Scroll down to find short videos and photo+written tutorials for basic cables with different stitch counts, first left twisting then right twisting; below those are photo+written tutorials for 5-stitch cables - 2 over 2 with 1 stitch in the middle.

Once you understand what's going on, you can change stitch numbers, knits, and purls, to make pretty much any kind of cable without a cable needle. Use in patterns like Freewheelin', Wobble Bass, Biratu, Lemmy, Twist on a Classic, What a Twist, and Haka.

Here's a detailed video tutorial (on YouTube here); scroll down for short mini-videos of individual cables, and photos and written how-to's...

Cable left

with a cable needle, you'd hold the front/top stitches (however many there are) in front on the cable needle, knit or purl the back stitches (however many there are), then knit the held stitches

this is showing 2 over 2 - to cable any other number of stitches left, think of the stitches labeled 1 & 2 as however many front stitches you have, and the stitches labeled 3 & 4 as however many back stitches you have

slip 2 stitches (front stitches)

knit (or purl) next 2 stitches (back stitches)

grab the slipped stitches with the left-hand needle

carefully slide the worked stitches off the right-hand needle to move the slipped stitches onto the left-hand needle...

...then slide the worked stitches back onto the right-hand needle

knit the 2 stitches now on the left-hand needle (front stitches)

Cable right

with a cable needle, you'd hold the back stitches (however many there are) in back on the cable needle, knit the front/top stitches (however many there are), then knit or purl the held stitches

this is showing 2 over 2 - to cable any other number of stitches right, think of the stitches labeled 1 & 2 as however many back stitches you have, and the stitches labeled 3 & 4 as however many front stitches you have

grab the third and fourth stitches with the right-hand needle (or skip past however many back stitches you have, and grab the next stitches, which are the front stitches)

carefully slide the first (skipped over) stitches off the needle to move the grabbed stitches onto the right-hand needle...

...then slide the back stitches back onto the left-hand needle

slip the stitches from the right-hand needle back onto the left-hand needle - now all the cable stitches are in the correct order

knit (or purl) all the stitches - first the front (2 or another number), then the back (2 or another number)

Cable 5 left - 2 over 2 with 1 in between

(or any other number left with center stitches)

with a cable needle, you'd hold the first 3 stitches (the front and center stitches) in front on the cable needle, knit the next 2 (back) stitches, then pass the left-most stitch from the cable needle (center stitch) to the left-hand needle, knit or purl that, then knit the remaining 2 held (front) stitches, to cable 2 over 2 left with one stitch in the middle

to cable any other number of stitches left with center stitch(es), think of the stitches labeled 1 & 2 as however many front stitches you have, the stitch labeled 3 as the center (this could be more than 1 stitch), and the stitches labeled 4 & 5 as however many back stitches you have

(this particular technique results in the center stitches being placed in the middle of the twist; if you want the center stitches to be in the back, you'll need to work the cable differently - most of the time, you won't be able to see the difference in the finished cable)

slip 3 stitches (front and center stitches)

knit the next 2 stitches (back stitches) then grab the slipped stitches with the left-hand needle

carefully slide the worked stitches off the right-hand needle to move the slipped stitches onto the left-hand needle...

...then slide the worked stitches back onto the right-hand needle

slip 2 stitches (front stitches)

knit or purl 1 stitch (center stitch) then grab the slipped stitches with the left-hand needle

carefully slide the worked stitch off the right-hand needle to move the slipped stitches onto the left-hand needle...

...then slide the stitch back onto the right-hand needle

knit 2 stitches (front stitches)

Cable 5 right - 2 over 2 with 1 in between

(or any other number right with center stitches)

with a cable needle, you'd hold the first 3 stitches (the back and center stitches) in back on the cable needle, knit the next 2 (front) stitches, then pass the left-most stitch from the cable needle (center stitch) to the left-hand needle, knit or purl that, then knit the remaining 2 held (back) stitches, to cable 2 over 2 right with one stitch in the middle

to cable any other number of stitches right with center stitch(es), think of the stitches labeled 1 & 2 as however many back stitches you have, the stitch labeled 3 as the center (this could be more than 1 stitch), and the stitches labeled 4 & 5 as however many front stitches you have

(opposite of the left twist above, this particular technique results in the center stitches being placed in the back of the twist; if you want the center stitches to be in the middle, you'll need to work the cable differently - most of the time, you won't be able to see the difference in the finished cable)

grab the fourth and fifth stitches with the right-hand needle (or skip past however many back plus center stitches you have, and grab the next stitches, which are the front stitches)

carefully slide the first (skipped over) stitches off the left-hand needle to move the stitches onto the right-hand needle...

...then slide the back and center stitches back onto the left-hand needle

slip the stitches from the right-hand needle back onto the left-hand needle

knit 2 stitches (front stitches) then slip 2 stitches (back stitches)

knit or purl 1 stitch (center stitch) then grab the slipped stitches with the left-hand needle

carefully slide the worked stitch off the right-hand needle to move the slipped stitches onto the left-hand needle...

...then slide the stitch back onto the right-hand needle

knit 2 stitches (back stitches)