Adventures in Cable Knitting Needles

I was merrily working on a new cable sweater when I realized that I had made a H-U-G-E error: I didn't follow the chart that was supposed to be used on the back side of the sweater (that was 30 rows "deep" before I connected it to the "front" of the sweater and it finally "connected" (in my brain) that something was funky looking about the back of my sweater)! 😳🤦😱🤦🤦🤦  After pondering on what I should do, I made the hard decision of dropping stitches to fix my dilemma.  So what did this really mean?  Well, it meant this:  The back comprised of 60 total stitches where 15 stitches were for a smaller cable chart (on each "side") and 30 (middle) stitches were for a bigger (more complex) cable chart.  The first 15 stitches weren't so bad to correct; of course, this was mostly due to the fact that I only had to correct about 10 rows or so of missing cables.  It was not to say I didn't have some trial and error in doing this in addition to the trail and error in determining which cable needle to use; but, I managed to get the job done with minimal fuss or heartburn (or swearing and cursing myself).  The "middle" 30 stitches, well ... that was a whole another story! 😳🤦😱😱😱🤦🤦🤦  I had to "drop" that section A-L-L the W-A-Y D-O-W-N to the cast on stitches! 😳🤦😱😱😱🤦🤦🤦  Dropping stitches all the way down to the cast on stitches were harrowing enough but, fixing all that cables using my trusty Susan Bates 2 3/4" J-hook for right leaning cables just seemed unbearable! 😳😱😭

On the bright side of things, that meant that it was an opportunity for me to find the "right" tool(s) to help me fix this little "predicament" that I managed to land myself in! 😍🥳🙌🎉  So, it was off to my favorite shopping site: Etsy, to see what's out there.  I have been eyeing out these cable needles for quite some time and thought this might be the perfect time to buy them:

As I was talking to the maker of these cool cable stitch holder, Leslie Wind, to see exactly how big these were, she was asking me why were I specifically asking about the size of these cable needles.  So, I told her about my dilemma and explained to her what I hoped her tools would do to help solve my issue.  After hearing me out, she offered to give me some of her cable needles to "test out".  I was so surprised and thrilled that she would want me to "test" her products that I immediately said Y-E-S!😍💕🥰🥳🙌🎉  Then, I sent her a picture of my dilemma and she was like: "Yikes!"  And I was like: "I know!  So, rest assured, I will have plenty to "test" on with lots of pictures, feedback (& hopefully resolution for my sweater) to come!"  As we were conversing, she sent me a preview of what she'd be sending to me:

I was a bit concerned that the silver and spiral cable needle was going to be too long so, I had asked her to make it shorter.  However, when my package finally arrived, much to my surprise, I actually received this:

Instead of getting two (2) longer cable needles as shown in Leslie's original picture, she sent me a custom: dead-end cable needle (the spiral) that was 1.75" long, her "W" cable needle that was 1.5" long and 2 1/8" wide and her "Easy On Loops" cable needle that was 2" on the "long side, 1.5" on the short side and was about 1/4" thick!😳😍💕🥰🥳🙌🎉  Of the three (3) cable needles, the dead-end spiral cable needle appeared to be the smallest although I think it was due to the fact that it used a thinner 12/13 gauge wire than the other two (2) cable needles (which seemed like they were made with a thicker 14/15 gauge wire).  In reality, all three (3) cable needles were more or less about the same "size" (in length or width (in the case of the "W" cable needle)).

I was very excited to start fixing my sweater so before I show you my "results", I do need to point out that I have a (very personal) tendency to like small tools (I have small hands and like small tools - for instance, while I started out with 5" interchangeable Chicagoo needles, I only knit with my 4" or 3" interchangeable Chiaogoo needles exclusively now (I avoid my 5" needles at all costs! 😱😣)).

Now, here's my "results":

Using the "W" cable needle:

On the "front" side"

On the "back" side

The Pros: It was easy to use and I could see that if I got my stitches to the "middle" loop, no stitches would ever fall off.  This would be especially useful for a very large number of crossover cables or with much bulkier yarn.

The Cons: While it's actually smaller than my Susan Bates J hook, it felt quite large in my hands and looked quite large on my project as well (I suspect that it was due to the wire gauge).  It was also was a little cumbersome to use due to the width of the needle.  I really ended up only using the first "leg" of the "W" and never really utilized its full potential.  I think if the "middle" "U" was half that diameter, it would've been perfect for me.

My thoughts: I really, really, really wanted to love this cable needle.😔  This was the cable needle I hoping would solve all my cable woes. 🙏  While it didn't end up becoming my favorite cable needle to use while fixing my mess, I'm hoping that with more time spent with it, I will learn how to better utilize it.

Using the Easy On Loops cable needle:

On the "back" side

On the "front" side

The Pros: It was also very easy to use and I could see that if I got it to the "middle" loop, no stitches would ever fall off as well.  I could also see why reviewers really liked this cable needle because both "needles" always pointed down and would not get in the way of your yarn and/or cabling.  Like the "W" cable needle, this cable needle would be especially useful for any number of crossover cables.

The Cons: Like the "W" cable needle, while it's actually smaller than my Susan Bates J hook, it also felt quite large in my hand.  Additionally, it was also a little cumbersome to use (while fixing the mess I made).  I think I did manage to utilize it as it was meant to be used and I can see why many other knitters rave about this needle holder; once you get your stitches to the first loop, nothing will shake it loose or have it fall out.  Like the "W" cable needle, I think if it the diameter of the loop was half the size, it would've been perfect for me.

My thoughts: Like the "W" cable needles, I also wanted to really, really love this cable needle and that it too, would solve all my cabling woes. 😶. While it also didn't end up being my favorite (to fix my mess), it did get the job done and it was infinitely easier to use and less cumbersome than my J hook and the W needle. 🥰🥳🎉🙌

Using the Spiral Dead-End cable needle:

On the "front" side

On the "back" side

The Pros: Like the previous other cable needles, this was also easy to use and was essentially the same thing as my Susan Bates J hook except that you had to pick up stitches the same way you put it on.  Like the other cable needles, I felt that this cable needle would be just as useful for a very large number of crossover cables or with much bulkier yarn as well.  As previously noted, this literally seemed to be the smallest of the cable needles at 1.75" long and was also the thinnest gauge. I loved it!😍💕🥰  I think out of all three (3) cable needles, this is the one that I loved the most and went back to it more often than the others (given the opportunity).

The Cons: I think the only "con" I could think of was that it was a dead-end cable needle.  If it was literally like a tiny version of my Susan Bates J Hook (where it was "open" on the other end), it might've been perfect! 

CAVEAT: I know that I had stated that the spiral dead-end cable needle was my favorite but in all fairness, I did try all the cable needles out on both left & right crossing cables (initially, I tried them all on a right cable crossing row - I literally used a different cable needle for all three (3) right crossing cables that I had to do; then individually on all cables that I had to do for a row which was generally several right and left crossing cables in a given row).  I didn't take as many pictures as I had hoped because the cable needles helped to speed me along so quickly that by the time I realized that I needed to be taking pictures, I was halfway done! 😳🤦

Ultimately, using the combination of the three (3) needles, it made surprisingly quick work of the mess I made.  It went from this::

to this:

in about an hour or so (which means that I cabled the "middle" 30 sts for 30 rows, then ripped out 10 rows the remaining 15 sts and working the cables into that area for 10 rows)! 😳😱💕🥰🥳🙌🎉  If you didn't know what mess I made originally, you could not tell that I literally (nearly) ripped out the entire back of the sweater and reworked it.  These cable needles really were not only a game changer but literally a life (& sweater!) saver!  I don't know if I could've (or would've!) gone on without these handy little cable needles! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰💕💕💕💕💕  

After fixing my "mess", I continued to use all three (3) cable needles (particularly since I didn't have rows and rows of cabling to "fix" anymore) to see how each cable "worked" in a "regular" setting.  Here's how my "adventure" went:

The "W" cable needle:
My thoughts: I continue to find that this particular cable needle was "ok"; it was infinitely better than my J hook (due to the smaller size) but, I still got it caught up in my yarn whenever I was doing right leaning cables and I still felt that I wasn't utilizing it to it's fullest capabilities - where I was only using the first "V" of the W.  Perhaps it's due to the small 2x2 or 2x3 cables I was doing where I only have 2 or 3 stitches that I needed to "carry over".

The Easy On Loops cable needle:
My thoughts: Now I didn't have rows and rows of cables to fix, I liked this cable needle significantly more. While I had previous said that I thought it was too "big", it's actually fine; perhaps my initial issues with it was simply trying to get through rows and rows of cables where I was more concerned about making sure I was correcting the back (and using the right "row" to fix everything up) is where I felt that it got caught up in everything.  Now that I'm on the "current" row, the cable needle works just like how all other reviewers "rave" about it:  It goes on easily, hangs "down" when the cables are on (and due to the narrowness of the needle, it doesn't get caught up with my yarn so making right leaning cables are very easy to deal with) and easy to transfer the cables back onto your working needle when you're ready to move on.  Overall, I'm really enjoying this cable needle now.  I've even found it to be an excellent stitch holder (if you didn't have any removable stitch markers handy) and it stays put no matter where you're picking up and putting your yarn in.

The Spiral Dead-End cable needle:

My thoughts: I still like this cable needle the best despite it being a dead-end cable needle.  Like I said earlier, if it was essentially like my Susan Bates J-hook (where you could knit off of it), it would be p-e-r-f-e-c-t.  While I think some knitters might not like this cable needle as it is quite small, for my small hands, it's perfect! 🥰🥰🥰💕💕💕  It fits just right, is small enough to manipulate either forward or backwards without me having to put my needles down, slips stitches easily back onto the needle and easily holds 5-10 dk weight stitches.  I'm so grateful for this custom made cable needle!🥰🥳🎉🙌

This concludes my cable needle adventures (for now). 😉  I would like to send out a HUGE THANKD YOU to Leslie, for being so kind and gracious to help me fix my cable mess! 🥰💕💕💕