Learn to crochet easy cables! If you are familiar with post stitches, you can make the crossed towers stitch, AKA easy crochet cables.
I learned how to crochet these cables at the Ultimate Crochet Stitch Library On-Demand Summit over at Crafts On Air. I LOVED watching so many excellent stitch tutorials all in one place, and was excited to see how manageable crochet cables actually are.
I hope you enjoy this tutorial!
If you’d prefer a video tutorial, you can watch a replay of the crochet cables class I taught for the Atlantic Institute below or at YouTube here.
Materials
- Caron One Pound Weight 4 Medium (100% acrylic, 812 yds/742 m, 16 oz/454g) Soft Pink 1 skein, or any worsted weight yarn from your stash
- Size H/8 5mm crochet hook
Abbreviations (US)
- ch(s): chain(s)
- fptr(s): front post treble crochet(s)
- hdc(s): half double crochet(s)
- rep: repeat
- rs: right side
- st(s): stitch(es)
- ws: wrong side
- yo: yarn over
Crossed Towers Cable Crochet Stitch Tutorial
Ch a multiple of 8+1. For this tutorial ch 17.
Row 1: Hdc in the second ch from hook. To hdc, yo and insert your hook in the first st:
Yo and pull through. You will have 3 loops on your hook.
Yo and pull through all 3. You have just made an hdc!
Hdc in each st across. (16 sts here and throughout.)
Ch 1 and turn.
Row 2: Hdc. So, yo and insert your hook under both loops of the first st:
Yo and pull up a loop. You will have 3 loops on your hook.
Yo and pull through all 3 loops. You have made your first hdc of this row.
Hdc in each st across.
Ch 1 and turn.
Row 3: Hdc in the first 2 sts:
Fptr in the next 4 sts. To fptr, yo twice:
Insert your hook around the post of the next st, bringing the post forward, towards you:
Yo and pull up a loop. You should have 4 loops on your hook.
Yo and pull through the first 2 loops:
Yo and pull through the next 2 loops:
Yo and pull through the last 2 loops.
This is your first fptr!
Make 3 more fptrs.
Hdc in the next st, making sure you skip the tops of the 4 sts you’d worked fptrs into.
Hdc in the next 3 sts.
Fptr in the next 4 sts:
[For a wider project: *hdc in the next 4 sts, fptr in the next 4 sts, rep from * across until there are 2 sts left in the row.]
Hdc in the last 2 sts.
Ch 1 and turn.
Row 4: Hdc across.
Ch 1 and turn.
Row 5 (creating the crossed towers): Hdc in the first 2 sts.
Sk 2 sts, then fptr in the next 2 sts. So yo twice, insert your hook into the 3rd post:
Complete the fptr.
Yo twice, insert your hook into the 4th post:
Complete the fptr.
Now, working backwards, yo twice and insert your hook into the first post:
Complete the fptr.
Yo twice, insert your hook into the second post:
Complete the fptr. You have created your first group of crossed stitches!
Hdc in the next 4 sts, making sure to skip the tops of the 4 sts where you’d placed fptrs.
Sk 2 sts, fptr in the next 2 sts, then fptr in the first skipped st and then the second skipped st:
[For a wider project: *Hdc in the next 4 sts, sk 2 sts, fptr in the next 2 sts, then fptr in the first skipped st and then the second skipped st, rep from * across until there are 2 sts left in the row.]
Hdc in the last 2 sts.
Ch 1 and turn.
Row 6: Hdc across.
Ch 1 and turn.
Row 7 (straightening out the towers): Hdc in the first 2 sts.
Then fptr in the next 4 sts. You may have to “dig” a little to bring forward the first and second posts.
Fptr in around the first post:
Fptr around the second post:
Fptr around the third post:
And fptr around the fourth post:
Hdc in the next 4 sts, remembering to sk the tops of the 4 fptrs you just made.
Fptr in the next 4 sts.
[For a wider project: *Hdc in the next 4 sts, fptr in the next 4 sts, rep from * across until there are 2 sts left in the row.]
Hdc in the last 2 sts.
Ch 1 and turn.
Row 8: Hdc across.
Ch 1 and turn.
Rep rows 5-8, ending on row 8 of the repeat.
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