsiana Kupryianchyk's (aka Lilla Bjorn) 'For Them Sweater'. She uses a combination of BLO Dc (Sc-US) and Slip-stitches in short rows to create the interlocking leaf and wedge shapes.

Ivy Hat and Cowl by Liudmyla Hefny*

Having bought far too much yarn, I had enough left over to pair Tatsiana's sweater with the Ivy hat and Cowl by Liudmyla Hefny. Her leaf shapes are perhaps the linking step between Tatsiana's interlocking shapes and traditional cables. Liudmyla's leaves are not only linked but seem to grow organically out of each other. The ribbing and cable are made with those extra tall Yarn-Over Slip-Stitches, with a few taller stitches thrown in to give spacing between the rows, and of course, short rows.

 

Block23 Kiss and Hug by Sue Perez*

You may be aware that my current cable obsession has sprung from Sue Perez' (aka Mrs Micawber) Live Loop Crochet cables. I wrote about it myself, here. Having now made each of the 25 cable block designs, I have moved onto finding out how they might work in practise.

Woolly Bowl by Sue Perez*

Unlike the other cables I have shown here, these cables can be worked in any direction and can be of various widths. The cables are created as the base fabric is made. Although the single loop cables, above, appear to be made after the bowl, they were both made simultaneously.

 

Bonus Points Shawl by Sue Perez*

My current work in progress is Sue's shawl design which moves away from the straight forward Dc base stitches. It offers new exciting possibilities!

 

I have thrown up a few questions for you and possibly you have thoughts about other cables I have not yet tried?

 

fastening off... 

 

 

 *All items shown here have me made by me, any errors are mine not the designers!

How to create Crochet Ribbing.

I have more than a few questions about Crochet Ribbing, so in established Pulled Stitch tradition I have set about exploring the topic. As a non-knitter slapping on a knitted rib cuff is simply not an options, so let's take a look at what is available.

I have discovered five solutions for you. I'm beginning with the most commonly used and finishing with something special!

 

Post Stitch Ribbing

This is the first type of ribbing that I learnt on my crochet journey. But is it a ribbing?  Should we call this faux ribbing or perhaps pseudo ribbing?

 

So, if Post Stitch ribbing is a faux ribbing perhaps we should ask ourselves what we think ribbing is and what it's purpose is. Undoubtedly what we want from our ribbing will vary from project to project. I am going to begin with the idea that we want to reduce the circumference of our main fabric, like at a waistband. We might also want something stretchy as on a sock cuff and also for it to hold it's elasticity so that our socks don't fall down!

The post stitches create a ribbed look but they do not stretch. They do, however, reduce the circumference of the main fabric slightly. Post stitches create a very heavy chunky fabric. They work well when what we want is to create is a warm cowl or neckline. 

 

To create this cuff you work in joined rounds, so the join needs to be in the least obvious place like the inner seam of the sleeve.

Usually the pattern begins with a round of Treble stitches (UK) (Dc-US). So,

Rnd1. Chain2 in first stitch, work a Treble (Dc-US) in each stitch around and join to Ch2 with a slip-stitch. Turn.

Rnd2. Ch2 in first stitch, (Front Post Treble, Back Post Treble) (FPDc,BPDc-US) around, join to Ch2 with a Slip-stitch. Turn.

Repeat Rnd2 to the desired length.

Back Loop Ribbing

This is the point at which I really wish we all spoke the same crochet language! So! UK-Back Loop Double Crochet Ribbing, US-Back Loop Single Crochet Ribbing.

This type of ribbing seems to have become increasingly popular, it certainly has the ribbed look. There is some stretch but no elasticity. In my example here the edging has actually ended up wider than the original fabric. I'll talk about how to adjust this in a moment.

 

This stitch is made by working in short rows of Double crochet (Sc-US) worked at 90o to the main fabric. The number of starting chain determines how long the cuff will be. I worked this example as follows...

 

Setup;

Slip-stitch join to a stitch on an inconspicuous part of the main fabric. Chain8.

Turn 90o, Double crochet in 2nd chain from the hook and in each chain to the end. [7Dc]

Double crochet 2together using the next 2 stitches on the main fabric.

Short row repeat;

Skip the last stitch made and Back Loop Double crochet in each of the 7stitches to the top of row, Chain1 and turn,

Back Loop Double crochet in each of the 7stitches to the bottom of row,

Double crochet 2together using next 2 stitches of the main fabric.

 

Repeat these last instructions around the cuff, collar or hemline. At the end either slip-stitch join to the starting chain from the inside or sew together for the most invisible join.

How could I have made this ribbing tighter? 

Obviously I could have opted for a smaller hook size.

Or, I could have adjusted the number of stitches I worked into on the main fabric. So, instead of Double crochet 2togther, I could have tried 3together.

Or, I could have reduced the number of stitches in the last row of the sleeve before starting to work the ribbing.

 

Flat Ribbing

If we took an iron to our Double crochet ribbing this is what it might look like! That's because it's a combination of Back Loop Double crochet ribbing and Slip-stitch ribbing.

This ribbing is very neat and it does reduce the circumference of the sleeve. It may be slightly more elastic than the Back Loop Ribbing above. However it has a peculiarity in that it leans slightly to the right.

Once again this stitch is made by working in short rows worked at 90o to the main fabric. The number of starting chain determines how long the cuff will be. I worked this example as follows...

 

Setup;

Starting on the Right Side of the fabric, Slip-stitch join to a stitch on an inconspicuous part of the main fabric. Chain9.

Turn 90o, Double crochet in 2nd chain from the hook and in each chain to the end. [8Dc] 

Slip-stitch into each of the next 2 stitches of the main fabric, turn.

Row1. Wrong Side. 

[I'm going to ask you to do a weird thing now to avoid the working yarn trailing and making an unsightly lump on the front of your work. Turn the work so that the working yarn is in front of you, then take the yarn to the back between your hook and the ribbing, over the 2 slip-stitches you just made.]

Skip 2 slip-stitches, Back Loop Slip-stitch into each of the 8 double crochet, Chain1 and turn.

Row2. Right side.

Skip the chain and Back Loop Double crochet into each of the next 8 slip-stitches, 

Slip-stitch into the next 2 stitches of the main fabric, turn.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 around to the start. The neatest join is achieved by needle joining into your starting chain stitches.

The back loop slip-stitches in this pattern need to be made reasonably loosely as you work back into them. If you have not used Slip-stitches in this way before the post I wrote here might be helpful.

Slip-Stitch Ribbing

It's my opinion that Slip-stitch crochet creates the most successful and most stretchy ribbing. It just takes a little practice and patience.

You can see that this type of rib noticeably reduces the circumference of the sleeve while still allowing it to stretch over my hand. It will loosen it's elasticity with wear, but regain it when washed.

 

We are of course working in short rows, made at 90o to the main fabric. The number of starting chain determines how long the cuff will be. I worked this example as follows...  

 

Setup;

Slip-stitch join to a stitch on an inconspicuous part of the main fabric. Chain9.

Turn 90o, Skip the first chain, Slip-stitch through the top loop of each chain  to the end. [8 Slip-st] 

Slip-stitch into each of the next 2 stitches of the main fabric, turn.

 Row1;

[When you to turn the work and the working yarn is in front of you, take the yarn between your hook and the ribbing, over the 2 slip-stitches you just made.]

Skip 2 slip-stitches, Back Loop Slip-stitch into each of the 8 slip-stitches to the top, Chain1 and turn.

 

Row2:

Skip Chain1, Back Loop Slip-stitch into each of the 8 slip-stitches to the bottom,

Slip-stitch into each of the next 2 stitches of the main fabric, turn.

 

Repeat rows 1 and 2 around to the start. The neatest join is achieved by needle joining into your starting chain stitches.

 

Elastic Ribbing

I had read that it was possible to hold a fine elastic thread along with your yarn when crocheting a rib to create something which remained stretchy. I imagined that it would be difficult to work but had never tried, until now! It is possible to get the elastic in various colours so that the elastic won't be too obvious. Ordinarily a slightly darker shade usually works best just as it does when choosing thread for sewing. For this illustration I used a black elastic so that you can see it.

The ribbing is worked in exactly the same way as the Back Loop Slip-stitch rib. I just held the elastic thread and the yarn together as I worked. This is my first attempt and you can see that the ribbing is tighter. It has less stretch but more spring! What I learnt was that I should have gone up a hook size. So I decided to have another go.

When I finished I simply cut the elastic leaving a long tail and wove it in, in the normal way just as I did with the yarn ends.

Next time you see a ribbed cuff, collar or hem in a pattern you get to choose how you would like to make it!

Fastening off...