How to get more slack in cables

I got this pro-tip during a sock competition years ago (can’t remember if it was Sock Madness or Tour de Sock) and figured now was a good time to share it with you, since I’m about to release a Very Cabled sock pattern!

I use this technique for cables that involves 4 or more stitches.

The technique is: add a yarnover in the middle of the cable stitches on the round/row BEFORE you work the cable. Then, when it’s time to work the cable, drop the YO and let the slack be distributed across the cable stitches, making them easier to work.

This is an approximate science, so putting the YO close to the center for cables with an uneven number of stitches works fine. For really massive cables (I once knit a cowl with a 6/6 cross) I might add two yarnovers!

One thing to note - adding slack like this makes the cable stitches easier to knit into, but doesn’t make the finished fabric that much looser. So still plan to size up however you normally do to ensure the FO fits.

I made a video demonstrating this method, which you can check out here:

My 2020 Made Nine and a Canva tutorial

“Shouldn’t that be make nine?” you might ask.

And the answer is…no! As much as I am an active and aggressive planner, I don’t seem to get much value out of deciding a bunch of things early in the course of a long year. Instead, I usually end up feeling stressed if I haven’t completed specific projects from the list, even if I’ve been doing plenty of other great projects!

This year, I’ve decided to create a Made Nine grid to enjoy the projects I already made last year. One thing that surprised me when selecting them is that I feel like I made fewer items than I normally do! The biggest reason was likely being less active on Ravelry - in March I stopped playing the House Cup, which had been a huge driver in projects for me previously, and in June Ravelry released their new design, which greatly reduced my interest in being on Ravelry in general. I was able to regroup on Discord with some friends and that’s been one of the best things about this year, especially when in-person interaction was so sparse.

Are most of these projects of my own design? Hell yes! Knitting design samples takes away time from knitting other things, and besides, I’m proud of what I created this year :)

Top row: Alba socks, Black Flame Candle socks, The Wheel of the Year shawl, all by yours truly~⁠

Middle row: Find Your Fade by Andrea Mowry, Ewe Rock by @sosuknits and Lacy not Lazy Madness Socks by imawale⁠

Bottom row: Star Chart cowl, Chocobo Racer socks, Counting the Days cowl, also by me :3⁠

Want to make your own grid (to reflect or to plan)? Let me introduce you to Canva. It’s free, and I’ve been able to get what I needed out of it without having to upgrade to pro.

After making an account, hit the “create a design” and pick one of the presets or enter custom dimensions. I usually go with an Instagram post because it already had the pixel settings I need.

To make a photo grid, click “Elements” in the left side bar, then scroll down to “Grid” in the sub-menu. There are a ton of grid layouts, so go with your favorite!

To get your photos into the grid, click on “Uploads” in the left side bar. Upload the photos you want to include, then drag them to where you’d like them in the grid. They’ll snap into place, automatically centered. If you want to change how they’re cropped in the grid, double-click the photo to open a photo-specific editor. Drag the photo do the crop you want, then hit enter to exit the editor.

Play around with adding text and other elements like borders or badges if you want. When you’re ready, hit the download button to save your work. Enjoy!