While the “cable” stitch in the past has been mostly reserved for knitted projects like socks and sweaters, over the last several years it has begun to crop up in crochet patterns for all sorts of things: phone cases, hats, bags, scarves, blankets, and the usual socks, stockings, and sweaters. It’s a beautiful criss-cross stitch, resulting in a thick, comfy piece of crochet that works well for all manner of visual interest pieces and cold-weather needs.
If you’re just starting out with the crochet version of the cable stitch, you might want to focus on something reasonably simple and practical, such as a pair of socks or stockings – like the Parker Cable Socks from Lakeside Loops on Ravelry. They’re the perfect project for someone beginning to learn more complicated crochet stitches, and the end product is sure to please any recipient.
The socks are crocheted from the bottom up, in the round, and bonus – unlike with knitting, you won’t be using multiple, double-pointed needles! The pattern comes with a photo tutorial and includes eleven sizes so that you can make a pair to fit every family member or friend, from babies to children, teenagers, and adults.
Of course, you’ll need to make sure you have all the necessary materials and tools: DK weight yarn, an “E” size hook, scissors, and a tapestry needle.
There are a lot of options when it comes to patterns for crocheting cable socks like this. The image above happens to be from the Lakeside Loops pattern, which you can find and purchase on Ravelry for $5 at Lakeside Loops‘ personal page — Lakeside Loops also has an Etsy store for those interested in purchasing other patterns or finished items.
But if you’d like to try out some free cable sock patterns — we always like to try to find free options because the honest truth is a lot of us don’t have that much to spend on patterns — before committing to something more challenging, here are the free patterns: you can crochet a pair of Cabled Cottage Socks from Nicole Cormier on Ravelry (you’ll need two skeins of fingering weight yarn, such as the Bernat Sox Multi and a size “C” hook which produces a pair of socks to fit a women’s US Size 9). Here’s one from All Free Knitting (click here). And here’s Nancy Bush’s free cable sock pattern (click here). And here’s another free crochet cable sock pattern from the Yarn Loop (click here). There are also patterns for a host of other cable crochet projects on Pinterest as well as Ravelry.
