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January 30, 2007
Janice and Marge
*** This is a VERY picture heavy post. Hopefully it's worth it! ***
Yesterday my partner in crime had to work (and when I say work I mean spend all day in a yarn shop knitting. And occasionally selling some yarn.) I was telling her about my blog post, the one where I swore up and down in Latin, and the cell phone connection was sketchy at best. She kept asking me "Who are Janice and Marge?" And I'm all, "I don't know. Who are Janice and Marge?" It was like that old(ish) cell phone commercial where the wife asks the husband to take a shower and comes home to find the kids covered in flour. You know which one I mean? I'm trying to freaking curse in Latin, telling her about Janus and Mars and she's asking about two ladies of a certain age who play Mah Jong twice a week. If you must know, Ann insists on being Janice, which I guess leaves me Marge. (Sometimes we talk about taking our show on the road - you know - like having our own podcast, because honestly we're so fucking funny together. But usually we come to our senses and realize that while in our own minds we're the next Lucy and Ethel, really we're more like Wilma and Betty. Just not that funny to anyone else.)
I'm in that whole Never Say Never Again mode because I'm about to rock your world with a tutorial that amazes even me - and I've done it (PERFECTLY) twice already. I'll be trying one more time before I move onto the REAL DEAL. This shit's like ALCHEMY. Okay - first the props: Thanks to my Janice - always telling me what an ass I am. Stephanie - for letting me know I had options; Margene, who first told me to CUT IT, JUST CUT IT! Then to Jenn, who reminded me that she fixed a cable in the issue of Yarnival I edited. Jenn led me to Vicki in Michigan who actually did CUT IT, JUST CUT IT! Then Margene told me to email Terry, who she thought had also CUT IT, JUST CUT IT! Terry told me to look in the Harmony Guides Knitting Techniques, Volume 1, p. 67 - which I happened to have on my shelf and which told me EXACTLY what to do - even using my cable as the example. Terry also pointed me here - another person who CUT IT, JUST CUT IT! And, of course, to all of you, who definitely have my back. THANK YOU!
Okay. Take a deep breath and prepare to be amazed. Not just from the results, but at how fucking EASY this is. (Click on any and all pictures for a bigger view.)
STEP ONE:
Prepare your instruments. I told G what I did when he got home last night and he told me I was like a surgeon. And it's true - so sterilize your tapestry needle before performing any cutting.
From left to right we've got: two lifelines (any extra yarn you've got lying around - preferably a bit smaller so you can get it in and out easy); double pointed needles (yesterday I went to the craft store to pick up some dpns because I have like 2 sets in all of my needles. I bought 9s, 8s and 5s - I'm using 9s for my project, but thought maybe I should use something smaller. I ended up going with the 5s and it was fine); tapestry needle; project yarn for grafting; SCISSORS. Yes, we're going to CUT IT, JUST CUT IT!
STEP TWO:
Okay. The first step is to isolate the stitches that need to be fixed. But first, let's show a picture of what the swatch looked like before the fix:
Nothing up my sleeves. ;-) We're going to be working on the middle cable today. This cable is a 6 stitch cable - I've pulled the first three stitches to the FRONT (for a left leaning twist) when I should've pulled them to the BACK (for a right leaning twist.) The thing about cables is that the stitches are almost suspended in the air where they twist. You could conceivably slip your finger through the hole that appears once the twist has been made. For instance:
I've slipped the dpn through the hole so that I can isolate the middle row on top of the cable. It's the only row that isn't really attached to any other knitting. There are three stitches there. I'm going to cut the MIDDLE stitch.
STEP THREE:
Now that I know which stitch I need to cut, I want to anchor the rows above and below the middle row - these are going to be the stitches I graft together, so I want to make sure they're safe. I do this by threading a life line through both rows.
I used a yarn that was smoother and thinner than the yarn I'm using for my project - it's also a contrasting color. Things you might want to consider when choosing your scrap yarn. I also like to use a lot of yarn in these instances - this minimizes the chance that the lifeline will slip out. Great! Now comes the FUN PART!
STEP FOUR:
CUT IT! JUST CUT IT! Yes, my friends, we're going to cut the stitch. Which, I've got to admit, wasn't that hard and was strangely exciting. Like you're doing something really really really wrong but it feels kind of good at the same time. TABOO. Alright. Calm down Janice. Before we cut the yarn, we want to double and triple and quadruple check that we've got the right stitch to cut. WE'RE ONLY CUTTING ONE STITCH! It's the MIDDLE one. Okay? THE MIDDLE ONE.
Good! We've identified the middle one. Identified it again. And again. And then lit a candle to Athena. Now we can cut.
SNIP!
STEP FIVE:
Breathe. Breathe. It's only yarn. We can reknit it. We can make it better than it was before. Knit it stronger. Now you'll need your DPNs. You can pull the cut stitch a little bit, but I prefer to put the newly live stitches on the dpns before I really separate the cut yarn.
Once the stitches are on the dpns, you can take your tapestry needle and unravel the cut yarn. It's all going to open up so nicely. And what you're going to see below the stitches you just unraveled are the stitches that were twisted BEHIND the cable stitches on the top. They look all nice and neat and completely untouched. Just the way we want them to be.
STEP SIX:
Here's where we re-twist the cable. What we're going to do is SLIP the DPN with the stitches on it BEHIND the untouched stitches.
This part is a little bit fiddly because you need to get the DPN completely behind the stitches that will now be on TOP of the cable twist. When you've gotten one DPN all the way through - so that you now have all three stitches UNDER the new cable twist and at the BACK of the swatch (project) - maneuver the second DPN the same way. Now you've got the six live stitches in the BACK.
STEP SEVEN:
Now we need to somehow attach those live stitches together. I'm going to say the word that people seem to hate: KITCHENER. I actually LOVE to kitchener stitch. Think it's so freaking cool (again with the knitting alchemy) and have it completely memorized. So I kitchenered the live stitches together using a fairly long strand of project yarn.
(Thanks G for the picture!) All I did here was kitchener the six stitches together leaving a pretty long string hanging down. Basically we're putting back the row of stitches we cut out. Here's what the back looks like after kitchenering.
Not bad huh. If you need to learn how to kitchener, there are about a million internet sites to teach you. Here's one I like. Okay, moving on.
STEP EIGHT:
Now you've got four strands hanging out in the back of your work:
All that's left to do is weave in those ends. Chances are your cable butts up against at least a couple of purl stitches on the front - which leaves you knit stitches on the back which are SO easy to weave into. For the shorter strands - the ones from the cut stitch - I like to weave the tapestry needle through the stitches first, then thread in the short yarn and pull it through. I really didn't have any problems weaving everything in. See?
And here's how it looks when you flip it over.
And here's how the swatch looks:
And here's how I look knowing I can fix my sweater and have it look absolutely perfect without having to rip back pretty much the whole thing:
Still scary but much, much happier! Can you believe how easy this is and how fucking fantastic it looks? I've done it exactly twice now and both times it's been so easy and comes out PERFECT. I will be trying it on the one last cable on the swatch - because it's in the same position as the cable on my sweater, but I'm pretty confident it won't be that big of a deal to cut the stitch on my sweater. I HIGHLY recommend making a swatch and practicing first before you attempt this on an actual project. I hope this tutorial helps you. When I called Janice last night to tell her that I had FUCKING DONE IT AND IT'S PERFECT, she said now aren't you glad you made that mistake? Don't you feel all empowered? And yes, I felt incredibly powerful. Which is kind of odd because all I did was snip a little stitch on something that I could easily have knit over again. But I guess it's that I took control and FIXED it. I BOSSED MY KNITTING AROUND. Here's to the power of knitting. And to an amazing community of knitters. Thank you!
PS - There's an excellent chance that someone who comments on this post will hit a BIG number for me. That person will win a prize. It might be this post, it might not be, but it's coming. Have fun!
PPS - THE NUMBER'S BEEN HIT! Loribird left the 18000th comment on the blog! I've been waiting for this for a while now - and it's totally appropriate that it came today because 18=LIFE and I just breathed new life into my knitting. Thanks for reading everyone! I really appreciate it!
Posted by Cara at January 30, 2007 10:35 AM
Topics: Tutelage
Comments
Most excellent tutorial! All I need now is better reading glasses. Or a pair of those magnifying glasses things that surgeons use for delicate work. Oh and steadier hands. ;-)
Posted by: kitkatknit at January 30, 2007 10:53 AM
That's amazing and I'm thrilled that you will not have to rip back on your sweater! Thanks for sharing your new knowledge with us...
Posted by: Mandy at January 30, 2007 10:54 AM
Holy crap, that's effin' cool!
Posted by: caro at January 30, 2007 10:58 AM
Congratulations!!
Posted by: Wendy at January 30, 2007 10:58 AM
Wow, oh wow, oh wow!! you are the BOSS!!!
That is great and thanks for the great tutorial!
yippeee you are going to fix your sweater, can't wait for that post...you go girl!
Posted by: Susanne at January 30, 2007 11:00 AM
Congratulations! You give me hope for my own cabled projects when I discover a cable going the wrong way around!
And because of you, I just purchased 3 skeins of STR that I am going to make into socks for ME ME ME! They arrived yesterday. My STR cherry is going to popped very, very soon. I'm giddy! :)
Posted by: Mel at January 30, 2007 11:01 AM
Congratulations!! I'm so glad and relieved for you!
Posted by: Rosemary at January 30, 2007 11:02 AM
This is fantastic, thank you!
Posted by: Annika at January 30, 2007 11:02 AM
You are amazing! I love learning new techniques for fixing errors in knitting, because I really hate to rip out. Your photos really help and are excellent as usual. Congrats!
Posted by: Diane at January 30, 2007 11:03 AM
I think I love you.
Posted by: Sharon at January 30, 2007 11:03 AM
great tutorial! I am so happy that you won't have to rip back the sweater! and now I have somewhere else to come the next time I mis-cross a cable many miles before I notice!
[take that mis-cross-cable-demons! ;) ]
Posted by: jess at January 30, 2007 11:05 AM
That's freakin awesome. It's like magic and I really like magic! :-)
Posted by: Allison at January 30, 2007 11:06 AM
OMG.... You just tossed me back in the ring.
I read your post yesterday and said SEE! SEE! knitting sweaters is DANGEROUS! You can't do it. Forget about it and go back to your little sock projects and stay safe you amateur...... even if you do have THIS waiting for you....
http://www.deardiary.net/show/diaries/65561/1168387200
But then you went and BOSSED YOUR KNITTING AROUND and I have to once again face the possibility of knitting a sweater of my own one day.
So now I have to step closer to the abyss.
And I was feeling so much more comfortable back in the safety of Sockville.
Sigh.
Thanks a lot.
;-)
Posted by: Deborah at January 30, 2007 11:07 AM
I'm so glad that you fixed it and I was able to help you fix it!
Next time (and let's face it, there's going to be a next time), instead of dropping the stitches and picking them all back up, I'll suck it up and cut! Um, maybe...
Posted by: Jenn at January 30, 2007 11:07 AM
Rock on! :-) This is easily the coolest knit-fix I have ever seen.
Posted by: Beth S. at January 30, 2007 11:08 AM
Good work on figuring this out! I would have just ripped it out, because I'm a scaredy cat.
Posted by: amanda at January 30, 2007 11:09 AM
Hi "Marge" - fortunately, mis-crossing cables isn't a mistake I've made yet, although I'm sure my time will come. Thankfully, I now have your lovley pictoral tutorial in my arsenal of fix-its. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Beth at January 30, 2007 11:09 AM
You're my hero. You, and everyone who encouraged you to try this. thanks for all the pics -- I'm definitely a visual learner, so this is mighty helpful.
Posted by: regina at January 30, 2007 11:09 AM
I love kitchener stitching too. I don't get what the big deal is. It was one of those things that when I came across it in a pattern I almost dissolved into panic and then when I did it I was like "this is awesome?! What's to be scared of?"
Posted by: Amy O'Dell at January 30, 2007 11:10 AM
Wow. I may need some coffee after that :) That's really impressive - I've never been brave enough to cut and repair - very amazing! Great step-by-step pictures too.
Posted by: Kate at January 30, 2007 11:10 AM
Congratulations!!! And thank you so so much for sharing your tutorial - it ROCKS!!! Way to be the boss!
Posted by: Brandy at January 30, 2007 11:10 AM
That is so friggen cool. And you didn't even need vodka. Good luck on the actual sweater!
Posted by: Jenna at January 30, 2007 11:10 AM
Very scary but I'm totally impressed. That is freakin amazing. I totally like the swatch idea and will have to file this away in my things to remember.
Posted by: Wanda in AR at January 30, 2007 11:10 AM
Very Damn Freakin' Cool. And fabulous tutorial. Thanks!
Posted by: Rachell H at January 30, 2007 11:10 AM
Glad for the CPH.. but mostly- glad for you! You needed somt=ething to go RIGHT!
Great post and pic- bookmarking for future reference- ;)
Posted by: Tracey at January 30, 2007 11:11 AM
That is freaking amazing! I've never seen anyone do that before--thank you!
Posted by: Vickery at January 30, 2007 11:14 AM
Wow. That was a great tutorial!
Posted by: Lynn at January 30, 2007 11:14 AM
I remember being amazed by Vicki's tutorial, and now, amnesia is such fun, I am amazed again! I will definitely have a need for this at some point (anxiously pulls out cabled scarf and checks it -- nope, not yet, but it's coming).
Posted by: Lucia at January 30, 2007 11:15 AM
That was very cool. I hope I never need to use this tutorial, but if I do, I'll be really glad it's here.
Posted by: Karen at January 30, 2007 11:15 AM
Score! I'm knitting a CPH myself, and I've used your experience as a cautionary tale. :)
Posted by: Katinka at January 30, 2007 11:16 AM
On the one hand, I hope that I never have to use your lovely tutorial. But...if I ever do, I really appreciate the clear pictures and instructions. Thanks Cara!
Posted by: Stacey at January 30, 2007 11:16 AM
Bravo, Bravo (but I think I liked the roman cursing post better :-)
Posted by: Amy at January 30, 2007 11:16 AM
you make that knitting your biatch! i'm so happy for you, cara! what a fortune in disguise, you got to learn all new cool techniques and gain some bonus Knitting Points! Hail Athena!
Posted by: margaux at January 30, 2007 11:18 AM
I am SO bookmarking this post!
Because I know that I'll need it, sooner or later.
Thanks for a great tutorial!
Posted by: Laura at January 30, 2007 11:18 AM
I'm so glad you were able to figure out a solution! And thanks for the tutorial.
Posted by: Maria at January 30, 2007 11:19 AM
Congratulations!
Posted by: Greeley at January 30, 2007 11:19 AM
I meant to comment the other day to your Rome cursing (we've been watching it too thanks to blockbuster's online movie thing) but I have to say Brava! to your amazing bossing of knitting. It looks wonderful and I held my breathe through most of it. whip your knitting into shape!
Posted by: Miriam at January 30, 2007 11:20 AM
You (and Bruce) are THE BOSS!
Posted by: Liz K. at January 30, 2007 11:22 AM
Fan-freaking-tastic! I am one of those knitters who knits while doing something else (watching TV, talking to someone, eating, all of the above) so I'm bound to mis-cross a cable one of these days. I am so going to bookmark this great tutorial!
Way to show your knitting who's boss!
Posted by: Sarah at January 30, 2007 11:22 AM
Not only did you conquer your knitting - but you managed to make an awesome tutorial to save the rest of us from the agony of having to frog. As always - great photos to go along with it. Well done!
Posted by: Siew at January 30, 2007 11:22 AM
That is amazing! Definitely one to keep handy when this happens to the rest of us, which it surely will do.
Posted by: Beth at January 30, 2007 11:23 AM
Wow how cool!
Posted by: keri at January 30, 2007 11:24 AM
Sweet fancy Jupiter, that was brilliant! I am in awe of your knitty balls. I was so rooting for you to pull the six stitches down to the mis-crossed cable and reknit up (a la Stephanie) but girl, you were right to cut. So right. Bravo! :)
Posted by: Kristen at January 30, 2007 11:24 AM
That is like knitting VooDoo! Totally cool.
Posted by: Rete at January 30, 2007 11:24 AM
Too effing cool! I bow down to you!
Posted by: tiennie at January 30, 2007 11:24 AM
All hail the magic!
Isn't it funny how the things that make us feel stupidest end up making us feel so smart?
Posted by: Imbrium at January 30, 2007 11:24 AM
That is very freaking cool. That's all I have to say, I'm otherwise speechless.
Posted by: Lorette at January 30, 2007 11:25 AM
Marge, that was fucking brilliant.
Posted by: Lee Ann at January 30, 2007 11:25 AM
You have courage, woman. And thank you for the tutorial!
Posted by: anne at January 30, 2007 11:27 AM
wow, i am impressed. you can't even tell where the mistake was!
Posted by: amy at January 30, 2007 11:28 AM
*fans self*
i swear to janus, i was on pins and needles just reading this! :D you are amazing, that is all.
;D
Posted by: Tammy Deloach at January 30, 2007 11:28 AM
freaking amazing. I got butterflies in my stomach reading it! I'm definitely bookmarking this post for my inevitable future cable screwups.
Posted by: laurel at January 30, 2007 11:32 AM
Holy Surgery, Batman! You're a magician. Excellent tutorial. I'd never feel confident enough to do it, but it was grand watching you.
Posted by: mary at January 30, 2007 11:33 AM
You're so brave... and those cut ends are sooooooo short.
Posted by: Kat at January 30, 2007 11:35 AM
Excellent tutorial. Totally intuitive, too. Well done!
(Thinking of Janice and Marge: I called a friend, Karen, yesterday, and said "Hi, it's Erin," and she abruptly replied, "Yes!" to which I asked, "You knew it was me?" (I was calling from work) and finally I realized she'd misheard me saying I was Erin and thought I was asking for Karen. This is not the first time we've gone through these machinations.)
Posted by: Mintyfresh at January 30, 2007 11:37 AM
I needed a drink just watching you! It was scary but really cool.
Posted by: Lisa at January 30, 2007 11:39 AM
Whew! I am so glad that it worked for you. What a great way to fix them rouge cables.
Thanks for the tutorial. I will have to bookmark this one in my knitting help so that I will have it when it happens to me.
Posted by: Tonia at January 30, 2007 11:40 AM
That is a great tutorial, and I'm thrilled that it's worked for you. I have to confess, my superstitious nature, coupled with the number of times the knitting goddess has laid the smackdown on me, makes me nauseated with fear that you are so elated before you've done the stitch on the actual sweater. Please hurry, the stress is killing me. ;-)
Posted by: Carrie at January 30, 2007 11:41 AM
Amazing! Get going and do the "real" one!
Posted by: Stacey at January 30, 2007 11:42 AM
thanks for the tutorial. i have to admit that i would have frogged the whole thing.
now stop procrastinating and fix the sweater.
Posted by: maryse at January 30, 2007 11:43 AM
Very nice demonstration -- I'll have to remember that for the future. Good luck with getting the exact same results for your sweater!
Posted by: Theresa at January 30, 2007 11:44 AM
You are the mistress of your domain!
Posted by: Michele in Maine at January 30, 2007 11:45 AM
holy crap - that is SOOOOOO cool! I probably would have tried to drop down the cable and reknit. Then it would have looked like crap and I would have ended up ripping the whole thing out and stuffing it in a bag in the back of my closet. Now - if I can only remember this the next time I miscross a cable.....
Posted by: diane at January 30, 2007 11:46 AM
I felt a little guilty laughing at your crisis yesterday (and only because it's happened to me before - trust me). Now that you've gotten it fixed - HORRAY!
Posted by: Cece at January 30, 2007 11:47 AM
That was, in a word, AWESOME!!!
I will definately remember that when my cables go wrong - thanks so much for the tutorial :-)
Posted by: Karen at January 30, 2007 11:48 AM
That is super spiffy, and much easier than dropping down & reknitting!
(I was going to comment anyway; you didn't need the prize to get me to delurk. Hee hee.)
Posted by: Cordelia at January 30, 2007 11:51 AM
That is absolutely amazing and I never would have had the nerve to try it... I may try a swatch just to prove to myself it really works! Thanks for the tutelage!
Posted by: Christene at January 30, 2007 11:51 AM
Yipee! That. IS. AWESOME! you have NO idea how perfectly timed this post is... I'm knitting my 1st pair of cabled socks, and I'm attempting FAR more cables than I'm able. Thus, I've been ripping and ripping ;( Thank you!!!
Posted by: ksfishgirl at January 30, 2007 11:51 AM
great job cara!! it does look absolutely perfect and you learned something new. that's why i love knitting :)
Posted by: gleek at January 30, 2007 11:52 AM
This is a great tutorial and I'm impressed with your bravery! I am about to embark on an ambitious cable sweater from the new Melissa Leapman book, and yourexperience this gives me courage to go forward!
Posted by: Deb at January 30, 2007 11:52 AM
That's awesome! I totally would have ripped it out. Last night I decided I needed another buttonhole, so I CUT IT, JUST CUT IT! And though it felt wrong to do it, I was stronger than I thought! Empowered even.
Posted by: Jen K. at January 30, 2007 11:53 AM
How exactly should one pay homage to a roman goddess? An alter of rare foods? Blood of a goat? Jewelry? You truly are a knitting goddess and I bow down before you.
Thanks so much for sharing the details. Something tells me I'll need it someday.
Posted by: K2Karen at January 30, 2007 11:54 AM
Wow, that is absolutely amazing! I'm gonna have to remember this for when I finally get to my own CPH . . . 'cos I KNOW I'm going to mess up at least one of the cable crosses.
Thank you!
Posted by: chris at January 30, 2007 11:54 AM
Holy cow! That's one of those crazy times when knitting and magic become hard to define from one another!
Thank you so much for the tutorial - it, along with this technique, is like a big gift to knitters everywhere!
Posted by: Thorny at January 30, 2007 11:59 AM
YEAH, BABY!!! Take charge of that knitting!
Cara, I am so happy for you that I am dancing around my kitchen. (Well that, and my kids and I got a snow day today! LOL)
Posted by: Karen in Toledo at January 30, 2007 11:59 AM
Now that is wonderful. The big problem is how to remember to do it, or even find this particular post, when I probably will need it!
Posted by: Peg at January 30, 2007 12:00 PM
You ROCK!! I'm so happy for you and what a great run down of something so amazingly simple. Don't you just love it when you figure out a technique....and thanks for the link on the Kitchener Stitch...I love learning something new.
Posted by: Kris at January 30, 2007 12:01 PM
That is very cool, thanks Cara.
Posted by: yvette at January 30, 2007 12:01 PM
I swear I'm going to bookmark this post, I'm so certain it will come in handy someday... Knowing that, I should probably be more careful whilst cabling... Great job, and I'm so happy you can save the sweater!
Posted by: loribird at January 30, 2007 12:01 PM
Nicely done! Phew- Now doesn't that feel better???
Posted by: Nell at January 30, 2007 12:02 PM
Too cool. Excellent tuorial. Am now regretting the messed up viking cabled sweater back I ripped out. Sort of.
Posted by: gale (she shoots sheep shots) at January 30, 2007 12:02 PM
I'm a relative newcomer to your blog, but I have to comment on this post: it's just wonderful! Brilliant information, and I've just come this close to a really deep sinus cleanse due to trying not to laugh out loud whilst drinking coffee at work.
Posted by: Alison at January 30, 2007 12:03 PM
Woo!!! Hoooooo!!!! You go on with your bad ole' self! I am SOOOOOO impressed! Now maybeI'll have the courage to try to fix the mis-crossed cable on my husband's socks that are like 10 sts to the inch! They're beautiful socks, and he's never noticed, but .... top down socks with a mis-cross at the top of the cable near the ribbing. Forgeddaboudit! Congrats woman, you are a brave soul!
Posted by: JeninChicago at January 30, 2007 12:04 PM
I knew about this trick, but your tutorial makes it look very do-able. Great job, Cara! You're really going to love that sweater.
Posted by: Terby at January 30, 2007 12:09 PM
You are a brave woman. Scratch that. You are a brave human. Period. I had to drink just to read that post. May Minerva be merciful and I will never have to refer back to this tutorial!!
Posted by: Wannietta at January 30, 2007 12:09 PM
Oh. My. God.
I agree with Wannietta - I really wanted a cocktail as I scrolled through the pictures. But THANK YOU for posting such fantastic detail shots of the process. I *almost* want to mess up a cable to try it.
Posted by: Ann at January 30, 2007 12:12 PM
i like the idea of "bossing your knitting around". i'm going to have to try that. and also "putting my knitting in it's place" or "giving my knitting the smackdown". good job!
Posted by: amberpixie at January 30, 2007 12:12 PM
Amazing tutorial. I'll need to bookmark this for when I inevitably make a similar mistake!
Posted by: Sarah at January 30, 2007 12:16 PM
As a fairly new knitter (ok, I learned about a billion years ago when I was a kid, but I lived in Southern California so, why? now I live in the Pacific Northwest so, yeah!) of about a year, I was scared of a LOT of things. Kitchener, you betcha. But, thanks to you and Stephanie (YH) and lots of others who are so generous as to share, I'm afraid of nothing! (ok, I still can't strike up a conversation with someone I don't know, but I can kitchener the hell out of anything.)
Posted by: Janice (really) in Camas at January 30, 2007 12:17 PM
Thanks for the great tutorial. The pictures help a lot. Hopefully I'll never need to use this new knowledge.
Posted by: hillary at January 30, 2007 12:18 PM
Good job. I was waiting with bated breath to find out what you would do. I lurve it when you swear BTW.
Posted by: Oat at January 30, 2007 12:19 PM
I've been cheering for you! It looks like you showed your knitting who the boss is. Awesome results. When I showed my husband your post from the weekend, and asked him to identify the problem, he said "Oh. It's twisted the wrong way." Then I showed him where it was in the sweater. "Oh...(reverent silence)." I will happily show him the fix technique later today.
Happy knitting!
Posted by: Holly at January 30, 2007 12:19 PM
Awesome tutorial! Thanks!
Posted by: Sarah at January 30, 2007 12:19 PM
Congrats - for being the boss of your knitting, and Thank You - for a fabulous tutorial. I must say, my heart was pounding as I read through the post.
Posted by: Laurie at January 30, 2007 12:19 PM
That is so amazing! I LOVE bossing my knitting around, but I have never been so brave/crazy as to cut it yet. I'll have to remember this next time I have a mistake soooooo far down in cables. Sweet.
Posted by: Lucy at January 30, 2007 12:21 PM
It's amazing what things people come up with to fix mistakes! Totally amazing. Glad it's working out so well for you and thanks for the tutorial! I'm sure I'll need it some day.
Posted by: TheBon at January 30, 2007 12:21 PM
dude. you *totally* rocked that. I can't wait to see it on the sweater!!
Posted by: Carrie at January 30, 2007 12:22 PM
Your knitting must respect your authoritay! Congrats on bossing it around so sucessfully :)
Posted by: Sarah at January 30, 2007 12:22 PM
WOOOOOHOOOOO!
That's all that need be said really. Oh yeah, and you are brilliant. Now when I make this mistake (and I will make this mistake) I will Know What To Do.
Posted by: carrie at January 30, 2007 12:26 PM
I have no idea waht that number is but good job! I cannot wait to see it on your fabulous sweater.
Posted by: StacyZ at January 30, 2007 12:30 PM
Just like magic! Except you showed us how to do it;) Cool!
Posted by: Karen at January 30, 2007 12:31 PM
Cudos to you! :D I held my breath after you cut that stitch, it's so scary. I have yet to cut my knitting (and still get a finished project). :D
Posted by: Tammy at January 30, 2007 12:32 PM
*de-lurks* Wow, that's a wonderful tutorial! Congratulations on finding that trick! I'm really happy that you won't have to rip back all of that wonderful sweater. Nice going.
Posted by: Mary at January 30, 2007 12:32 PM
That has got to be the coolest thing I have ever seen. Thanks for posting the step-by-step . Now, I have a cable of my own to fix!
Posted by: Sarah at January 30, 2007 12:37 PM
You can now say to this sweater "You're not the boss of ME!"
You're a brave and competent knitter -
knit on!
Posted by: Pam at January 30, 2007 12:40 PM
I still hope I never need to do this but I'll know where to look if I do. Thanks, Cara.
Posted by: Carole at January 30, 2007 12:41 PM
Coming out of lurkdom to say...that is quite possibly the coolest fix ever. I've knit a lot of cable sweaters - and have made similar mistakes and I've ripped (I so felt your pain yesterday)...I just couldn't bare having that kind of a mistake in a piece of work. This makes it oh so much easier amd dare I say, a bit fun?? You've empowered a lot of knitters with this!! Thanks! :-)
Posted by: Ann at January 30, 2007 12:41 PM
THAT, lady, is some true knitting voodoo. Thanks for the awesome tutorial!
Posted by: wen at January 30, 2007 12:44 PM
Crazy shite! I'm glad you got it!
Posted by: scout at January 30, 2007 12:45 PM
I had NO DOUBT you could do it. You showed us and your knitting who is boss. Never fear your knitting...nothing is a disaster unless the dog eats it all or the house burns down;-)
Posted by: margene at January 30, 2007 12:45 PM
I'm sooo glad I was sitting down when I read that. Awesome tutorial. I'm a visual learner and this may come is handy one day! Thanks, Cara.
Posted by: Richelle at January 30, 2007 12:46 PM
Bravo! (and a most excellent photo tutorial)!
I like your happy face much better than yesterday's poor drawing!
Posted by: Gaile at January 30, 2007 12:46 PM
You are really just too, too good. A cardiologist I used to staff a committee for liked to say, "technology has become so advanced that it often appears to be magic" and that's just how I feel about what you've done - NOT just the doing but the explanation, because really, I've never looked at the technical aspect of how a cable works - it's so simple really!! My TOTAL cabling experience was a pair of Fetching fingerless mitts for a friend for Christmas and I was so amazed at what I'd done - showed it off to my husband - and he was amazed. Your tutorial does such a GRAND job of showing just how that cable works AND therefore how simple it was to fix - ah still got my mouth hangin' open. I'm gonna' start another pair tonight and I'm gonna' be brave and try it without that extra dpn. When is your book gonna' be out 'cause you know sooner or later you're gonna' have to write one AND do your own pics. I mean, it's just gotta happen!!
Posted by: robin at January 30, 2007 12:49 PM
That is freaking amazing! I'm going to have to print this out and put it in a file to keep. I'm in total awe of you right now.
Posted by: Heather in Atlanta at January 30, 2007 12:49 PM
Totally cool... now maybe I will have the guts to try cables!
Posted by: BethC at January 30, 2007 12:50 PM
I can't resist... when I'm told a commenter may be the lucky number, I *must* comment!
Posted by: Andrea at January 30, 2007 12:51 PM
Heres a hand up for you two going on the road :)
And I must add, your tirade in Latin yesterday made me suddenly BURST into laughter. So loudly that I made Richard jump out of his chair across the room!
Great job, and excellent picture tutorial. Heres to hoping I never need to use it!
Posted by: Carla at January 30, 2007 12:54 PM
I'm speechless :)
Posted by: Jen at January 30, 2007 12:55 PM
Nicely done, Cara, and you've put together a really nice tutorial as well. I don't think I'm going to *try* to make a mistake so that I can do this kind of fix, but it's good to know it's hear and that it almost seems easy. You don't want to take on steeks for your next tutorial, do you?
Posted by: Susan at January 30, 2007 12:57 PM
WOW. That is voodoo. I had to bookmark this in case I need it sometime. Which may be very soon as I am working on a cabled sweater which I may have screwed up. Congrats on bossing your knitting around!
Posted by: Suzanne at January 30, 2007 12:59 PM
*
You are so funny and ..
That was Wonderful !
Such a doll you are for sharing this so thoroughly.
Congrats !
*
Posted by: dhyana rose at January 30, 2007 01:00 PM
badass, my friend.
Posted by: knittingphilistine at January 30, 2007 01:04 PM
Janice and Marge? I prefer to think of you as Murdoch and Hannibal.
Posted by: JulieFrick at January 30, 2007 01:04 PM
I have an extremely cable-intensive sweater I made after having hip surgery this summer while I was on pain medication. I have three cables going the wrong way and was just soooo discouraged. You have made my day by showing me this. I'm actually going to pull it out this weekend of the bag its been languishing in and fix it and sew it up! Maybe next week I'll actually wear it! Thanks, Marge! :)
Posted by: Steph B. at January 30, 2007 01:04 PM
Awesome. Truly awesome.
Posted by: Bookish Wendy at January 30, 2007 01:09 PM
Firstly, that's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I haven't ever done anything with cables. I don't like to knit them (everything is too tight...and it looks horrible when I'm done).
However, looking at your tutorial...is there a reason to put the stitches onto the DPNs BEFORE taking the live stitches to the back? Wouldn't it be less fiddly to bring the scrap yarn through, then put the stitches on?
Posted by: Tally at January 30, 2007 01:15 PM
I think you just reached a new level of goddessdom for me! This just confirms why you are the first stop on my blog reading list :)
Posted by: Kristina at January 30, 2007 01:18 PM
Congratulations, both for the fixing and the great tutorial!
And thank you for creating the class and tutelage categories in your archives: now I know I'll be able to find this post whenever I need it. By the way, I don't know if anyone ever told you so, but I have to say I absolutely love the way you organized your archives! It's very clever and practical.
Posted by: Josiane at January 30, 2007 01:21 PM
Thanks so much for the tutorial! I'm happy that you made the mistake-- now you and all of your readers don't have to worry about mis-crossed cables again :)
Posted by: Kristy at January 30, 2007 01:24 PM
What a great tutorial! I have to admit, I had the same thought as Tally--why not pull the stitches on the waste yarn through to the back before putting them on the DPNs? I'm about to start Rogue for myself, and I really hope I don't need to refer to your fantastic tutorial, but it helps tremendously just knowing that it's here! Thanks.
Posted by: Janelle at January 30, 2007 01:25 PM
*de-lurks* Wow, that's a wonderful tutorial! Congratulations on finding that trick! I'm really happy that you won't have to rip back all of that wonderful sweater. Nice going.
Posted by: Mary at January 30, 2007 01:30 PM
Awesome job. Especially inspiring to show us the repetition - not only is it a gutsy move, but going further, to make it one of the tools in your back pocket? Amazing.
Posted by: Kim at January 30, 2007 01:30 PM
You made it look so easy! Thanks for the tutorial and congrats on your perfect cables!
Posted by: Robin at January 30, 2007 01:32 PM
YOU are the Boss of Knitting like your Bruce is the Boss of Rock 'n' Roll.
But now I have a theological question--if Seacaucus is Olympus, what does that make Philadelphia?
Posted by: Cristina at January 30, 2007 01:32 PM
Well this was fantastic! I know I will have to use it someday and it would have been handy info to have in the past - Great Job and a picture perfect tutorial which is now bookmarked in my "knitting tips" folder - Thank you!
Posted by: Pat at January 30, 2007 01:37 PM
We are not worthy! Seriously, great job and what guts you have. You go.
Posted by: Jen at January 30, 2007 01:37 PM
Effin Awesome! I was sick all last week so I missed the excitement. I'm so glad you solved the problem and enjoyed the process. Seems like every thing you do impresses the hell out of me. I'm such a slow knitter and always on the edge of a rut. I'm just happy to sit here in the glow of your wonderfulness! ;-)
Posted by: Melissa at January 30, 2007 01:56 PM
WOW, thats just amazing! What a wonderful thing to know, so now if I am ever in that position, I will not have to panic. Thanks
Posted by: Danby at January 30, 2007 01:57 PM
Yeah! Yet again, you kick ass! Isn't amazing how the smallest thing can be such a huge life lesson? For me it was taking both the boys to Costco by myself. I felt like I could FLY afterward. Can't wait to see your finished sweater.
Posted by: KT at January 30, 2007 01:58 PM
Please please PLEASE put this as a permanent link on your blog so that I can access it when this will happen to ME somewhere down the road.
Posted by: Melissa at January 30, 2007 02:05 PM
I love the Rome-inspired cursing. Eveer since the (long awaited in my house) season 2 premiere, my new favorite insult is "pig bitch."
Also wanted to tell you that you fucking ROCK. You made that cable your bitch. You are my hero.
Posted by: Sarah at January 30, 2007 02:05 PM
you are a goddess!
Posted by: brenda in toronto at January 30, 2007 02:10 PM
WOW. that is so freakin' cool. Yay you!
(ps- I did not know that 18=LIFE. That is really cool - 18 has been my favorite number since I was a young child.)
Posted by: earthchick at January 30, 2007 02:32 PM
That is so cool. I was really unhappy for you, and now I'm so impressed with you. I've been hesitating to try anything cabled except where the cables go all one direction because I know I'll screw it up, I know I will and I hate with a total and absolute passion ripping back. I will definitely remember this.
Posted by: Tracy at January 30, 2007 02:35 PM
Speechless. Knit on!
Posted by: Kimberly at January 30, 2007 03:03 PM
Love the pictures of step six. Did it feel like you were doing sleight of hand? Definately increasing my interest in cable project.
Posted by: Rachel at January 30, 2007 03:21 PM
Knowledge is power.
True when we said it in the '60s, and true still...
I'm glad you dared to try the fix, and got to revel in the empowerment.
Posted by: Vicki in Michigan at January 30, 2007 03:27 PM
See? Toldja!
Posted by: Teresa C at January 30, 2007 03:29 PM
Congrats on overcoming the handknits!
Posted by: the rachface at January 30, 2007 03:32 PM
you rock!!! so impressed and dazzled and bowing down to your Knitterness. yay!!
Posted by: amisha at January 30, 2007 03:39 PM
You are mighty.
Posted by: Juno at January 30, 2007 03:45 PM
Bloody brilliant! You're becoming quite the tutorial goddess.
Posted by: Micki at January 30, 2007 04:04 PM
I thought from the previous posts that you cut out the whole section (which was the swatch) and then grafted that in place! That will teach me to skim bloglines before going to a conference without my morning coffee! Anyway . . . you just amaze me. Totally. And. Completely. I don't think I could have done it . . . I would have slapped a big ole pin there or something and then quietly wept whenever anyone complimented me.
Posted by: Ava at January 30, 2007 04:55 PM
It's all been said, but I'll say it again -- this is one fuckingly awesome tutorial! Why not package it into a PDF file and sell it for a little yarn stash money? I know I'd buy one and add it to my MUST KNOW techniques binder. You know Marge, sometimes seemingly bad things are really good things.
Posted by: nona at January 30, 2007 05:03 PM
Ah, a mini-micro-cable-ectomy. Brilliant. Much better than the full scale shebang I had suggested. And now I know too. Even better. The miracle of technology. Thank you.
Posted by: Chris at January 30, 2007 06:26 PM
AHHHH! Yay Cara! You tell that knitting whose boss, sucka! Really, congrats for that, it was a seriously scary challenge!
Posted by: Julia at January 30, 2007 06:35 PM
YAY! Empowerment through a community of knitters who educate and support each other. I love this story, even though you had to go through hell to get it!
Thanks for the kick-ass tutorial, and congrats to you and Loribird for the 180000th comment! Whew! Now JUST CUT IT for REALS!
Posted by: kodachrome at January 30, 2007 06:36 PM
Ooof. I need a drink after just watching that!
Posted by: Peeve at January 30, 2007 06:56 PM
You show that knitting who's boss in your house! Janice and Marge should be proud.
Posted by: LeighB in ATL at January 30, 2007 07:06 PM
Cara!
you're so awesome! And the photo filled "tutorial" is going to save me one day - I'm sure of it!
Posted by: Stephanie at January 30, 2007 07:21 PM
That's a fix that should be in the Advanced Knit Fix book.
Posted by: Dena at January 30, 2007 07:41 PM
That is freaking awesome! Your getting pretty good at the tute stuff teacher :-)
Posted by: michelle at January 30, 2007 08:09 PM
That's just excellent and really clear. I wondered if you were tempted to operate on the underneath one so as to finish by Kitchenering on top? Thanks for the tutorial.
Posted by: Gillian at January 30, 2007 08:19 PM
KEWL with a capital K. I'm sure I'll need this information sooner or later so let me just give you my thanks now......THANKS.
Posted by: Chante at January 30, 2007 08:27 PM
Brilliant and amazing! Beautiful job on the fix!
Posted by: Lauri at January 30, 2007 08:41 PM
Yes, you most definitely ROCK! You have proved that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself! I'm bookmarking this post right now.
And thanks for sharing all of this with us.
Posted by: Nancy at January 30, 2007 08:57 PM
Items crossed off To Do List today:
1. Learn long-tail purl cast on.
2. Recross that mis-crossed cable I've been
hiding at the bottom of my knitting basket.
3. Smile a lot.
4. Pay tribute to January 1, the Blog Goddess of Twisted Yarn.
5. Say to my yarn and needles, "Watch out. I am in charge."
Posted by: Tiffanie at January 30, 2007 08:58 PM
You're my hero.
Posted by: Kay at January 30, 2007 09:24 PM
Oh lordy I had my breath held for the whole post. Congrats! It looks perfect!
Posted by: Brittany at January 30, 2007 09:59 PM
Holy crap is right. That is soooo cool. I don't even need to know how to do this (today anyway) and I read it on the edge of my seat. Wow.
Posted by: larissa at January 30, 2007 10:06 PM
You and Ann SHOULD do a podcast! I'd subscribe to it! I recently "discovered" podcasts and I love them. As I was listening (this AM) , I thought, "Cara should do one..." - and then you wrote about it - and with Ann, too! Omg! I'm sure that more than just you & her would be laughing.
Wow. You CUT knitting. Umm...I'll take your word that it works and all that...too scary for me! :-)
Posted by: Angelia at January 30, 2007 10:27 PM
Go, you! That's so awesome, I never would have thought of that. I would have dropped the stitches down eleventy-billion rows and knit them back up and prayed that blocking would even out the stitches. This is much better. Wheeee!
Posted by: Margot at January 30, 2007 10:40 PM
OMG that is the most amazing feat of knitting I've seen in a long, long time. Wow!
Posted by: Karen at January 30, 2007 10:50 PM
Cool tutorial, Cara. However, unless I am way confused, the cable in your completed swatch is still twisted in the wrong direction. Did you insert the wrong picture?
Posted by: Kristy at January 31, 2007 12:12 AM
WOW. Way to boss it around. (Did you feel that little pat on the back from EZ?)
Posted by: Beth in WI at January 31, 2007 12:14 AM
All I have to say is WOW.
Posted by: Melissa at January 31, 2007 12:26 AM
Wow, congrats on the fix and thanks for the fabulous tutorial. I know this info will come in handy someday, when I try more complicated knitting ...
Posted by: Carol at January 31, 2007 06:15 AM
I'm too horrified at the 'cut-your-knitting' photos to read the details. I'll come back when I don't feel so queasy. ;)
PS: I second Angelina's podcast nomination.
Posted by: Bad Amy at January 31, 2007 07:09 AM
I can picture you pausing several times during the day to smile to yourself. Discovering a solution and making such a HUGE fix so simply deserves a pat on the back, a high-five, and a little dance around the living room.
Posted by: Jennifer at January 31, 2007 09:29 AM
You made that look very easy and totally non-threatening! Thanks!
Posted by: Kristi aka Fiber Fool at January 31, 2007 01:28 PM
This is so cool! I had no idea this was possible, or so easy. Thanks for the tutorial!
Posted by: LizD at January 31, 2007 01:33 PM
YOU.GO.GIRL!
Posted by: Lori in Michigan at January 31, 2007 05:46 PM
wow... that is impressive!
Posted by: Ellen at January 31, 2007 07:45 PM
Cara,
May I use your photos of the yarn you spun from dudleyspinner roving, a while back. Beautiful spinning!
Deb
Posted by: dudleyspinner at February 1, 2007 03:45 PM
OMGoshangoogness... I'm working on Elsebeth Lavold's Sunilda, and I swatched the cabled section just to see how it worked, and doncha know... So I figured it was a perfect time to try out your tutorial; it's easypeasy, even! It worked out perfectly, and I'm so thrilled, and glad you posted about yours and I'm gushing, aren't I? I'll blog about it myself once I manage a picture or to, but without ado, thank you, Cara!
Posted by: Christene at February 15, 2007 05:18 PM