<p>There are 2 possibilities that come to my mind.</p>
<p><strong>Don't cross</strong>:</p>
<p>For a cable you purl the background and knit the cables while shifting the cable stitches to the left or right in each row. If you don't shift the positions of the stitches in the next 2 rounds, the cables will still stand out, but they won't be crossed. It will look like they touch, but never interwine.</p>
<p>This is the only method I know of to make it absolutely symmetrical. However, even if you knit the cables perfectly side by side with 4 perfectly even stitches, our human minds will always see the pattern as 2 distinct cables that touch and move apart again, instead of cables that cross.</p>
<p><strong>Intertwine</strong></p>
<p>Instead of crossing both cables with 2 stitches each, you can also cross all 4 stitches individually. That will make the asymmetry stand out slightly less. But crossing is always asymmetrical.</p>
<p>Knit the rows as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li>Knit the first stitch of the cable, cross 2 stitches, knit the last stitch of the other cable</li>
<li>Cross the first 2 stitches, keeping the outer stitch behind the work, then cross the last 2 stitches, keeping the inner stitch in front of the work.</li>
<li>Knit the first stitch of the cable, cross 2 stitches, making sure they cross the same direction as in row 1, knit the last stitch of the other cable</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-17T23:39:38.580Z
So for the intertwine option, it should look like this chart? stitchfiddle.com/en/c/sje87i-8kqcqc
Ryan Christiansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-19T08:19:04.687Z
@RyanChristiansen It says "This chart is private. You don't have access to this chart"
Elmy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-19T15:19:43.147Z
Sorry about that, this is the first time that I've tried to share it, but it should work now.
Ryan Christiansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-19T18:59:35.333Z
@RyanChristiansen Between lines 19 & 21 there's one line missing that is a mirror of line 23. Apart from that, I have difficulties understanding your diagram because it uses symbols in a different way than I know them (which is not unusual and happens often in different knitting magazines). I suggest you lay a life line in your knitting and simply try it. If it doesn't work out, it's easy to unravel the few rows to the life line.
Elmy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-20T19:11:48.723Z
Oh ok, I see the problem, thanks for your assistance.
Ryan Christiansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-20T21:18:55.577Z
Although now that I've knitted most of the pattern I realize that since I have a knit background because of the pattern that I'm trying to do the cables kind of fade away and don't really look like they've crossed (I'll get a picture soon), any other suggestions?
Ryan Christiansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-20T21:35:27.310Z
Picture: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14tJQKZ8ckhOrHf17QdJfM3Yw69J5_5kX/view?usp=share_link
Ryan Christiansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-21T15:19:50.967Z
@RyanChristiansen You could purl 2 next to each cable before switching to plain knit background. That gives the cables a frame to stand out. Otherwise try different backgrounds like moss pattern.
Elmy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-06-13T00:49:45.483Z
I may have just figured something out, it works great and doesn't need a special background and works like a regular cross, I'll post an answer about it and I'll see what you think
Ryan Christiansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-05-16T08:47:47.853Z
2023-05-16T08:47:47.853Z
Elmy
<p>I have a project where I need to have a 2-stitch cable cross over the other as shown in the picture. But I want it to be symmetrical (as in I don't just want one crossing over the other) and I don't know how, or even if it's possible. How would I do so?</p>
<p>Picture (<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/14IbU5rQG7-JTAtThjhCBFHzfIJuM2aMM/view?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://drive.google.com/file/d/14IbU5rQG7-JTAtThjhCBFHzfIJuM2aMM/view?usp=sharing</a>)</p>

<knitting><technique-selection>
How to knit a cross for 2 stitch cables that is symetrical
Ryan Christiansen
# How to knit a cross for 2 stitch cables that is symetrical

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-05-15)

I have a project where I need to have a 2-stitch cable cross over the other as shown in the picture. But I want it to be symmetrical (as in I don't just want one crossing over the other) and I don't know how, or even if it's possible. How would I do so?

Picture (<https://drive.google.com/file/d/14IbU5rQG7-JTAtThjhCBFHzfIJuM2aMM/view?usp=sharing>)

**Tags:** knitting, technique-selection


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-05-16. Score: 2

There are 2 possibilities that come to my mind.

**Don't cross**:

For a cable you purl the background and knit the cables while shifting the cable stitches to the left or right in each row. If you don't shift the positions of the stitches in the next 2 rounds, the cables will still stand out, but they won't be crossed. It will look like they touch, but never interwine.

This is the only method I know of to make it absolutely symmetrical. However, even if you knit the cables perfectly side by side with 4 perfectly even stitches, our human minds will always see the pattern as 2 distinct cables that touch and move apart again, instead of cables that cross.

**Intertwine**

Instead of crossing both cables with 2 stitches each, you can also cross all 4 stitches individually. That will make the asymmetry stand out slightly less. But crossing is always asymmetrical.

Knit the rows as follows:

1. Knit the first stitch of the cable, cross 2 stitches, knit the last stitch of the other cable
2. Cross the first 2 stitches, keeping the outer stitch behind the work, then cross the last 2 stitches, keeping the inner stitch in front of the work.
3. Knit the first stitch of the cable, cross 2 stitches, making sure they cross the same direction as in row 1, knit the last stitch of the other cable

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So for the intertwine option, it should look like this chart? stitchfiddle.com/en/c/sje87i-8kqcqc  
> **username_1**: @RyanChristiansen It says "This chart is private. You don't have access to this chart"  
> **username_0**: Sorry about that, this is the first time that I've tried to share it, but it should work now.  
> **username_1**: @RyanChristiansen Between lines 19 & 21 there's one line missing that is a mirror of line 23. Apart from that, I have difficulties understanding your diagram because it uses symbols in a different way than I know them (which is not unusual and happens often in different knitting magazines). I suggest you lay a life line in your knitting and simply try it. If it doesn't work out, it's easy to unravel the few rows to the life line.  
> **username_0**: Oh ok, I see the problem, thanks for your assistance.  
> **username_0**: Although now that I've knitted most of the pattern I realize that since I have a knit background because of the pattern that I'm trying to do the cables kind of fade away and don't really look like they've crossed (I'll get a picture soon), any other suggestions?  
> **username_0**: Picture: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14tJQKZ8ckhOrHf17QdJfM3Yw69J5_5kX/view?usp=share_link  
> **username_1**: @RyanChristiansen You could purl 2 next to each cable before switching to plain knit background. That gives the cables a frame to stand out. Otherwise try different backgrounds like moss pattern.  
> **username_0**: I may have just figured something out, it works great and doesn't need a special background and works like a regular cross, I'll post an answer about it and I'll see what you think  

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