If you’ve never heard of i-cord, you’ve probably seen it without knowing what it was. It’s a narrow, knitted tube that you can use for edging, handles, or pieces of knitted or crocheted items. It’s simple to knit in the round, but there are also i-cord makers that do the work for you using a system of latch hooks, and it makes it even easier to create. The Caydo company sent me a 6-hook i-cord maker to try out, and I decided to push it a little, which taught me some tips about what to do and what NOT to do when using one of these machines!
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What comes with this i-cord maker, and tips for the setup.
When you take the machine out of the box, it comes with a small weight, the knitting mechanism itself, and several accessories like needles and extra hooks. The machine may have either four or six hooks, mine has six, so it’s actually less able to handle thicker yarn because there’s just too much going on in the small area that the cord is made if the yarn is too thick.
Before doing anything else, it’s important to read the instructions. Even if you read this article and watch the video below, read the instructions!
The machine attaches to a table or countertop with a clamp system, which keeps it secure while you work. You’ll need a relatively narrow counter or desk edge to attach it to.
One of the most important parts of setup is threading the yarn correctly, because the tension determines whether the machine works smoothly or not. The yarn has to pass through the guide on the outside of the clear cover, then through a notch, and finally down into the center of the tube, where the weight will pull the knitted cord through after the hooks make it. It’s also helpful to leave a generous yarn tail, at least eight inches, though a full foot is even better to be on the safe side.
You HAVE to use the weight, unless you’re able to hold onto the tail that hangs down, because the bottom tension works to pull the knitted tube though. If the weight isn’t there the stitches will pile up onto each other, and you’ll end up with a mess. I did use some yarn that was too light for the weight, and it ripped the yarn, so I ended up pulling gently on the tube as it came out the bottom. You might have to do that, depending on the kind of yarn you’re using, but you need to have something under that pulls the tube down.
Tips for starting the i-cord.
Before beginning, all the hooks should be down, since the machine uses a latch-hook style system. To start, the first row is made by catching yarn on one hook, skipping the next, and continuing that alternating pattern all the way around for one round. If you have a 4-hook machine it will be “catch 1, skip 2, catch 3, skip 4” to make the first round. For the 6-hook version, it’s “catch 1, skip 2, catch 3, skip 4, catch 5, skip 6.”
The end of the first row is the end of that sequence, and no more! Only do the 4 or 6 to start, then go directly to the second row,
The second row is different because every hook must catch the yarn. Go around for one more round with EXACTLY 4 or 6 stitches being hooked by every hook, and that’s the second row. No more than that!
After completing that second row, the weight has to be attached to the yarn tail hanging below the machine. This weight is essential because it pulls the knitted cord downward through the center tube and maintains the proper lower tension. Without it, the machine won’t work correctly unless you pull down on it with your left hand as you turn the crank with your right (or vice-versa if you’re left-handed.). Although it is possible to hold the yarn by hand, the weight will give you more even results.
When you turn the handle for the first few rounds, it’s best to go slowly and watch carefully to make sure every hook grabs the yarn. The latch hooks pull the yarn through loops at the top of the white tube in the center, gradually forming a knitted cord that’s drawn down by the attached weight. If the hooks miss a stitch here, reverse a little VERY gently and redo that stitch, or you’ll end up with a missed stitch that will mess up the tube.
Once you become familiar with the motion, the machine can be turned more quickly. I think that turning the handle more consistently will keep the look of the finished tube more even because you’re not hesitating and it keeps the tension more even. However, at the beginning it’s important not to force the handle. Slow, steady turning helps you understand how the mechanism works and prevents dropped stitches.
Tips for making the i-cord.
Once you get started, you can basically turn the handle and make the tube as long as you want it to be. At first, I noticed some oil or residue on the hooks, probably from the machine’s lubrication, so it’s a good idea to run a little scrap yarn through the machine before using your best materials.
Make sure that the yarn that’s coming into the machine is relatively loose and isn’t getting too tight, or that can mess up the tension and you might miss stitches.
You’ll also need to watch the weight, because if it gets to the ground it will stop pulling the cord, and it will mess up the tension. Before it drops that low, detach it and reattach the cord by pinching it into the hole in the weight so that it can still pull the cord through the tube.
When the cord is long enough, the yarn can be cut and the handle turned a few more times so the final loops come off the hooks. At that point, the end of the cord will have loose loops that need to be tied to keep the cord from unravelling.
Using the needle included with the machine, you can thread through each loop in order and gather them together like a drawstring before pulling the yarn snug and tying it off. This process encloses the end so it won’t unravel. The beginning of the cord can be a little trickier to finish neatly, since knitting tends to unravel differently at the start than at the end, but the same basic method works. Just make a knot to make sure that it won’t unravel over time.
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What yarn works with this i-cord maker.
As I experimented, I quickly learned that yarn choice makes a big difference. Bulky yarns were too thick for the six-hook machine, and materials without stretch, like twine, didn’t work at all.
A fuzzy acrylic ombre yarn knitted nicely, but because it was delicate, the heavy weight sometimes tore it apart. For that yarn, holding the cord by hand as it came out of the machine and turning the machine slowly worked better than relying on the full weight.
Overall, worsted-weight cotton or acrylic yarn seemed to produce the best and most consistent results. You could probably also use thinner yarn to make a more delicate tube with a different texture, but don’t go a lot thicker!
How to use the i-cord.
There are a lot of ways to use knitted cord in your projects. On its own, an i-cord is stretchy, which can be fine for decorative trim or soft craft projects. Things like legs for stuffed animals would be easy to make with this machine.
If you want to use it as a purse handle or in another way where stretch isn’t what you want it to do, you can thread a non-stretchy cord through the finished tube. That gives the piece structure while preserving the soft knitted appearance on the outside.
In the same way, wire can be inserted into the cord so it can be shaped into letters if you want to make a name to hang up on a kid’s bedroom wall.
In the end, this little i-cord knitting machine turned out to be a fun tool. It does take some practice to learn the correct threading, tension, and yarn choices, but once those basics are understood, it can produce attractive knitted cords really easily. I’m going to try some more projects with it, and I’ll be adding them on this site, so check back!
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