I-cord: How to Knit an I-cord

An i-cord is just a little tube of knitting. It is a great way to make tie for any knit item that might require it. You can use this technique to connect up your mittens so they don’t get lost, create ties for the Cable Me Softly booties to keep them on the wiggly baby feet, or make the ties for the Beloved Bonnet.

Were you looking for information on the i-cord bind off? Check out our i-cord bind off tutorial here.

Bodhi is wearing her Beloved Bonnet with i-cord ties. It is knit up in Cedar House Yarns Yearling DK in ‘sunstone’.

To make an i-cord you will need yarn and double pointed needles (a circular needle will work just as well, but it’s a little fussier because you have to slide your stitches all the way from one end to the other).

An i-cord can be creating using 2, 3, 4, 5 or sts. For this tutorial I am working a 4 stitch i-cord for my bonnet.

How to knit an i-cord:

Cast on 4 sts (I used a long tail cast on).
Slide your stitches from one end of the DPN (or circular needle) to the other. Your working yarn will be coming from the 4th stitch cast on.
Knit those 4 stitches.

Repeat instructions 2-3 until your i-cord is the desired length.

2. Slide those 4 stitches to the other end of the DPN (or circular needle). Note that the working yarn is coming from the 4th stitch.

Ready to knit those 4 stitches, the working yarn is coming from the 4th stitch so you are going to bring it across the back of your stitches to knit that first stitch.

After you knit those 4 stitches give your tail a little tug and your i-cord will look like this.

Here I have slid those 4 stitches to the other end of the needle so my working yarn again comes from the 4th stitch. I will bring it across the back to knit that first stitch.

As you repeat steps 2 and 3 your i-cord will start to grow!

To keep the tension even in your i-cord, after you have knit the first stitch of the set, give it an extra tug so it’s nice and snug.

That’s it! I-cord is easy peasy once you get the hang of it! Click here for our full in-depth tutorial on the Beloved Bonnet.

Did you enjoy this tutorial? Don’t miss the next one! Sign up for our email updates and we’ll send you a little note every couple weeks with a story, inspiration, and links to our best tutorials. If there’s something you’re particularly interested in learning, we can help you with that too!

More accessory patterns from Tin Can Knits

Snowglobe hat

Rye Light

Sunshine hat

Timber

Beloved

Antler mittens

New tutorials, right to your inbox!

We’ll write you a note a couple times a month to share our new knitting tutorials, patterns and stories!

9 Comments

Ashley Frandrup
February 28, 2021 @ 5:23 am

Thanks! I just knit a couple of these to attach at the end of my shawl points! Any suggestions on how to securely attach them?
- Alexa Ludeman
  March 1, 2021 @ 1:54 pm
  
  Hi Ashley – are you securing pom poms? I use a nice secure knot and weave in my ends.
jencat
October 15, 2020 @ 12:11 pm

Is there a particular method for binding off?
- Alexa Ludeman
  October 15, 2020 @ 1:53 pm
  
  Hi – It depends which pattern you are working on. I usually use a regular bind off (k1, k1, pass first stitch over second and off, k1, pass first stitch over second and off etc.), but if I’m doing a shawl I would do a looser bind off. If it’s ribbing I might bind off in pattern. Try a few different methods and see which one you like best.
Pamela Watson
September 13, 2020 @ 8:39 am

Great tutorial and explained very clearly! Thank you so much for sharing! <3 <3 <3
graceworks00
January 28, 2019 @ 1:49 pm

She’s gotten so big!
Paige Scott
January 26, 2019 @ 3:34 pm

How do you make an I-cord edging??? Been seeing those a lot lately
- alexaludeman
  January 28, 2019 @ 6:56 pm
  
  Tutorial upcoming for that one!
kristiknits
January 26, 2019 @ 2:29 pm

What a lovely pattern