Wednesday Question : What Is An I - Cord?

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more. Here is this weeks questions posed by a new knitter. Question from Angelena : What is an I - cord?






Answer: An I-cord is a narrow piece of knitting made on double-pointed needles that can be made as long as you like for a thousand different uses, either utilitarian or decorative. They can be made of any yarn as long as you have double-pointed needles that are similar in size to the gauge of the yarn (use smaller needles with finer yarn, bigger needles with heavier yarn).

To make an I-cord, cast on a few stitches (usually between three and six). Knit the first row. Slide the stitches to the opposite end of the needle. Now the working yarn is at the bottom of the row. Knit again, pulling the working yarn up the back of the piece so you can work with it.

Again slide the stitches to the opposite end of the needle. Repeat in this manner for as long as you like. As you pull the yarn the back will close up on itself, like magic. If you have a very wide I-cord you might need to help it along by giving the cord a tug when you've worked a few inches.

I-cords are great because once you've made one, you'll start thinking of all sorts of uses for them. Here are just a few ways you might use them:

• Strap or handles for a purse or bag.
• Straps for a knitted shirt or dress.
• Use it as a belt.
• Make a headband.
• Sew the cord together to make a flower, a spiral, or some other shape you can use on another knitted project.
• Use as a tie for a hoodie or in place of elastic in a hem.
• Jewelry - bracelets and necklace etc.

If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog.