Open cables - which are also called traveling cables - are unlike the cables I've so far shown you. The key difference is that the cables I've demonstrated so far involve cable strands closely twisting over and around each other, and the result is a 'rope' cable.

On the other hand, open cables incorporate background stitches within the cable itself i.e. there are background stitches between the strands of the cable. This is created by simply crossing the stitches in the cable over the stitches in the background - rather than over each other.

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This technique gives you so many more design options, because instead of the strands of the cable only being able to twist around each other in straight columns, they can instead travel all across your knitting project and make much more interesting and intricate twists.

The other advantage of having background stitches between the cable strands is that it makes the strands 'pop' more and look more defined. Double win!

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More often than not, the background stitches will be reverse stockinette stitch, and the cable stitches will be stockinette stitch. In this case, the strands of an open cable would be created by carrying knit stitches (i.e. the 'right side' stitches of the stockinette  stitch) over purl stitches (i.e. the 'right side' stitches of the reverse stockinette stitch).

And that is how open cables incorporate the background stitches; by twisting the cable strand stitches over the top of them.

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Here is a video that demonstrates the knitting of an open cable, and also explains how one is formed. I try and walk through each step whilst explaining why we are doing the stitches we are doing, to hopefully give you a better understanding of cabling.