Staghorn Cable Wrap

Staghorn Cable Wrap by Willow Knits

Project Overview

The Staghorn Cable Wrap is an advanced-level knitted shawl designed by Willow Knits. This downloadable PDF pattern creates a luxurious wrap measuring 172cm (68 inches) in length and 51cm (20 inches) in width after blocking, making it an elegant accessory suitable for layering or draping.

Yarn and Materials

This project requires 3 skeins of Willow Knits Worsted Silk, each weighing 100g and yielding approximately 225 yards (207 meters) per skein. The yarn is 100% pure hand-dyed silk in a worsted weight, providing a luxurious drape and subtle color variations characteristic of hand-dyed fibers. The pattern recommends using 4.5mm (US 7) circular needles or long straight needles, with a maximum of 82 stitches required on the needle at any one time, making this project manageable despite its advanced difficulty level.

Additional supplies needed include a cable needle for executing cable stitches, a crochet hook or tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends, and small stitch holders or safety pins for managing stitches during construction.

Gauge and Tension

While tension is noted as not crucial for this particular design, the pattern specifies that Willow Knits Worsted Silk works to 19 stitches and 25 rows per 10cm x 10cm when worked over stockinette stitch on 4mm needles. The pattern intentionally uses 4.5mm needles—one size larger—to ensure that the cable stitches remain flexible and not overly stiff, allowing for better drape in the finished wrap.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

The Staghorn Cable Wrap employs advanced knitting techniques centered around cable stitches, which are the signature design element of this wrap. Cable work requires the use of a cable needle to create twisted, rope-like textures by crossing groups of stitches over one another.

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting abbreviations and techniques including:

• Knit (k) and purl (p) stitches as the foundation of stockinette stitch and textured sections
• Cable four front (C4F) and related cable variations, which involve placing stitches on a cable needle and crossing them over subsequent stitches to create the characteristic staghorn cable pattern
• Slip stitches (sl) worked knitwise (kw) or purlwise (pw) for edge definition and stitch manipulation
• Yarn forward (yf) for creating eyelet details or lace elements within the cable structure
• Decreases including knit two together (k2tog) and pass slipped stitch over (psso) for shaping
• Right side (rs) and wrong side (ws) awareness for proper cable placement and pattern reading

The combination of these techniques creates a complex, visually striking pattern suitable for advanced knitters who are comfortable reading cable charts and managing multiple stitch manipulations simultaneously.

Difficulty Level

Rated as an advanced project, the Staghorn Cable Wrap is designed for experienced knitters with solid foundational skills in cable work, stitch manipulation, and pattern reading. The complexity arises from the cable-heavy construction and the need to maintain consistent tension while working with delicate silk yarn.