Idiot Cord
This is idiot cord, as in any idiot can do it. Geraldine McCulloch had a splendid example on her magic square vest that she wore to the May meeting.
Instructions, as in Interweave Knits, Spring 1998:
I-cord
With a double pointed needle, cast on the desired number of stitches.*Without turning the needle, slide the stitches to the other end of the needle, pull the yarn around the back and knit the stitches as usual; repeat from * for the desired length.
Applied I-cord
As I-cord is knitted, attach it to the garment as follows:
With garment right side facing and using a separate ball of yarn and a circular needle, pick up the desired number of stitches along the garment edge. Geraldine often has to use two circular needles for this. Slide these stitches down the needle so that the first picked-up stitch is near the opposite needle point. With double pointed needle, cast on the desired number of I-cord stitches. (Geraldine casts on three stitches.) Knit across the I-cord to the last stitch, then knit the last stitch together with the first picked-up stitich on the garment (knit two then knit two together.) Pull the yarn behind the cord (pull the yarn in front of the cord for reverse I-cord.) Knit to the last I-cord stitch, then knit the last I-cord stitch together with the next picked-up stitch. Continue in this manner until all picked-up stitches have been used. (Geraldine then grafts or neatly fudges the last three stitches to the three cast on stitches.)
NOTE: When working applied I-cord, as in all picked-up edge finishes, do not pick up every stitch. Work the edging for about 5 cm then lay the piece flat to make sure that the cord lies flat along the edge - if not, pull out the unnecessary stitches and rework, picking up more or fewer stitches along the garment edge, as needed.
When I googled "I-cord" I got 155,000 sites!
It seems that I-cord can be used in all kinds of ways. One site was about knitting a pair of gloves from the fingers to the cuff using I-cord for each finger.
The pattern on this site is a serial pattern. Like serial books, which are published one chapter at a time, serial patterns are published over several short installments. The site I saw had all four fingers knitted and there was a promise that further installments would solve the problem of how to join them to the palm and then incorporate a thumb. Very much a work in progress.
An I-cord can be decorative. It can be spiral by purling for two rows followed by one row of plain.
It can be striped or picotted. It can be used to make pouches.
To embellish a hat.
Any idiot may be able to make it but it seems to me that many cunning minds have made full use of this technique so I propose that it be re-named the Ingenious-cord.
Comments
I-cord is nothing more than french knitting on double pointed needles, which make it easier and quicker to work and much more versatile. It's also very good for tentacles.
Posted by: Red Wolf | 16 July 2006