My Favorite Cable Knit Socks + 3 Expert Tips on Choosing the Right Yarn for Knitting Cables

Heads up! This post contains affiliate links which means I get may get a commission if you purchase something based on my recommendations here.

If you’re looking for an easy pattern to make cable knit socks, you should definitely check out Silverplait by Ariel Altaras.  I’ve knitted these socks before in light blue, pink, and copper colors.  This is my fourth pair that I knit up in a gorgeous dark blue Hawthorne tonal yarn from Knit Picks.

Using this yarn for cable knit socks was a bit of an experiment… I knew I would love the stitch definition on the cables because great stitch definition is one of the shining features of Hawthorne. I was a little worried that the tonal color shifts would distract from the cables, but they are so subtle that I think they enhance the design rather than detract from it.

My final concern was that everyone says not to knit cables using dark yarn… and… it turns out that is pretty good advice.  As you can see in the photo above, it’s really hard to see the cables on the dark background.  They are still fun socks, but if you are going to go to all the trouble of knitting cables you want people to be able to see them easily!  (For reference, compare to these gorgeous light pink cable knit socks I made from the same pattern. You’ll see what I mean.)

To sum all this up, I made you a handy list:

3 Tips to Choose the Right Yarn for Cable Knit Socks

1. Opt for a yarn with high stitch definition (like Knit Picks Hawthorne)

2. Avoid hand-painted or tonal yarns with high-contrast color changes (subtle shifts in color are okay!)

3. Stick to a light-colored yarn

And, just for fun, here’s a bonus tip for knitting cables: use a pointy needle!  Here I used my Knitter’s Pride SmartStix which are lovely needles (I like how lightweight they are) but they have kind of a blunt tip and they made working these cables a total pain in the you-know-what.  I would have been much better off knitting these with my Sunstruck DPNS, which have a surprisingly sharp tip for wood needles. (Also, they are about $10 cheaper than the SmartStix – can’t argue with that!)

OK, I’m done bestowing knitting wisdom upon you.  Here are the project details for these socks, as usual!

yarn details

Knit Picks Hawthorne Tonal in Klamath Falls
Fingering Weight
80% Fine Superwash Highland Wool, 20% Polyamide (Nylon)
Machine Wash Cold (in a delicate bag) & Tumble Dry Low
$13.99 per 100 g / 357 yd skein
Purchased in November 2020

project details

pattern: “Silverplait” by Arial Altaras / Stariel Knits (downloadable on Ravelry for about $5)
size knit: Women’s Small (CO 64 stitches)
needles: US size 1.5 (2.5 mm), metal dpns (unfortunately!)
yarn used: 321 yards (90 grams)
finished size: Foot: 9.25”; Top of cuff to bottom of heel flap: 9”
duration: Dec 2021 – June 2022 (Though you could easily bang these out in a few weeks if you were only working on one project at a time!)