The current iteration of the cable pattern – and a small triceratops
I keep making the proposed cable panel for a knitted tote bag more complicated. I’ve added two more strands to the braid, taking it up to eight, and (therefore) added several more cable crossings. I’ve also taken the width of the strands down from three stitches to two in order to keep it to a reasonable finished width.
The above swatch is in my intended yarn (Berroco Ultra Alpaca) so I can see how the cables react when I try felting it. If they don’t look well-defined after felting, I’m going to switch to a smaller needle for a tighter knit and design an unfelted bag with a lining.
For comparison, here’s some of the earlier iterations of the cable panel. More is more.
Pattern tests one (left) and two (right).
Fun with test swatches. One cable pattern, two colors, three needle sizes.