$5

Finished size: Approximately 27” long x 8.5” wide.
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted (100% merino wool); color: Shocking (pink); 1 skein
(100 gr/216 yards).Gauge: 22 sts x 13.5 rows = 4” in cable patt with larger needles.
Needles: US Size 8 (5.0 mm), US Size 9 (5.5 mm).
Notions: 6 buttons (approximately ¾” in diameter); cable needle; tapestry
needle.

I was intrigued by the idea of cabled Xs and Os (kisses and hugs), especially with Valentine’s Day coming up and with a skein of bright pink Malabrigo languishing in my yarn cupboard. With a little help from Barbara Walker’s Second Treasury I learned how to make the enclosed circular cables. Matching them up with the Xs was a bit tricky; the number of stitches changes a couple of times and it took a few tries before I got the OXOX row to balance nicely on top of the XOXO row. But it works!

Knitting-wise, it’s not a big project—just one skein of Malabrigo worsted—but the cables are not for the faint of heart. They’re done over a total of 24 rows repeated again and again, and once you get the hang of the quirks they’re not hard but you do need to pay attention. If you’ve never done cables before, I wouldn’t, in all honesty, recommend it. However, if looking for a bit of a challenge this might be a good project for you.