Attached I-Cord Tutorial

 

The pink edge in the image above above is an Attached I-cord.  Attached I-cords are a great way to finish a knit edge. They're a clean alternative to messy selvedges; they help flatten a rolling edge; and they can add an exciting blast of color. There are lots of ways to knit an attached I-cord. Here's how I do it. --Whitney

If the cast on end of the I-cord is going to meet the bind off end, I suggest using a provisional cast on so you can graft the two ends for a neat finish (for instructions on grafting two live ends, please visit our Kitchener Stitch Tutorial). If the ends aren't going to meet, use a regular long tail cast on. Since this tutorial comes from the Mary Jane Slippers where the ends do meet, I'll use a provisional cast on here (see our Provisional Cast On Tutorial for help).

After casting on, do not turn the work the way you normally would to knit the next row. Instead, slide the stitches down the double pointed needle to the right end. The working yarn is coming from the far left stitch. Bringing the yarn around the back, knit the first stitch. (If you've never knit an I-Cord, you may want to consult our basic I-Cord Tutorial for in-depth instructions of the steps.)

 

Knit until there is 1 stitch remaining on the left needle. Slip this stitch as if to purl.

Bring the yarn forward in a yarn over. Dip the needle into the edge of the knitting, and bringing the yarn around to knit, pick up a stitch.

There are now 2 more stitches on the needle than the original cast on (in this case, 6). Pass the 2nd and 3rd stitches (ie the slipped stitch and the yarn over) over the picked up stitch. You should now have the original number of stitches on the needle (4).

Slide the stitches down to the right end of the needle and repeat the process: k to the last stitch, slip 1, yo, pick up a st, sl 2 st over.

Note: These instructions are especially suited for a contrasting color I-cord. If the I-cord is the same color as the knitting, you don't need to yarn over and you can just slip the last stich, pick up a stitch, and pass the slipped stitch over the picked up stitch.

If you are following this tutorial in order to make the Mary Jane Slippers, you will complete the two ends of your Attached I-cord by grafting them together using the Kitchener Stitch.  Please visit our Kitchener Stitch Tutorial for complete instructions.