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Steps written out by Crafting Step by Step from Snufflebean Yarn's video (opens YouTube) (8:12). Published .
An i-cord is a skinny knitted tube, and it is one of the most useful things you can learn on double pointed needles. It makes drawstrings, hat ties, bag straps, stems on knitted pumpkins and loops for hanging ornaments. The same move also powers the i-cord bind off and the attached i-cord edge. The tutorial from the Snufflebean Yarn channel shows a four stitch cord, start to finish, with no gadgets.
You knit every row and you never turn the work. After each row you slide the stitches back to the other end of the needle, so the working yarn is at the far left. When you knit the first stitch, the yarn is pulled across the back of the stitches and closes them into a tube. That is the whole technique. It is tiny circular knitting done on one needle at a time.
Straight needles have a knob on one end, so you cannot slide stitches off that end to start the next row. Two double pointed needles in the size your yarn asks for are ideal. A short circular needle also works, sliding the stitches along the cable, though it is a little fiddly at four stitches.
| Stitches | Result | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Very thin cord | Ornament loops, fine drawstrings |
| 4 | Classic round cord | Hat ties, cowl drawstrings, mitten strings |
| 5 to 6 | Chunky, flatter cord | Bag straps, handles, trims |
Go past six and the strand across the back gets long and saggy, so the tube stops closing neatly. Seven is the most anyone should try.
Once a plain cord feels easy, the variations come quickly. An i-cord bind off works the cord along the live stitches of a project for a rounded, firm edge. An attached i-cord edge picks up one stitch from the side of a blanket or scarf on every row, so the cord grows along the border as you knit it.
Knit a long one in a contrast color and thread it through the eyelets of a hat brim, or make two short ones as ties for a baby bonnet. A scrap of leftover worsted is plenty, so this is a good way to use up odds and ends.
New to the basics? Start with how to cast on and how to bind off. An i-cord is the smallest version of knitting in the round. Add one as a tie or pompom string to a knitted hat, and hide the tails with how to weave in ends.
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Learn how to knit an i-cord on double pointed needles. An easy project: about 20 minutes. You need 4 things, including worsted weight yarn, 2 double pointed knitting needles and tapestry needle. The 9 steps start with cast On Four Stitches for an I-Cord on a Double Pointed Needle, knit the First Row of I-Cord Stitches, slide the I-Cord Stitches to the Other End Without Turning and pull the Yarn Snug Across the Back and Knit the Next I-Cord Row.
9 steps, about 8 minutes. Tap a picture to jump to that step. Your progress saves automatically.
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Cast on four stitches onto one double pointed needle. The video uses the long tail cast on, but any cast on works. You can make an i-cord with anywhere from three to six stitches. Four is the most common size and a good one to learn on. Use the needle size your yarn label recommends.
Leave a tail of 6 inches or so. You will tuck it into the cord at the end.
Hold the needle with the stitches in your left hand and a second double pointed needle in your right. Knit all four stitches as normal. So far this is the same as any row of knitting. The difference comes next, at the end of the row, where you would usually turn the work around.
Keep these first stitches fairly loose. They are easier to slide in the next step.
Do not turn the needle. Slide the four stitches along to the other end of the needle they are on, then move that needle back to your left hand. The stitches now sit at the right hand tip, with the working yarn hanging from the leftmost stitch. That is exactly where you want it, even though it looks wrong the first time.
If the yarn hangs from the rightmost stitch, you turned by accident. Turn back and slide again.
Bring the working yarn behind the stitches, over your finger as usual, and knit the four stitches again. To knit the first one, the yarn has to stretch across the back of the work. That strand is what closes the knitting into a tube. Give the first stitch a firm tug so the join stays tight.
The back looks loose and messy for the first few rows. Trust it and keep going.
Repeat the same row over and over. Knit four, slide the stitches back to the other end, switch hands, knit four again. After a few rows the loose strands at the back pull in, and the seam closes so neatly you can hardly tell where it is. Turn the cord over to check. The back stitches should match the front.
Give the cord a gentle pull lengthwise now and then to even out the stitches.
When the cord is long enough, slide the stitches back one last time and pick up the yarn. Knit two stitches, then lift the first one over the second and off the needle. Knit the next stitch and lift the one before it over. Repeat until one stitch is left. This is a plain knitted bind off, worked on four stitches.
Bind off loosely so the end of the cord does not pucker.
Take the needle out of the last stitch. Cut the yarn, leaving a tail of a few inches. Make the last loop a little bigger with your fingers, pass the tail through it and pull firmly to close it off. The end of the cord is now locked and cannot unravel.
Small, sharp scissors make a clean cut close to the work.
For a tidy finish, thread the tail onto a tapestry needle. Push the needle down through the center of the cord for an inch or so and bring it out the side. Snip the extra yarn. The tail now sits hidden inside the tube. Do the same with the cast on tail at the other end.
A blunt tapestry needle slides between stitches instead of splitting the yarn.
Hold your finished cord next to a wider one and you can see what the stitch count does. A four stitch cord is round and slim. A six stitch cord is fatter and slightly flatter. Pick the size to suit the job. Stick between three and six stitches, because larger cords leave a gap down the back.
Thicker yarn makes a thicker cord too, without adding stitches.
Keep going
How to Knit a Cowl for Beginners
More on this topic, picked for this i-cord on double pointed needles.
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How to Knit an I-Cord on Double Pointed Needles
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