Knitting Tools: The Cable Needle

Cabling
Cable needles have many shapes. There is one shaped like a hook, or one with a bump in the center. The idea behind the shape is to hold the stitches for you while you cable.
Although a cable needle is well suited for creating cables, you can also use a double pointed needle to hold the slipped stitches to front or back.
How to Cable 4 Front (C4F)
c4f
How to Cable 4 Front (C4F)
The number in a cable instruction indicates how many stitches are involved with the cable. Slip half of this to the cable needle to hold front.
Alternate Step: DPNs (double pointed needles)
k2tog continental
Double Pointed Needles (DPNs)
Double pointed needles (DPNs) are necessary to knit in the round when the round is too small for circular needles.
How to cable without a cable needle
cable no cable needleHow to cable without a cable needle
Cabling without a cable needle is an advanced technique. It can make doing a lot of small cables go faster, but isn't recommended for a large cable.
Advanced Step: How to use DPNs and crossover join
dpns crossover joinHow to use DPNs (double pointed needles) and crossover join
Joining in the round on double pointed needles (DPNs) can seem tricky at first. Be sure that your stitches don't wrap around the needles before joining.

More videos you might like...

c4bHow to Cable 4 Back (C4B)
How to Cable four back (C4B)
Every cable instruction has a number (4) and direction (B for back). Hold the cable needle in the direction specified with half the number (2 for instance) slipped onto it.
 cable cast onHow to Cable Cast On
How to Cable Cast On
Similar to the knitted cast on, the cable cast on is slower than the long tail cast on, but also creates a sturdier edge. The cable cast on in particular creates a fancy cabled looking edge.