CHALLENGED BY CABLE CHARTS

Q Some of the cable patterns I want to knit only have charts and not written instructions. I’m used to reading words, so how do I work from a chart?

Cheryl, Yorkshire

It may seem daunting, but once you’ve got the hang of them, charts will prove their worth as aids for simplifying your knitting. The chart’s key will show you which symbol represents each stitch. In the example below C4B is shown by the symbol / /. In the chart, each square represents a stitch, so, reading from right to left for RS rows and left to right for WS rows, count the number of stitches before you get to a symbol that tells you when to work a cable. In the pattern below, those chunkier cables are worked either side of a larger, thinner cable on a purl background.

Charts give a good visual representation of the twisting cables

This elegant cabled cardigan appeared in The Knitter issue 100, designed by Martin Storey