Liscannor

Liscannor Cowl

So by now most of you probably know that I’m fairly fond of cables right? I love the 3-d effect and how they just jump out from the work at you! Cables are so visual it makes them really fun to design with, you can stretch, move and modify them even on a chart as you can easily see what they are doing. I had fun with this cowl, I was modifying the cable from the Liscannor hat to create a more balanced cable that would work for the cowl.

Frequently knitters are nervous about cables which is why it’s something that I teach about very often. I like to break them down (and cable charts) so that it’s obvious what’s happening. I love it when knitters go from starting a class terrified of cables to ending it with ‘cables are so much fun!’

If you’re new to cables make sure you check out my cable tutorials here. I show basic left and right-leaning cables AND how to work them without a cable needle. If they’re new to you give them a try!

liscannor cowl

 

Hopefully, I’ve now given you a push to try cables so let’s look at a set of cable projects that are great to learn with. Above is the Liscannor cowl, a cowl that’s knit from side-to-side with cables down the middle. I like my knits seamless so I start this off with a provisional cast-on this means that when you finish the cowl off you can graft the start and end together seamlessly so no one will be able to tell where you started it!

It’s just pure magic :-)

 

liscannor cowl

 

So now let’s talk about the cables themselves.

The middle cable is the most complex one, weaving back and forth across each other. It’s flanked on each side by a single waving cable that weaves back and forth across the work.

The cowl that was knit in the sample is the longer version and uses just under 4 skeins of Nua Worsted (colour Cerebellum). There is a shorter version option in the pattern as well, that just goes around your neck once. If you want to get a kit for the cowl you can find it here.

 

 

So if you want to make a matching hat you can find the Liscannor hat here. You can see that the cable looks a bit different on a hat, with only one of the wave cables on the top. The basic construction of the hat is very similar to the cowl with the difference that you use short rows at the crown to shape it. It has the bonus of giving you a really interesting cable shape!

 

nua worsted cerebellum

 

When knitting cables the yarn you use can make a really big difference. You want enough firmness that your cables can really pop but still soft enough that it feels good next to your skin. I’ve uses Nua Worsted for the set that works really nicely to combine body with softness. To give the cables a bit of extra ‘pop’, I used a smaller needle size which really helps them to stand out.

If you want to try out Nua Worsted you can find it here. And you can get a Liscannor Cowl yarn kit here.

Have fun with your cables!