Shadow-Stitch Cables: Your New Crochet Obsession
Are you ready? Because once you get it, this shadow-stitch technique for making crochet cables is going to be your new crochet obsession. If you have worked crochet cables before, you’re going to love the simplicity of shadow-stitch cables; if you have never worked crochet cables before, this is the perfect place for you to start. Either way, the dramatic result from such a subtle change to the traditional crochet cable technique will have you hooked on this technique in no time. (Get it . . . hooked? Sorry . . . moving on . . .)
You will love how these cables won’t have those little gaps in the back and sides of the post stitches used to make the cables. Once you really get the hang of creating shadow-stitch cables, substitute this technique for any other cable pattern by making the additional shadow stitch before working the post stitch in the original pattern. For the Dashing Cardigan pattern in Interweave Crochet Fall 2018, we made our fabric with a background of single crochet stitches worked through the front loop only (sc flo). Sc flo is a good fabric with which to practice this new technique, because the stitches are easy to count.
This technique is worked in two passes: the shadow-stitch row (RS), and the return row (WS).
Shadow-Stitch Row
You are making one stitch behind every post stitch on the front side of your work. At the end of this shadow-stitch row, you will have the number of stitches called for plus the number of post stitches you made. This creates the increase in the shadow-stitch row.
Return Row
You will work your background fabric stitches (sc flo in this pattern) by inserting your hook only into the background fabric stitches. Since the background fabric for this project is sc flo fabric, you will work in the sc flo stitches only from the shadow-stitch row and will skip the post stitches. This pushes the post stitches to the front of the fabric and makes them pop out beautifully while creating a decrease back to the original number of stitches you need for your fabric panel.
Stitches Used
Straight shadow stitch (straight shadow): Sc flo of next st and FPdc around same st 2 rows below.
Left slant shadow stitch (left shadow): Sc flo of next st and FPdc around previous st 2 rows below.
Right slant shadow stitch (right shadow): Sc flo of next st and FPdc around next st 2 rows below.
Long left shadow stitch (long left shadow): Sc flo of next st and FPtr around post st 2 before and 2 rows below.
Long right shadow stitch (long right shadow): Sc flo of next st and sk next 2 post sts, FPtr around next post st 2 rows below.
2-over-2 Shadow Cable (worked over 4 sts): Sc flo of next st (Image 1) and sk next 2 post sts (Image 2), FPtr around next post st 2 rows below (Image 3), sc flo of next st (Image 4) and FPtr around next post st 2 rows below (Images 5 and 6), sc flo of next st (Image 7) and, working in front of 2 FPtr just made, FPtr around first skipped post st (Image 8 and 9), sc flo of next st (Image 10), and FPtr around 2nd skipped post st (Image 11 and 12).
Try out all these stitches in the Dashing Cardigan from Interweave Crochet Fall 2018!
(Featured Image: The Shadow-Stitch Cable Technique in the Dashing Cardigan from Interweave Crochet Fall 2018 | Photo by Harper Point Photography)
I’m confused because the tutorial looks to be showing you how to do a much thicker different style cable, not the one in the picture. That’s what brought me here. Is there instructions to create the one in the picture?
I have forwarded your comment to our editorial department for assistance.