Introduction

Cables are a style, technique and stitches known probably to every knitter. Even if we have never done a "cable" project on our own, we know exactly what such a project could potentially look like.  It would seem that this technique has a long history, has accompanied knitting for hundreds of years, and yet the history of cables is relatively short. This style originated at the beginning of the 20th century and it may be amazing that in such a short time it has developed so much. Today we can admire designs made with typical cable stitches, or patterns of the Celtic type, on the basis of the technique of making cables, whole systems for the design of clothing were created - such as patterns of the Aran type.... And it would seem that in this enormity of various proposals there is no longer room to create something new. Indeed, if we stick strictly to the "terminology of cables" then it could be considered that everything has already been invented. Therefore, if we want to try to develop cables in any way and enrich these huge libraries of designs already existing and published – we need to analyze this terminology.

What is a "cable"? Associating a cable for knitting with a real cable, we can conclude that this is a pattern in which several "ribbons" are intertwined in a certain way. It is up to the designer whether this interlacing will be simple or more complicated (as in Celtic designs). Nevertheless, in all cases, the technique of making a pattern is the same. That is, based on changes in the places of the sets of stitches – depending on the width of the "cable": X x Y stitches, right or left. Component stitches can only be knits or knits and purls eyelets if there is no "interlacing" at a given point in the pattern. We can therefore consider that regardless of the shape of the pattern – the technique itself does not change. And here we come to try a more precise answer to the question of what is a "cable". Whether as a cable we will consider the appearance of the pattern or rather the technique of its execution.  If we focus only on the appearance of the pattern – not much is possible to create new designs, and even if we do not add anything particularly new to the class of "cables" except for some other interlaced layout, perhaps even very attractive, but still looking very similar to existing ones.

The situation is completely different, if we focus on the method, on the technique and try to use the elements of this technique to create really new patterns, which seemingly do not resemble "cables". Therefore, in order to develop "cables", we have to ask ourselves whether this can be done by focusing only on appearance and whether we should not, however, assume that "cables" are not the final shape or appearance of the pattern, transferred to the knitted fabric, but precisely the technique of its execution. And it doesn't matter if we stick to interlacing so far, but whether we can create something new and original with the same technique. In this blog, "cable" does not mean the appearance of the pattern, but a specific technical element.