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Post stitches and cables · Intermediate

Cables

Crochet cables are post stitches worked out of order, so that they cross. For a simple cable of four stitches, skip two stitches, work a front post treble crochet (UK double treble) round each of the next two, then go back and work one round each of the two you skipped. The two made second lie across the front of the first two. Cables are set in a plain fabric, such as double crochet (UK treble). The stitch pattern called cable stitch, given after the steps, gets a small twist from one crossing stitch and uses no post stitches at all.

How to work it

  1. Skip two, and go round the third

    A row of double crochet with the four stitches of the cable numbered 1 to 4 from the right. Stitches 1 and 2 are passed over. The hook, with the yarn taken over it twice, is passed from the front round the post of stitch 3.

    Work along the row to the four stitches of the cable. Pass over the first two. Yarn over twice and pass the hook round the post of the third stitch: in at the front, behind the post, and out at the front again.

  2. Two front post trebles

    Yarn over, pull up a loop and finish the treble crochet as usual. That is one front post treble. Work another round the post of the fourth stitch.

  3. Go back for the two you skipped

    The cable crossed: two tall post stitches lean one way, and the two made after them lean the other way and lie across the front of the first two.

    Now work a front post treble round the first stitch you skipped, and another round the second. Reach across the front of the two stitches you have just made to get to them. The four stitches have changed places: the cable is crossed.

  4. The row after

    The row after the cross: four post stitches stand straight up on the four crossed stitches, with plain stitches on each side, and the crossing lies below them.

    Turn and work the next row as the pattern says. In cable patterns worked in rows it is often a wrong-side row, with a back post stitch round each of the four cable stitches, taken in the order they now stand. Back post stitches on wrong-side rows keep the cable raised on the right side.

The stitch pattern, row by row

Multiple
Chain a multiple of 4 plus 3 (11 or more).
Starting chain
The rows here are written for a chain of 19, which is 4 times the multiple of 4, plus 3.
  • The ch 3 at the start of a row counts as a dc. The last stitch of the next row is worked into the top of it.
  • The ch 1 at the start of a row does not count as a stitch.
  • Row 1 is the wrong side.
  • The last double crochet of each group goes back into the skipped stitch, in front of the three just made, and lies across them.
  • No post stitches are used: the cable is made by that one crossing stitch.
  1. Foundation. Ch 19.
  2. Row 1 (WS). Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across (18 sc).
  3. Row 2. Ch 3 (counts as dc), turn; [sk next st, dc in next 3 sts, dc in skipped st] 4 times, dc in last st (18 dc).
  4. Row 3. Ch 1, turn; sc in next 17 sts, sc in top of turning ch (18 sc).

Repeat rows 2 and 3 for the pattern.

Symbol chart of cable stitch: 5 rows on the foundation chain, each row numbered at the side it starts from. Odd rows are drawn dark and even rows green, so that neighbors can be told apart.

What each symbol meansHow to read a chart

Abbreviations in these rows

ch
chain stitch
sc
single crochet (UK double crochet)
dc
double crochet (UK treble)
WS
wrong side
sk
skip
st
stitch

At a glance

Used for
raised ropes and braids on hats, scarves, sweaters and blankets; a panel of texture in a plain fabric
Abbreviations in a post stitch cable
FPtr, front post treble crochet; BPdc, back post double crochet; sk, skip
In UK terms
A US front post treble crochet (FPtr) is a UK raised double treble front (RdtrF). The plain fabric round it, US double crochet, is UK treble.
Stitches in a cable
Four in the cable on this page. Cables of two and of six are crossed the same way.
Multiple
The chain is a multiple of 4 plus 3 (11 or more).
Row repeat
Rows 2 and 3.
Sides
Has a right side: row 2 and every second row after it are worked with it facing.
Edges
The side edges are straight: where a row begins with a chain that counts, that chain is the edge stitch and the last stitch of the next row goes into its top; a row that begins with a chain that does not count begins and ends in a stitch, and that chain is not worked into. Inside the edges the stitches lean one way and then the other.

The steps above cross a cable of post stitches. The written rows on this page are a different and simpler thing, the stitch pattern called cable stitch, so they are not rows for that cable. For rows that use post stitches, see basketweave stitch.

The rows above are the stitch pattern known as cable stitch. It has no post stitches. Three double crochets are worked, and a fourth goes back into the stitch that was skipped before them. That fourth stitch lies across the other three.

In a post stitch cable, the post stitches are usually a size taller than the plain stitches around them: treble crochet in a fabric of double crochet. The plain stitches on each side are what the cable stands out from.

A cable is not crossed on every row. Between two crossing rows, each of its stitches is worked straight up, round the post of the stitch below: front post stitches on right-side rows and back post stitches on wrong-side rows. How many straight rows come between crossings is part of each pattern.

In the cable on this page the stitches worked second lie in front. Those are the two that were skipped, because the hook reaches across the front of the first pair to work them.

Small gaps can open in the fabric behind a crossing. Patterns deal with them in different ways, and some makers sew them closed afterward.

When it goes wrong

After a cross I cannot tell which stitch to work round next.
The four stitches now stand in a new order. On the next row, work round them in the order they stand along the row, not the order they were made in.
My cable does not stand out.
Work the cable in post stitches a size taller than the fabric, such as front post trebles in double crochet, and keep plain stitches on each side of it.

Left-handed

The pictures show the hook held in the right hand. For the left hand, read each picture as its mirror image.

Variations

  • Front post treble crochet. The stitch most cables are made of.
  • Crossed stitches. The same crossing with plain stitches worked into the tops of the row below.
  • Wider cables. Skip three stitches, work a front post treble round each of the next three, then one round each of the three you skipped: a cable of six.

Questions

What stitches are crochet cables made of?
Post stitches, most often front post double crochet and front post treble crochet, with back post stitches on the wrong-side rows.
Can you crochet a cable without post stitches?
Yes. Cable stitch, the stitch pattern on this page, makes its twist by working one double crochet back into a skipped stitch, across the three before it.
Which stitches end up in front?
In the cable on this page, the ones worked second. They are made by reaching across the front of the stitches already there.

Where to go next

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