Monday, November 10, 2025

Double-Knit Cables:
3-D Vertical baffles via Four-Needle Double-Knitting
part 2 of a series

Here's a trick made possible by the four-needle method: combining double knitting with cables. And, that's not all! The cables are on tubes, called "baffles" which can be stuffed: think puffer jackets. Or, think potholders. 

Here's a 9-stripe cabled potholder featuring 7 stuffed baffles + 2 edge border-stripes (pattern follows). 

This is a potholder or trivet
Wider and longer, could be a seat cushion 
Wider and longer still, a blanket
Adapted with shaping, a unique outdoor jacket
Longer and left unstuffed, a scarf
 
Four-needle double knitting and cables--why it works
See, in four-needle double-knitting, stitches next to one another in the fabric are also next to one another on the needles. And that means...(insert sound of gears grinding)...

→ If you double-knit vertical stripes, there's nothing to stop you from crossing those neighboring stitches into cables ←

Yup, this was a head-slapper for me, too, when I realized. Naturally, other texture patterns are also possible--examples below. But on vertical baffles, vertical cables are the charming decoration, so that's mostly what this post is about. 
 
Baffles in four-needle double-knitting
Four-needle double knitting has two different techniques. There is picking (video) and slide-by (video).
     --If you work only "picking" at regular intervals, you get horizontal baffles. This was part 1 of this series.
    --But, if only work "slide-by" in columns at regular intervals, you get vertical baffles--today's post.

Vertical baffles example
This light and dark green 11-striped WIP potholder (cousin to the 9-stripe above) is being worked up in four-needle double-knitting. Each light green stripe is backed with a dark green, each dark with a light. The closeup shows the two layers on their respective needles. The slide-by technique is used in four-needle double knitting for knitting blocks of color, and that's just what double-knit stripes are: elongated color blocks. 


Back layer (blue arrow) is being purled on needles 1 and 2. Front layer (green arrow) is being knit on needles 3 and 4. This is double knitting (stripes) on two sets of needles (4 tips).

Geek note: the two working (right) needles are held INSIDE the two holding (left) needles. This arrangement makes the shortest path for the yarns as they switch from face to face. 

But now, have a look at the flip side. Voila! Cables. 




Working cables in four-needle double-knitting
It may seem that wrangling four needle tips plus a cable needle is going to be a challenge, but recall that when knitting the front side, only the front stitches and the front needles are in action. Via the slide-by technique, the back stitches stay out of action because the back needle isn't actively in the work. Both its tips have been slid out of the way, leaving only its cable behind, there to act as a (flexible) stitch holder. It's just hanging out, passively holding the back stitches until their turn comes again. 

Below, you can't even see the layer being purled--all the action is on the "front" (the layer being knit) and uses only the two needle tips of the front circular needle + a cable needle.

The for stages of a cable cross are worked just as for a single layer flat fabric
(because, with four needle double knitting, each batch of stitches along a layer IS its own little flat fabric. The layers are intertwined, not the individual stitches.)

Step 1:
The dark green stripe is ready to be cabled. 
Step 2:
There are six stitches and no border stitches, so the cable is a 3/3 cross, meaning, three stitches are slipped to the cable needle (silver) and held in front (left front cross).
Step 3: 
The cable is crossed in the ordinary way: the three stitches on the left needle are knit, followed by knitting the three held stitches off the cable needle. In this close-up, two of the three stitches have been knit off the cable needle, one remains to be worked.
Step 4:
All the cable stitches have been knit, the cable cross is complete. All this time, the back stitches have remained completely out of action. The cable cross is no more complex than if worked on flat fabric. 

Here's the pattern for the 9-stripe potholder which opened this post. 
The variations for its 11-stripe cousin (the WIP above) follow.

Pattern 

9-striped project. Front featuring cable stripes and plain, alternating

BACK                              FRONT
back and front are mirror image, alternating color-wise
back features plain stockinette stripes
front features plain & cable stripes, interspersed
.
Overview: 
--Like all four needle double knitting, the edges are worked separately, they are not connected. They can be left permanently unconnected, but if you want to connect the sides, that's part of the finishing process (stay tuned) 
--With one exception noted below, all first stitches are slipped. 
--The work begins with a cast on and bottom border.
--Above the border, three set up rows establish the color stripes, a new stitch count for the cabled baffles, and the first cable twist. 
--Length: the main section is 8 cables rows, repeated. More repeats = a scarf, perhaps?
--To widen, cast on extra stitches in groups of 10. 
--At the top, the original stitch count is re-established, a top border is worked to match the bottom border, then the work is grafted shut in pattern to match the cast on. If stuffing is wanted, it is added before grafting the top.

Materials:
--Yarn of two colors, A and B. Color A is dominant--it is the color of the turning row and the cables. In the below sample, the light green is color A. The sample took about 1/3 skein of Cascade 220 in each color
--Two circular needles in gauge to match yarn for a medium firm fabric in your knitting style. If you plan to stuff the project, you do not want a fabric so loose that the stuffing shows. 
--Cable needle
--Crochet hook
--Optional: if planning to stuff the baffles, a quantity of jumbo yarn, such as Bernat "big blanket." There is more about stuffing below.

Cast on: 
This is the default cast on which lies below the a bottom border. (Link = illustrated post.) 
◻Using long tail cast on and one set of circular needles, cast on 41 stitches in color B, darker green in photo below. Turn work. ◻Slip first stitch, purl one row, turn work. ◻Slip first stitch, knit one row. ◻Slide stitches onto the cable of this needle, and turn the work upside down. 

◻With the smooth stockinette side of the work facing you, using the second circular needle and color A, and starting from the right edge of the work, pick up 41 stitches right through the bottom of the long tail cast on of color B. Turn work. ◻Do NOT slip first stitch (this is the only non-slipped first stitch in the whole pattern). Knit one row, turn work. ◻Slip first stitch, knit a second row, turn work. ◻Slip first stitch and purl a row. Turn work. 

Bottom border complete. You know you have done it correctly when your set up looks like photo to left.

Ready-to-knit: fold up the work so color A is facing you, and color B is behind. Activate both sets of needles so the stitches are on the left tips of both, and the right tips are both in your right hand. Mirror-image ("left handed") knitters: reverse. This is the ready-to-knit position for slide-by.

Set-up row A establishes the color pattern of stripes. It is worked on the "front," meaning, the fabric turned towards you is the face which is going to get the cables. In the sample, it is the fabric with the lighter green border. 


--Hint: put a safety pin into this front fabric face to distinguish it. 


Set-up row A -- front side (cables visible from this side)

step

FRONT NEEDLE

BACK NEEDLE

NOTE

1

with color A facing you,  and working with color A, slip edge  st, K2

with color B, slip edge st, P2

This step establishes 3-st wide edge columns, front and back at edge of work

2

with color B, K5

with color A, P5

These steps establish the interior vertical stripes

3

with color A, K5

with color B, P5

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until 8 sts remain

4

with color B, K5

with color A, P5

this step established the last vertical stripe

5

With color A, k3

with color B, P3

this step establishes 3-st wide edge columns, front and back, at the other edge of the work

TURN WORK


Set up row B is worked with the plain striped "back" fabric turned towards the knitter. 

The regular stripes are five columns wide, but the cable columns are eight columns wide--two purl borders and six stitches for the cable itself. This means the cable stripe of 8 columns is backed with a "regular stripe" of five columns.


 As you can imagine, even in four-needle double knitting, front and back stripes of different widths would be difficult to cast on (and even more difficult in classic--alternating stitch--double knitting: there would be serious gaps). Therefore, the increases have to be worked into the base of the cable columns themselves, and that is accomplished in set-up row B. 


Specifically, this row adds increases in the form of yarn-overs (YO's) to the base of the three cable columns “from the back,” so the increases are ready and waiting on the next row, where the first cable cross will take place. 


--Hint: when double knitting, it’s easy to lose the edge YO’s (marked in red on step 3 below) so consider lassoing these with small bobby pins or split-ring stitch markers. If the YO’s fall off the needles, lift them back in place on the next row using the markers as handles.



Set-up row B -- back side (plain striped fabric face)

step

FRONT NEEDLE

BACK NEEDLE

NOTE

1

with color B slip edge st, K2

with color A, slip edge st, P2

edge columns, front and back

2

with color A, K5

with color B, P5

ordinary 5-st  stripe, front and back

3

with color B, K5

with color A, YO, P1, YO, P4, YO 


(see hint above about these edge YO's)

the front needle makes an ordinary 5-st stripe, the back needle adds 3 stitches in the form of YO’s to the color-A stripe, making it an 8-st wide stripe which will be cabled in the next row

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until 8 sts remain

4

with color A, K5

with color B, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

5

With color B, k3

with color A, P3

edge columns, front and back

TURN WORK


Set up row C is the base cross of the 8-row high cables to follow. 

Working directly into the YO's added in the previous row would leave lace-like holes, so instead, work into the back of the YO's, which twists them shut. Here's how to twist shut a YO.  Any direction of twist is fine. It will never show because the edge YO's tuck into receding purl columns, while the middle YO hides under the cable twist. 


Hint: a small crochet hook helps make it easier to pull the running yarn through a twisted YO -- the hook won't let the yarn fall off. 


Set-up row C—cable twist on the front

step

FRONT NEEDLE

BACK NEEDLE

NOTE

1

with color A, slip edge  st, K2

with color B, slip edge st, P2 sts

edge columns, front and back

2

with color B, K5

with color A, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

3

with color A, P into back of YO, twisting it shut, slip next 3 sts to cable needle and hold in front. K1, K into YO, twisting it shut, K1. Knit 3 sts from cable needle. P into back of last YO.

with color B, P5

cable twist on 8-st wide stripe on front, ordinary 5-st wide stripe on back

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until 8 sts remain

4

with color B, K5

with color A, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

5

With color A, k3

with color B, P3

edge columns, front and back

TURN WORK


In cable row 1, the back fabric is turned towards the knitter, which means the cable columns are now on the back needles. The cable columns are worked in color A and step 3.

Cable row 1 back side (plain striped fabric face)

step

FRONT NEEDLE

BACK NEEDLE

NOTE

1

with color B slip edge st, K2

with color A, slip edge st, P2

edge columns, front and back

2

with color A, K5

with color B, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

3

with color B, K5

with color A, K1, P6, K1

the front needle makes an ordinary 5-st wide stripe, the back needle works the 8-st wide cable stripe in correct pattern

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until 8 sts remain

4

with color A, K5

with color B, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

5

With color B, k3

with color A, P3

edge columns, front and back

TURN WORK


Cable row 2

Cable row 2 front side

step

FRONT NEEDLE

BACK NEEDLE

NOTE

1

with color A, slip edge st, K2

with color B, slip edge st, P2 sts

edge columns, front and back

2

with color B, K5

with color A, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

3

with color A, P1, K6, P1

with color B, P5

8-st wide cable stripe on front, ordinary 5-st wide stripe on back

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until 8 sts remain

4

with color B, K5

with color A, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

5

With color A, k3

with color B, P3

edge columns, front and back

TURN WORK


▢ Cable Row 3 back side: repeat cable row 1

▢ Cable row 4 front side: repeat cable row 2

▢ Cable row 5 back side: repeat cable row 1

▢ Cable row 6 front side: repeat cable row 2

▢ Cable row 7 back side: repeat cable row 1

Cable row 8 front side:

Cable row 8—cable twist on the front

step

FRONT NEEDLE

BACK NEEDLE

NOTE

1

with color A, slip edge  st, K2

with color B, slip edge st, P2 sts

edge columns, front and back

2

with color B, K5

with color A, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

3

with color A, P1, slip next 3 sts to cable needle and hold in front. K3. Next, knit 3 sts from cable needle. P into back of last YO.

with color B, P5

cable twist on 8-st wide stripe on front, ordinary 5-st wide stripe on back

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until 8 sts remain

4

with color B, K5

with color A, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

5

With color A, k3

with color B, P3

edge columns, front and back

TURN WORK


Repeat rows 1-8 until work is desired length, ending on a row 8. 

Next, the top decrease row, which is worked from the back. This row re-establishes the original stitch count in the cable stripes.

top decrease row worked from the back side 

step

FRONT NEEDLE

BACK NEEDLE

NOTE

1

with color B slip edge st, K2

with color A, slip edge st, P2

edge columns, front and back

2

with color A, K5

with color B, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

3

with color B, K5

with color A

—slip first st to cable needle. Slip second st to right needle. Return first st from cable needle to left needle. Return second st to left needle. Purl together these stitches. 

—P2, then P2 tog, and then again, P2 tog

the front needle makes an ordinary 5-st wide stripe, the back needle decreases the 8-st wide cable stripe, returning it to be a 5-st wide stripe

Repeat steps 2 and 3 until 8 sts remain

4

with color A, K5

with color B, P5

ordinary stripe, front and back

5

With color B, k3

with color A, P3

edge columns, front and back

TURN WORK

.

  • The project ends with three rows of stockinette knit in each color. 
  • The project had each baffle stuffed with a single strand of  Bernat "big blanket" jumbo chenille yarn. There is more about stuffing below, including the trick to getting a big thick stand down into a dead-end baffle.
  • The project ends with a purl graft to close the top. This matches the cast off to the cast on.
.
Order of work
Sliding needles in and out of the work for slide-by becomes tedious, so here's a shortcut.
  • The charts for each row have you work a batch of 5 stitches of, say, color A, on the front needle, followed by a batch of the same color--still A--on the back needle. Result: 10 total stitches worked, but interrupted by a needle change. This order of work prioritizes follow-through with the same yarn.
  • With the shortcut, the new priority is follow-through with the same needle. So, now you'd work a batch of 5 color A stitches on the front needle, followed by a batch of 5 color B stitches, still on the front needle. Result: 10 stitches worked with no interruption from needle change. 
Switching priority from yarn to needle means less needle re-arranging, so, faster knitting. On the chart below, follow the arrows for the shortcuts. The red arrows go first (right edge). Then, green arrows guide the repeats in the middle of the row. Blue arrows show the last repeat (left edge). It SEEMS complicated, but it'll be more obvious on the needles. 

Needle-focused alternate order of work. Click here to enlarge.
.
Row 2 would follow the same order.

Variations on a theme 

11-stripe project, cabled both colors on front side

BACK                               FRONT
back and front are mirror image, alternating color-wise
back features plain stockinette stripes
front features offset cables in every stripe 
.
This pattern is fancier, but fussier. If you like a challenge, here are the details. 
Like its 9-stripe cousin above, the cables in this variation are 6/8 cables, meaning, they are six stitches wide, crossed every eighth row. However, unlike the 9-stripe pattern, the cables in this version have no border stitches. Other differences are charted below.

.


Comparison—>

9-stripe

11-stripe

column width

base columns are 5-sts wide

base columns are 4-sts wide

total to cast on

7 stripes @ 5 sts each (35) + 2 border stripes @3 sts each (6) = 


41 total to cast on in each color

9 stripes @4 sts each (36) + 2 border stripes @ 3 sts each (6) = 


42 total to cast on in each color

increases, decreases in cable columns

width of cable column increases from 5 to 8 sts via 3-YO’s. This increase takes place once at the bottom of the cable stripe, followed by one decrease at top. 

width of cable column increases from 4 to 6 sts via 2-YO’s. Each individual cable must be increased at bottom, decreased at top. 

cables

cables are 6 sts wide, 8 rows high, bordered by two purl columns, a total of 8 stitches wide all the way up each cable columns. The cables remain in their discrete stripes, separated by stripes with no cables.

cables are 6 stitches wide, 8 rows high, no border. The cables appear in every column, offset across the stripes by color. Because each individual cable must be increased at bottom & decreased at top, each stripe varies in width from 4-stitches to 6-stitches, then back again

.


For this variation, cast on 42 stitches. Then follow the directions for 9-stripe until the project is in ready-to-knit position for slide-by. Above that, knit the variation, per below condensed instructions.

.


Designate the color facing you (knit on front needles) as color A, the color away from you (purled on back needles) as color-B. 

Now working via slide-by, work to establish the color pattern: purl 3 stitches on back needles in color-B, followed by knitting 3 stitches on front needles in color-A. Edge column established. 

*purl 4 stitches in color-A on back needles, followed by knitting 4 stitches in color-B on front needles. Repeat from * until 3 stitches remain. 

On last three stitches, purl 3 stitches on back needles in color-B, followed by knitting 3 stitches on front needles in color-A. second column established.This set-up row (analogous to set-up row A of 7-stripe pattern) establishes the alternating color stripes.  Turn work.

On the knit side (front needles) work each stripe as usual as you come to it in turn, both in color A and color B. On the purl side (back needles) When you come to a color-A stripe,  set up for the cable as follows: P1 YO, P2, YO, P1. This increases 2 stitches, so, what was 4 stitches in each color-A stripe becomes 6. Color-B stripes on the back needles are worked as usual (4 stitches). (This is analogous to set up row B of 7-stripe pattern) At end of row, turn work. 

On the following row, work all color-B stripes as usual, on both front (knit) and back (purl) needles. When you come to the knit side of the increased color-A stripe, it will be facing you as a knit (front) row.Work across the increased stripe as follows: Slip 3 sts to cable needle and hold to front. On the next 3 sts: k1, k 1 tbl, k1. Then, knit the 3 previously slipped needles off the cable needle the same way:  k1, k 1 tbl, k1. Knitting the YO through the back loop (tbl) twists it shut. 

(This is row 1 of the cable, analogous to set-up row C of 7-stripe pattern.)

Continue double knitting via the slide-by technique, knitting the cable as a 6/8 cable (six stitches wide, 8 rows high, meaning, knit 7 additional cable rows 

On the second crossing row (a knit side) you are again on row 1 of the cable. Again cross three stitches over three, holding the slipped stitches to the front. 

At the top of the cable, decreases are worked, reducing the cable-stripe width from 6 sts to 4.

The decrease back to 4 stitches is worked from the purl side. P2, p2tog right leaning, then p2tog left leaning. This hides each decrease behind a facing stitch, and ends the run of color-A cabling.

The color-A and color-B cables are offset by one row of unshaped double knitting, and then the cycle starts again on the alternate color cable with an increase for the cable base from the back side of the fabric.

The offset protects the project from widening and narrowing through the increasing, decreasing and cabling.

At the top, three border rows are followed by a purl graft.


.

The 11-stripe is a lot more work, A, increase and decrease for every single cable cross makes 23 of each in the potholder project, more if knit longer. By contrast, no matter how long you knit it, its 9-stripe cousin has only one increase at bottom of each cable stripe + one at top. The 11-stripe project is fancier with more knitting thrills. However, measured by the work-to-glory ratio, the 9-stripe pattern is the clear winner. 


Texture alternatives 

for vertical baffles

Plain: for a plain striped double-sided fabric, very pretty in its own right, omit the cables. Instead, simply work plain stripes in alternating color of the same stitch count via slide-by. This gives a look like the plain backs of the two above projects. 

narrow plain stripes         wider plain stripes
.
Vertical stripes can be any width. With double knitting, there's no stranding to consider. The only real constraint is how you're going to stuff the baffles, if that is what you choose to do. There is more about stuffing below. 

Cabled both sides: Both projects so far are cabled on the front with plain backs. But nothing stops you from cabling on both fabric faces. My sample projects are potholders / table trivets, also intended as gauge swatches for any future garment projects: on a garment I would want the cables on the outside, but the inside smooth. However, for a scarf or blanket, double-sided cables would be very pretty.

Other textures: Here's a different project, another cousin of the first two, which does have texture both sides. 

Front and back are mirror-image, alternating  color-wise
Texture knitting both sides, in alternating stockinette- and seed-stitch stripes.

Texture patterns of all kinds are easier to keep track of in four needle double knitting. 
.
This variation is worked in texture pattern on both sides. Seed stitch and stockinette alternate in 5-stitch stripes. There is no increasing or decreasing. This is worked the same as the 9-stripe project through set-up row A. Above that, the seed stitch pattern is established on alternate stripes on both front and back, then worked continuously throughout. Although this could have been made in classic double knitting, it would have puzzled me exceedingly to keep track of seed stitching through an alternate-stitch arrangement of front and back stitches on a single needle. That's too much brain-juice for me.

 Texture patterns of all kinds--not just cables--are easier in four-needle double knitting. 

Three cousins: cabled and textured vertical baffle potholders via four-needle double knitting slide-by technique
.
Stuffing
Fiber fill does not work well with baffles: its hard to get in, goes all lumpy, makes the project stiff. A better stuffing is yarn of various thicknesses. Here is a clip from a video about horizontal baffles. I tried to time stamp it, but if that isn't working for you, advance to 2:33 where the part about stuffing begins. 


.
With horizontal baffles, the sides are open, making it easy to pull through stuffing yarn, as shown. However, with vertical baffles, only the top is open, not the bottom. So, you have to resort to tricks.

Narrow baffles
You can stuff up narrow baffles with a doubled strand of bulky yarn. Below, the top green arrows show the path of the stuffing yarn through the open baffle-tops. A crochet hook (red) is wiggled into the fabric between two stitches, meaning, inserted right through the closed (cast-on) bottom of a vertical baffle, then pushed up until it emerges from the top. The hook then pulls down doubled strands of bulky yarn, until each emerges as a small loop, right through the bottom, easier to see on the magnified inset. 

Click here to enlarge
.
After stuffing all the baffles, stretch and snug the potholder to settle the stuffing inside. Any loops still sticking out the bottom are (carefully!) trimmed away. Then the top is purl-grafted shut. 

Wide baffles
Jumbo chenille yarn such as Bernat "big blanket" is a good stuffing for wide baffles, like on the video clip. For very wide baffles, where you want a doubled strand of jumbo, you can try grabbing the bottom of the fold directly with a crochet hook like on the clip. But, if the hook keeps slipping, here's a trick. 

    --Fold the strand of jumbo yarn ① in half. 
    --Tie a long piece of thinner yarn--red, ②--to the bottom of the loop. This thinner yarn is the "leash." It is also folded over.
    --Pull the loop at the bottom of the leash down into the tube with the crochet hook ③.

Then, keep pulling on the leash until the hook and leash come out the bottom. Tug on the leash til the double fold of bulky yarn follows the leash down the baffle. Unlike the bulky yarn for the narrower baffles, jumbo yarn can't be pulled out between two stitches. It's too thick. So, pull it down with the leash as hard as you can, until it bottoms out in the dead-end at bottom of the baffle. Then, pinch it in place, and stretch and snug the fabric upward around the stuffing. End by pulling the thin leash yarn tightly, then (carefully!) cut it loose. The knotted end of the thin leash-yarn retracts into the baffle-bottom to rest forever with the bottom loop of the jumbo yarn. The freed end pulls out the top to be re-used in leashing up the next loop of jumbo yarn.

To pull a single strand of jumbo yarn into a dead-end vertical baffle, also use the leash trick, just tie the leash tightly, very close to the end of the single strand. 

Geek note: Cutting chenille yarn releases a lot of fluff. Pick and pinch that off before threading into baffles. You don't want your project leaking stuffing.

Long baffles
An afghan hook is longer than a crochet hook, but even that might not be enough. The tool for very long baffles is a "drawstring threader." It's a 2-foot long nylon needle with a double eye, designed to worm elastic or drawstrings through sewn casings on waistbands and the like. 

However, a threader is too thick and blunt to wiggle through the dead-end bottom (cast on edge) of a vertical baffle like you can do with a crochet hook. So the project has to be cast on using a provisional cast on for each fabric, instead of the default cast-on. This leaves the project open bottom and top.

Thread the drawstring threader with the leash, then wiggle and push the threader through the long baffle to emerge at the bottom. The threader pulls the leash, the leash pulls the jumbo yarn. 

After all the baffles are stuffed and snugged, remove the provisional cast-on and purl-graft the bottom shut, just as if it were a top edge. 

With all these tricks, the stuffing is completed before the top is purl-grafted shut.

Puffy, puffy, puffy: None of the photos so far have captured how three-dimensional a stuffed baffle really is, so here's one last attempt. These are 5-stitch wide baffles stuffed with a single strand of jumbo chenille. They're very puffy! This is knitting in the third dimension.

Profiles in puffiness
.
For a baby blanket, stuffing every single baffle would leave it so puffy it has no drape. Stuffing only alternate baffles (stuff one, skip one) strikes a balance. If alternating, choose to stuff the cable stripes: stuffed cable baffles really pop. For a scarf, leaving it unstuffed is probably the way to go, or you won't be able to get it around your neck. Fully stuffed, double knit baffled fabric (vertical or horizontal) is the perfect home-furnishing for pads of all kinds: seat pads, cat beds, infant floor-play mats. For a puffer jacket, the only way to get an accurate gauge is to make a potholder-sized sample (which is, truthfully, what these really are!) Stuffing draws the fabric up narrower, so measure over at least six or eight inches. For a puffy fabric like this, allow plenty of positive ease. 

Preview: If interested in vertical (or horizontal) baffles, maybe wait to weigh your options. A completely different way of making baffles is coming up later in this series. But first, the very next post is about words in double knitting, a new way so they read correctly from both sides. Stay tuned!

See you again. In the meanwhile, have the best Thanksgiving you can, given the current state of things. 😬
This too, shall pass.

--TK

Questions? Feedback? Contact me at 
Blue Sky  @techknitter.bsky.social or  talk to me about this post on Ravelry TECHknitter forum