How do cables change the fit of your knitting?

As a knitwear designer with a science background, I like to play with different elements to see what happens in a piece of fabric. The first time I added a cable to a basic sock pattern, I did not think about how it would affect the fit. Thankfully, adding a cable traveling up the leg of the sock did not change the circumference and fit greatly, but what would happen with a larger garment? How would the fit change if more cables were added or if they were taken away? I knitted some swatches to find out. In every experiment, there are conditions you can control and those you are trying to solve for. In being consistent with the ones I can control, the ones I cannot control can express themselves equally without outside interference.

Variables I can control:

• Yarn
• Needle size

My swatches were worked using the same elements across the board: needles, yarn, cast on, and bind off. They were also worked on the same day to help control any knitter conditions such as mood or stress level.

yarn and needles

Variables I am solving for:

• Yarn amount
• Row gauge
• Stitch gauge

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Both swatches were composed of 36 stitches and 36 rows. I used the Vest for a Cricket Match cable pattern for testing. The pattern has a 12-stitch and 4-row repeat that fits into the design area.

Based on knitting knowledge, I hypothesized that my yarn amount used would be the same, the row gauge would not change, and the stitch gauge would be the most impacted variable. What happened with the swatches?

stockinette swatch

Yarn amount

My swatches were the same number of stitches and rows; therefore, they should use the same amount of yarn. Upon weighing both samples, I found that the cable swatch used 25 grams vs. 22 grams in the stockinette swatch. That is a difference of 10%, possibly not that much for a small project. However, it is the same amount I include in yarn requirements of the given yarn when creating a design to account for variance between knitters. For a larger project, that 10% could be a concern, especially with hand-dyed yarns.

Row gauge

This was another area that I did not expect to see change, and I was correct. Each swatch is worked in knit and purl stitches without any drop or slipped stitches that could affect the height of the rows. Both swatches measured 5 inches in height. Adding or removing cables within a pattern will not affect the overall length of your project.

Stitch gauge

Because of the nature of cables to pull in across a row, I knew this was where the variance between cables and stockinette would be the most prominent. Even though both patterns use only knit and purl stitches, rearranging the order of the stitches to create the cables pulls the fabric into the center. This shrinks the fabric considerably. My stockinette swatch is a generous 7¼” across the 36 stitches. The cable swatch measures only 5 3/8”, about a 2” difference. This may not seem like much until you consider a pattern that has negative ease built in. The addition of cables will increase the negative ease, making the garment smaller. A cardigan meant to button down the center might not be large enough with the addition of a cable. That shrinkage can be used to your advantage in a garment with just a bit too much positive ease for your liking; adding a cable could bring in the gauge to the proper fit.

cabled swatch

From this experiment, I now understand how adding or removing cables will affect the stitch measurement of my next project. I suspected that cables would affect the size of the fabric created but was surprised by how much it draws the fabric in. While adding a cable had negligible effect on a pair of socks, the addition or removal of cables in a larger project could have a dramatic effect on the fit. So in the end as usual, if you want a knit to fit, a gauge swatch is your best friend.

Katrina King is the assistant editor of PieceWork, an avid crafter, and continuing student of life.