I received an email this morning from a reader frustrated with making I-cord, asking for advice. I wrote my original I-cord post ages ago, so I thought I would talk about it again since it comes up pretty often. I use felted I-cord frequently on my projects. It makes a beautiful edging for pillows, loops for stockings, and so many other pretty embellishments. It may be a little tricky to make at first, but once you get the hang of it it’s worth it!

In 2007 when I appeared on Martha Stewart to demonstrate my Cup O’ Joe pincushion, we knit the I-cord trim with an “Embellish-knit” crank operated cord maker. I have used them to make cord, but I can no longer recommend them. I have broken several by using yarn that is too heavy (fingering wt is best) and they are just plain picky.

My new love is a similar crank operated cord maker made by INOX. I don’t know if it’s the German engineering (vs. made in China) or what, but it knits like a dream. You should still use a fingering weight wool yarn with this maker. I got mine from Mielkes Farm. I use an unwashed Harrisville Shetland yarn on cones from Halcyon Yarn. (it’s not necessary to use yarn on cones, btw.)

Of course, you can use an old fashioned knitting spool or knit the I-cord on double-pointed needles as well, but it’ll take a lot longer. When you are ready to felt, untangle the I-cord and put it in a lingerie bag before running it through a hot wash cycle, then dry in the dryer. The result will be a nice thick cord that you can cut without it unraveling. It will have shrunk about 30% in length, depending on the yarn you used.

This close up shows how the I-cord looks right off the cranker ( light pink) and what it looks like after felting (dark pink).

One more idea for an I-cord alternative came to me from Ida via email:
“Instead of using the Embellish Knit Machine, I used a size J crochet hook and Cascade 100% Peruvian Highland Wool yarn (100 grams) and crocheted a chain using two stands of yarn. It felted into a nice round cord, perfect for the teacup handle and trim on the saucer.”

I hope I’ve convinced you to give felted I-cord a try one way or another. The big pile shown above is actually a result of my 6 and 8 year old boys cranking away. I thread it up for them and they go to town. I pay them by the foot to help me out when I need cord for Cup O’ Joes and kits! They beg me to do “cranky-cranky” when they need to supplement their allowances. How can I resist? I gotta say, they are gosh-darn adorable in action.

so get cranky! 🙂

P.S. I found a video tutorial showing how to use the Embellish-knit if you’re interested!