Knot cables, which you will also find in some places called closed-loop cables, can be made to appear as if from nowhere and then disappear just as invisibly. The secret lies in the use of 1-into-5 increases and 5-into-1 decreases.

The 1-into-5 increase makes a column of knit stitches either side of a central stitch. In the case of the Pleione Cowl and Blanket, the central stitch is a purl stitch. This increase can be made as flat and therefore as invisible as possible by moving the two columns away form the central stitch as close to perpendicular to the direction of knitting as possible. The Pleione hexagons achieve this in two ways. The rounds following the 1-into-5 increase move the knit stitch columns apart by cabling and/or increases either side of the central stitch. This double whammy is, as you can see, very effective.

To close the knot cable, you work a 5-into-1 decrease. As with the increase, the closer to perpendicular the cable arrives at the decrease, the flatter it lies, and therefore the less visible it appears. Once again, cabling towards the centre achieves the desired effect.

You will find knot/closed-loop cables aren't a brand new idea as they feature in designs by Lucy and other designers such as Alice Starmore. The trick here is making them flat and therefore as invisible as possible.

Today marks the release of a bonus video tutorial: correcting mistakes in stocking stitch. This is an essential tool if, like me, you find yourself merrily working away for row after row, only to find a mistake way back in your knitting. You could rip back to the mistake, fix it and then have to start again, or you can use this handy technique. By dropping just one stitch, you can get down to the mistake, correct it and then reform the stitches, one row at a time and nobody will ever know. The major hurdle here is not working the technique itself, but overcoming the fear of deliberately dropping a stitch. 

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