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. 

How to Make an I Cord

Making an I-cord is one of those things that seems mysterious and difficult until you now how to do it. I waited a long time to sit down and make an I-cord because it always sounded kind of scary to me, probably because it involves double-pointed needles, which I’m not too keen on.
The good news is that making a I-cord is really quick and easy, and you can use them for all sorts of things, from the strap of a bag to hair accessories.

How to make I- Cord

I-cord is a simple knitting technique that creates a very narrow tube of knitting that looks a bit like French knitting.

Cast on the number of stitches desired or called for by a pattern with double pointed needles.Between three and five is normal.

Knit one row. Do not turn the work. 

Slide the stitches to the other end of the needle. 

Knit a second row by bringing the yarn behind the work and starting with the first stitch. Tug the work from the bottom after each first stitch to help it to take shape and to even out the tension. 

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until desired length is achieved.It’ll start to take shape after 3/4 rows. 

Uses for I-Cord
I-cords is 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.

Necklace, bracelet or broach the list is endless.

Here is a link to a video showing how to make i- cord     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcGj6tpqeJA 

Enjoy!

I-Cord Candy Cane

Twelve Days Of Christmas Ornaments.
Day Nine: Candy Cane.

Everyone loves a candy cane – especially one that can be hung year on the tree year after year without getting sticky and is sugar free!

Materials:
red yarn
white yarn (scrap yarn is fine. you will not need a lot of yardage, unless you are going to make hundreds)
two double pointed needles that are the appropriate size for yarn. (or, one circular needle that you can slide the yarn from end to end.)
wire

Gauge:  doesn’t  matter. It will differ depending on the yarn you use, thinner yarn=smaller candy canes, thicker yarn=bigger candy canes.

Instructions:

Cast on 5 white (slide)
*knit 4 white, and 1 red, (slide)
knit 3 white, 1 red, 1 white (slide)
knit 2 white, 1 red, 2 white (slide)
knit 1 white, 1 red, 3 white (slide)
knit 1 red, 4 white (slide) *
Repeat from * until you have a cane as long as you would like.
When the cane is the length that you are happy with, then cast off. The cast off stitches will look like a straight line. So you will need to weave in the tail. Take the tail, and begin by weaving in the stitch opposite of where the tail is, to form the last row into a tube. Sew through all the stitches, gathering them up. Then bury the yarn in the middle of the chord itself.
To give the cane a little structure, I took a piece of wire, and carefully stuck it into the middle of the i-chord.

These cute little ornaments knit up in a jiffy, and once you have the technique down, you can do them in as many different widths, color and stripe combinations as you want!

Have fun Knitting!

Mini Christmas Wreaths

Twelve Days Of Christmas Ornaments.
Day Three: Mini Christmas Wreaths.

Knit a Christmas ornament for your tree! This mini wreath is 3.5 inches  (9cms) across and it’s a quick knit for a cute holiday decoration.

Materials – Small amounts of red, green and white double knit type yarn.
 size 4 US (3.5 mm) double pointed needles.
Make three 9.5″ (24cms) long pieces of I-cord, one in each color, leaving at least a 6″ tail of yarn hanging from both ends of I-cord.

To make I-cord:
Cast on 3 sts.
Knit across.
Without turning, slide the stitches to the other end of the needle, put the needle in your other hand, pull the yarn firmly across the back. You are ready to knit the next row.
Continue knitting, sliding, and pulling the yarn across the back until I-cord is desired length.

Knot the three together then braid the three strands of I-cord, then tie into a circle using the loose ends of yarn. Knot firmly, then tie into a bow. Trim ends of yarn.

Add a hook or loop for hanging.
Makes a wreath about 3.5ins in diameter.

The Meaning of the Chrismas Wreath.

Much symbolism can be attributed to the Christmas wreath. The shape of a circle has no beginning and no ending. This may represent the eternal nature of a god’s love, or the circle of life. Evergreens are used to represent immortality and the victory of life through darkness and challenge. The fact that evergreens live through winter signifies the strength of life.

The decorative value of wreaths is believed to have been derived by ancient tradition. In the way that we use house numbers today, wreaths featuring different floral arrangements were used to identify different families and houses.

Also attributing to the wreath lore is the Roman use of wreaths as signs of victory. It is believed that victors of battles would hang wreaths upon their doors to advertise their status.

Today wreaths are a wonderful decorative touch, both year round and at Christmas time. It is a sign of faith in humanity and life and of victory over life’s challenges. Whether you hang a wreath on the door to welcome visitors, or on the wall to complete a room’s decor the splash of color on a cold winter’s day is sure to add a feeling of warmth, building excitement for the coming season

I-Cord Jewelry & Accessories

Making an I-cord is one of those things that seems mysterious and difficult until you now how to do it. I waited a long time to sit down and make an I-cord because it always sounded kind of scary to me, probably because it involves double-pointed needles, which I’m not too keen on.
The good news is that making a I-cord is really quick and easy, and you can use them for all sorts of things, from the strap of a bag to hair accessories.

Uses for I-Cord

I-cords is 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.

Necklace, bracelet or broach the list is endless