I-cords are one of my favorite ways to add small details to projects – whether it be drawstrings or just some decoration, they’re a great way to add a more structured or decorated chain to your project.
In the picture above, you can see the drawstring I used to make my little sister’s bookbag last year is made with an i-cord. It turned out great and the i-cord was sturdy enough to keep the bag closed and secure without much thought.
I will be basing this post off of a 3-stitch i-cord. If you are looking to work a different size i-cord, step 1 will explain how to adjust this to the rest of the instructions.
Looking for a video? Check out the video tutorial below or scroll past for the picture tutorial!
Step 1: Create a slipknot and Chain 3
If you are trying to make a 2-stitch or 4-stitch i-cord, you will be subtracting one stitch on your chain or adding one, depending on which you are going for. The premise is the same throughout the rest of the steps.
Step 2: Pull up a loop in the 2nd chain from your hook as well as the 3rd chain from your hook.
For the purposes of this tutorial, we will be referring to the three loops as loop 1, loop 2, and loop 3, as shown below. Loop 1 will be the one closest to the head of your hook, with Loop 3 being the last loop on your hook.
Step 3: Slide loops 1 and 2 off your hook and Chain 1 with loop 3 only. There should be 1 loop on your hook.
This is where things get a bit confusing – to start off your i-cord, you will be sliding off the loops closest to the head of your hook and keeping only 1 loop on your hook. This means, you will be sliding off loop 1 and loop 2. It may help to pinch these two loops to secure them so they don’t come unraveled.
Step 4: Slip loop 2 back onto your hook and Chain 1 with only loop 2. There should be 2 loops on your hook.
Step 5: Slip loop 3 back onto your hook and chain 1 with only loop 1. There should be 3 loops on your hook again.
Step 6: Repeat steps 3-5 until your i-cord reaches your desired length.
To bind off, I like to yarn over and pull through 2 loops and repeat again with the remaining 2 loops. You can also opt to close this off by simply yarning over and pulling through all loops as well!
I hope this tutorial helped you! What projects are you looking at doing with this technique?
Until next time,
