How do cables change the fit of your knitting?

As a knitwear designer with a science background, I like to play with different elements to see what happens in a piece of fabric. The first time I added a cable to a basic sock pattern, I did not think about how it would affect the fit. Thankfully, adding a cable traveling up the leg of the sock did not change the circumference and fit greatly, but what would happen with a larger garment? How would the fit change if more cables were added or if they were taken away? I knitted some swatches to find out. In every experiment, there are conditions you can control and those you are trying to solve for. In being consistent with the ones I can control, the ones I cannot control can express themselves equally without outside interference.

Variables I can control:

• Yarn
  
• Needle size
  

My swatches were worked using the same elements across the board: needles, yarn, cast on, and bind off. They were also worked on the same day to help control any knitter conditions such as mood or stress level.

yarn and needles

Variables I am solving for:

• Yarn amount
  
• Row gauge
  
• Stitch gauge