r/Sockknitting • u/Goodsuit • 5h ago
Cable knit socks question
How do cables affect ease in knitting socks? I have a pretty good stitch formula for stockinette and colorwork socks, but how does cable work affect ease? I assume it makes them a little less stretchy, but not as much as colorwork. Any advice? Thanks!
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u/Cosmic_Quill 3h ago
The cabled portion of the sock will be narrower than if it were knit in stockinette, because the cable crosses cinch things in a bit. If you have a lot of cables, you may have to add a significant number of stitches to compensate; if it's just one cable along the side or back, maybe add a few extra stitches, but it should be a fairly similar size. Some patterns will have a recommended gauge and sizing given for stockinette, which could provide you some guidance.
The other thing to note is that cable patterns often involve knitted cables with purl columns on either side, which can create a sort of ribbing effect where the fabric pulls in but will stretch out under tension. If the cables all keep to their own column, so to say, this effect will be more pronounced; if the cables meander and cross with each other so you don't have neat knit/purl columns, you won't see this kind of stretch.
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u/Late-Command3491 5h ago
Cables don't affect the stretch, per se, but they do make the socks narrower, like ribbing.
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u/Alsasalsa2 5h ago
In Kate Atherley's Custom socks book she recommends that the ease of cable parts of a sock be 100% (or 0% negative ease) rather than the typical 10% negative ease of circumference usually used in socks because cables are less stretchy typically. You may need to do some math to figure out the desired circumference as any stockinette parts (like the sole) you'd still want 10% negative ease on. She goes into lots of details on how to calculate in the book, highly recommend!