Working cables without a cable needle is something that I find very appealing, but dropping stitches from my needles scares me. Twisted stitches (or mini-cables) are 1/1 and 1/1/1 cables that can easily be made without a cable needle, without dropping stitches, and I’d add that they don’t even interrupt my knitting flow. Read this tutorial to learn how to make these easy knitted cables.
I made a video so you can see it in the works! (Turn on the captions!)
I want to bring your attention to the way the stitches are transferred between the needles: that’s the secret to cross the stitches and to have them placed correctly on the left needle before working them. Once this step is completed, you can work them in different ways (with one exception): knit or purl, through the front or back loop. I demonstrate the regular way, that result in not-twisted knit stitches.
The exception is the 1/1 LPT (1/1 left purl twist) that can’t be worked with the easy method that I demonstrate in the video. The stitches have to be transferred to the right needle and then back on the left needle, as for the other mini-cables.
Twisted Stitches Cheat Sheet!
1/1 LT (1/1 left twist or 1/1 left-leaning cable):
K through the back look of the second st on the left needle,
k the first st on the left needle,
drop both sts.
1/1 LPT (1/1 left purl twist):
Slip 2 sts knitwise one by one,
insert left needle from right to left into both stitches just slipped and slip them together back to the left needle,
p1, k1.
1/1 RT (1/1 right twist or 1/1 right-leaning cable):
Slip 2 sts tog knitwise,
insert left needle from left to right into both sts just slipped and slip them together back to the left needle,
k1tbl, k1.
1/1 RPT (1/1 right purl twist):
Slip 2 sts tog knitwise,
insert left needle from left to right into both sts just slipped and slip them together back to the left needle,
k1, p1.
1/1/1 LT (1/1/1 left twist or 1/1/1 left-leaning cable):
Slip 3 sts knitwise one by one,
insert left needle from right to left into 3 stitches just slipped and slip them together back to the left needle,
k3.
1/1/1 LPT (1/1/1 left purl twist):
Slip 3 sts knitwise one by one,
insert left needle from right to left into 3 stitches just slipped and slip them together back to the left needle,
k1, p1, k1.
1/1/1 RT (1/1/1 right twist or 1/1/1 right-leaning cable):
Slip 3 sts tog knitwise,
insert left needle from left to right into 3 sts just slipped and slip them together back to the left needle,
k1tbl, k2.
1/1/1 RPT (1/1/1 right purl twist):
Slip 3 sts tog knitwise,
insert left needle from left to right into 3 sts just slipped and slip them together back to the left needle,
k1tbl, p1, k1.