Cable knitting has a long and rich history, allowing knitters to create stunning knits with real depth and movement. And the great thing about cabling is, if you can knit and purl, you can work a cable … cabling simply involves working stitches in a different order from the way they sit on your needles. If you’ve ever knitted standard cables though, you’ll know the fabric has a very definite wrong side. This is, of course, irrelevant for projects where you’ll only see the right side, like garments. But for knitted items where both sides will be on show — a scarf or shawl for instance — reversible cables are super handy!

This video tutorial will show you how to create a stunning reversible cabled fabric that has a subtly different look on each side.

Top Cable Needle Tip: Even if you’re someone who prefers cabling without a cable needle, you might find you want a cable needle or short DPN handy while you work these cables.

And now, on with the tutorial! (If you’re reading this blog post via our email service, you’ll need to click the YouTube link here to view the tutorial: Reversible Cables)

I hope this tutorial has given you the confidence to give reversible cables a try! Reversible cables are immensely satisfying to work and result in such a pleasing, fuss-free finished object. If you’re working on Noma Ndlovu’s lovely Lustrous Shawl or another project featuring reversible cables this month, we’d love to see what you’re up to in this month’s KAL over on The Knitalong Hub!

If you’ve not grabbed your copy of Confident Knitting yet, you’ll find print + eBook and eBook only versions in the online shop. You’ll also find the stunning Fyberspates Vivacious DK used in this pattern (you’ll need 3 skeins) and seasonal yarn kits over in the online shop. Happy cabling!

Other cable tutorials you might find useful: Keeping Track of Cable Rows. Want even more? We’ve got a whole little book devoted to cables? You’ll find Something New to Learn About Cables on sale in the online shop.

All Photos © Jesse Wild.