One of the things i like so much in knitting is its versatility. They’re often more than one way to achieve the same result, which is so great for people like me who get bored to do the same things over and over again. The I-cord cast-on is one of these !
I-cord Cast-On with Picked-up Stitches
The first way i learnt to cast-on with an i-cord is really simple and work as a garter tab Cast-on. First, you need to work an i-cord for as many rows as the total desired number of stitches minus 6. Then, turn your work (90° anti-clockwise), pick-up one stitch on each i-cord row. At the end, pick-up 3 more stitches in the original cast-on row. And, voilà!
The flaw of this method in my humble opinion is that it can get hard to have neat picked-up stitches. More than once my stitches were utterly loose and I did not find a great and easy way to tighten them back up.
I-Cord Cast-On with increases: a Step by Step Tutorial
- Cast-on 3 stitches with your preferred cast-on method.
- Knit in front AND back loops of the first stitch.
- Knit the two remaining stitches.
- Slip the last 3 stitches back to the left needle.
Repeat steps 1 to 4 until you have the total number of stitches wanted. You’ll quickly see the i-cord forming under your needle. Magic. isn’t it?
I-Cord Cast-On: a Video Tutorial
As usual, I did film a video tutorial to go along with the Step by Step tutorial. It’s in French but you can mute it and still see how it works.
