ladder stitch

Cables are generally worked between laddered stitches.

You can pick up the laddered stitches you go but in some cable patterns this amy not be necessary, the loops will begin to draw in and will not show.

This is another good reason for working samples before starting the actual garment, you will be able to tell whether you need to pick up the laddered stitches or not and that can make a big difference to the overall tension.

Notice that the cables, although also six stitches wide are narrower than the six plain stitches and that the laddered stitch on each side of the cable, while making the cable easier to knit, disappears not only from view but from the width.

This ladder may be either caught in at the beginning by transferring the ladder stitch to the adjacent needle OR the stitch can be run down as you work and picked up and reversed after the cable is finished to form a purl stitch on the right side.