Keeping a cable pattern while increasing

by Carri Milch
(Buffalo, N.Y)

I need to know how to make the cable pattern on a sleeve consistent while increasing on each end every 4th row? What happens to the pattern as you add on?

I am increasing from the WS. The pattern is P2 K2 P2 K4 P2 K2 P2 ... I don't understand where the increase should be or how that can turn out in pattern.

YOUR ANSWER

It depends on what the pattern would be if the piece was wider. For the purposes of answering your question I am assuming that the pattern on the front and back is a repeating pattern of a two by two cable (4 stitches) with a column of 2 knit stitches between each one.

I usually work better if I have a visual representation of what I am trying to do, so in this position I would get out the graph paper and draw the pattern. Then I mark in the increases (the red line on the diagram) and knit whatever stitches are on the graph. So the first increase stitches would be knit stitches on the right side rows (purl on the wrongside etc).

With the cable stitches I just knit them in plain stocking stitch until I have enough stitches to complete the cable plus one. So in this case I wouldn't cable those stitches until I had increased 5 times, 4 knit stitches plus 1 purl. That is because the cable pulls the outside stitches in a bit and the cable is on the very edge of the knitting, it makes it difficult (or more difficult depending on how you look at it) to sew the garment.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions or need more clarification please leave a comment on this page and I will do what I can to help.