How to Knit Applied I-Cord

Applied I-cord (sometimes called attached I-cord) is a method for adding a border to a knitting project that looks like a tube of knitting. It’s pretty easy to do, though it is also rather tedious.

Why Knit Applied I-cord?

Applied I-cord gives your projects a nice, clean, finished look. It’s a great way to add another color to a project if you’re stash busting, and it can help keep stockinette from curling without having to knit a hem or a wider border.

If you know how to knit I cord using knitting needles, this is a pretty easy technique. You also need to know how to pick up stitches.

Adding an I-cord border in this way is done after the knitting is finished, not as part of the bind off. It can be worked with the same size needle as you used on the project or one smaller if you like. In the photos I knit the blanket on size 9 US needles and did the I-cord on size 8 US/5 mm needles because I couldn’t find any size 9/5.5 mm needles. It seemed to work just fine.

How to Work Applied I-cord

If you’re adding I-cord to straight sides like on a blanket, pick a corner to start. If you’re adding it to something circular like the bottom of a sweater or hat, you can start anywhere.

It’s a great idea to use a provisional cast on so that you can graft the beginning and the end of the edging together so it looks continuous.

Most applied I-cord installations are between 3 and 5 stitches, but you can make yours as wide as you like. Mine is 5 stitches. Use a piece of scrap yarn to cast on, and chain a few extra chains after you make your stitches for ease in removal.

Grab your working yarn and knit across the cast on.

Slide the stitches back to the end of the needle and pull the working yarn gently across the back of the work.

Knit 1 fewer stitch than is on your needle (in my case, 4).

Slip the next stitch as if to purl. Yarn over.

Take your needle into the edge of the project and pull through a loop as you would if you were picking up and knitting a stitch.

Pull the unworked stitch and the yarn over off the needle over the picked up stitch as if to bind off.

Slide the stitches to the other end of the needle and repeat the process without turning the work. When you first start you’ll want to pull on the I-cord after knitting every inch/2.5 cm or so to get it to close up on the back, but after a while it starts to close up on its own.

Tips for Knitting an I-Cord Border

While there are general rules for picking up stitches to knit edgings, I don’t totally follow them when I’m knitting applied I-cord. For me, the easiest way to know where to pick up a stitch is just to line it up with where my stitches on the needle want to be if that makes sense.

You want to pick up a stitch that’s in line with the border, not where an arbitrary guideline tells you to pick up a stitch.

Likewise you want to make sure you’re picking up stitches in the same place on every row. If, for example, you start by working one stitch in from the edge, continue to do so throughout. If you pull the I-cord back away from the project you’re knitting a little bit you can see the line of stitching better to make sure it is straight.

I-cord edging is a great place to hide yarn ends. You can either work over them as you work the I-cord or just thread a yarn needle and work them to the inside of the cord when the knitting is done.

If you have corners in your work, you can work an extra stitch or two to make a curved corner if you like.

When you get back to where you started, release your provisional cast on and graft the ends together.