Tutorial: How to make an i-cord

Do not despair, gentle knitters. I too was lost in how to begin an i-cord when I first came across it in a pattern. I thought, How can it possibly turn out like a tube? I was sure there was some kind of magic spell involved. The late and great Elizabeth Zimmerman, knitting goddess extraodinaire, dubbed it the "i-cord" which is short for idiot cord - because she said any idiot could do it!

Now, I won't presume to call myself or anyone else an idiot, but it's totally easy and turns out looking like you did something difficult :) One note, you will always be working on the front side of the stitches - do not turn your work to show the back side.


Here goes:


Preparation: First, grab two double pointed needles. They must be double pointed or it won't work (I'm using US size 8 needles in the pictures, if you're interested).
















Tie your cast-on knot and put it on the needles...
















... And, for this demonstration, cast on 4 stitches.
















Step 1: Knit the first four stitches from the left needle onto the right needle like usual, then.....
















Step 2: Move the needle with the stitches on it to the left hand side. Just switch the needles in your hands, so the front side is still facing - don't turn your work...
















Step 3: ...Then slide the stitches up the left-hand needle, up to the top where they can be knitted. Front side is still showing.
















Step 4: Now the yarn is coming from the last stitch -- this is what will make the stitches into a tube -- Pull the yarn tight when you knit the first stitch. Knit the four stitches.
















Now you have the beginnings of an i-cord. Repeat steps 1-4 until you have the length of cord you want.
















Voila! Now you have an i-cord. A lovely tubes that looks like a shoelace. Bind off as usual, no trickiness there.














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