Learn the Crochet Cable Stitch

Small blue crochet cable stitch swatch, a matching skein of yarn, and a wooden crochet hook on a white surface. Text on the image reads: Banana Moon Studio. Learn the crochet cable stitch.

Crochet cables give such pretty texture to your work, what can you do with them and how are they made? Read on and watch the video and you’ll learn all about it!

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What can I crochet with cables?

The sky is really the limit here. There are practically endless variations of cable stitches and projects. You can crochet sweaters, scarves, hats, pants, shorts, socks, blankets, pillows, and more with cables on them.

There are actually many different cable stitch patterns, but all are characterized by stitches that are raised up off the background and have some sort of movement across the fabric like squiggles, waves, twists, and braids.

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Below are just a few suggestions of crochet projects that use cables. There are many, many more available. You can find lots of good patterns available on Ravelry and Etsy.

This crochet pattern for children is called Seashore Shrug. The cable pattern across the arms and back of this shrug is the one used in the tutorial video below. The pattern includes children’s sizes 2-10.

A girl standing on a bridge at a park wearing a turquoise crochet cable stitch shrug, white t-shirt, and orange pants. Text on the image reads: Banana Moon Studio.

Millie Headband is a wide turban-style ear warmer that uses two thin cables for accents.

A woman in the woods wearing a pink crochet ear warmer headband with crochet cable stitches. Text on the image reads: Banana Moon Studio.

Giant Redwood Cap is a unique beanie made with five square motifs, each worked with cables from the center-out. It uses sport weight yarn.

A woman outside in front of a fence wearing a dark red crochet beanie with cable stitches on it. Text on the image reads: Banana Moon Studio.

But how do you crochet the cable stitch?

Cables involve crochet post stiches. Crochet post stiches are worked around the post of the stitch instead of through its top.

Close up of a blue crochet swatch with cable stitches on it and arrows pointing to the posts of some stitches. Text on the image reads: Banana Moon Studio.

In the photo above, the arrows point to the posts of double crochet stitches. When we crochet around the posts, instead of through the tops, it folds the top of the stitch to the back or front, depending on which type of post stich we work, and that pushes the post of the stitch out and off the surface of the fabric.

To work a front post stitch we place our hook around the post of the stitch starting on the side of the crochet piece that is facing us. This folds the top of the stitch away from us and pops the post of the stitch out towards us.

To work a back post stitch we place the hook around the post of the stitch starting on the side of the crochet piece that is not facing us. This folds the top of the stitch towards us, and the post of the stitch away from us.

To make that more clear, watch the video below.

Also, when working crochet cable stitches, we will have some kind of horizontal movement of stitches. So you’ll often see instructions to skip stitches and then go back and work them later by placing stitch in front of or behind those already made. This may feel difficult at first, but be persistent, and you will get the hang of it.

Again, for help seeing this in action, watch the video below.

Crochet cable stitch tutorial video

To see crochet cable stitches as they are worked, watch the video below where I demonstrate the cable pattern used in my Seashore Shrug, which you can see above.