I-cord is a neat little knitting trick that can be used whenever you need a cord - for a hat, the neck of a sweater or just for decoration. It can be done with as few as three stitches, though I probably wouldn’t go more than six. It can be worked by itself, applied to a finished edge, or used as a bind-off - very versatile :) Essentially, it is a little tube, a few stitches in circumference that doesn’t need lots of needles or any machinery to make - nor does it take much time.
For an unattached cord, find a couple of double point needles in a size that works with your yarn. For this example, I’m going to cast on three stitches. Now, turn your needle around so that the tail from your cast on is on your right and slide the stitches to the right-hand end of the needle.
For the longest time, I couldn’t get my head around how I-cord worked. And then when I did get it and began to notice people talking about an I-cord bind-off, well, my brain just about melted down and leaked out my ears. I just couldn’t figure out how that could be done. Hah! Turns out it’s even easier that doing regular I-cord.
This can be used to bind of almost any edge, straight, circular - whatever. For this example, I knit a small circular piece over 36 stitches. Here we are having just finished the last round, ready to begin the bind-off.
Now, knit 2 and then knit the third stitch together with the first stitch of your knitting. You have three stitches on your left-hand needle. Slip them back to the right-hand needle and repeat the procedure, knitting two stitches and then knitting the last I-cord stitch with the next knitting stitch. It’s really quite fast and creates a beautiful edging. You can also play with the looks of it a bit.
As for applied I-cord, the procedure is the same as above except that you have to pick up the stitches first along whatever edge you want to work the cord.
I cord can be tight; it’s a natural result of tugging on that first stitch which you have to do to pull the edges of the tube together and avoid a sloppy appearance. If you find your bind-off with less give than you’d like, there are a couple of things you can try. A larger needle might help. Or, you can work the cord without attaching it say, one row out of four or five - or whatever feels right to you. It will never show on the finished item but the additional rows will give the cord a little stretching room.
Happy Wednesday :)
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I am a big fan of I-cord. I have used the bind off on several projects. It looks great on the cuff of mittens too. I have been under the weather with bronchitis...it was fun catching up with all your projects.
Maureen - Oh goodness - bronchitis in the summer? That really bites - I hope you’re feeling much better now.
Your comment made me think of mittens made of I-cord - you know, one loooooooooooooog tube coiled around and stitched together into a rough hand shape. It would be totally ipractical to make (or wear!) but the picture in my mind is a lot of fun. It would have to be done in multi-colored, or even better, self-striping yarn!
great tutorial- clear and concise- wish i’d had something so nicely explained back in the days of the dinosaurs when i learned to make i-cord- i went through many mental contortions before i had any clear idea of just what i was doing until i had a breakthrough and *saw* what i was doing-
umm, the i-cord mittens remind me of making a coiled pot or a braided rug- definitely creativity must cross lots of ‘artforms’-
stay happy-
Barb - Thanks - you say such nice things :) YOu’re right, the mitten does sound like summer-camp craft time at that. But it’s still an amusing image :)
Great tutorial—thanks! I have never tried applied I cord, but I suspect it’s going to be very useful as trim for mittens and hats. An I cord mitten is an amusing thought, but too cumbersome to wear I think. Do it as one of those ahhhrt forms, maybe.
It must be a phase of the moon or something, but I was feeling in the dumps last weekend. Like you Robbyn, I spent some time doing charity things. Lewiscraft was a craft chain in Canada that sponsored a program called Knit for Kids every autumn. In my (very cold) city the Salvation Army used to rely on that campaign to help with warm winter accessories. Lewiscraft has gone bankrupt. So I am working up some mittens, scarves and hats to try to fill that gap. Much like Dulaan, but more local. That’s what I was working on.
Thought! I had a thought! I have been avoiding doing stripes because I hate darning in. But I could do applied I cord edgings, couldn’t I? Must try it. I have lots of scrappy bits of novelty yarns that would work perfectly for that.
Thanks for the inspiration Robbyn.
amaryllis
Amaryllis - I-cord trim on mittens would be wonderful but an I-cord mitten would almost certainly be relagated to the fun-but-useless category - just as you said, an objet d’ahhht…
Your charity sounds wonderful (the Salvation Army is a personal favorite of mine too) - and so do you :)
Wow, thanks for the great pictorial. I’ll try i-cord now.
Jewels - Entirely my pleasure :) Have fun!
Great tutorial, especially the bind off, which is new to me. Thank you.
Pam - Glad you find it useful. Now I’m in search of a cast on which I think would be good for a future project I’m thinking about :)
Great tutorial...I’d never seen that method for casting off before [ you can tell I’m an aussie...different terminology!] 
Hi Susan - Nice to meet you :) The bind-off is a very cool trick and it’s kind of amazing to see this neat, structured edge coming off the end of your needles!
