Whenever we want to give a special treatment to a cast-on edge of our project, the i-cord cast on is almost always a good method to use. It is a simple way to form a neat cast on edge that doesn’t stretch out and keeps the stockinette fabric from curling.
We’ve already discussed how to use this method when we work back and forth (if you missed that tutorial, click here. But how do we add this beautiful i-cord edging to necklines of top-down sweaters, hats, cowls and other seamless projects?
The cast on itself works in exactly the same way as the Simplified I-Cord Cast On method with one adjustment – the yarn tail that we leave before we cast on stitches should be of medium size, around 30 cm / 12″ long.
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So, leave a medium-sized yarn tail and cast on three to five stitches depending on the width of the i-cord.
Use the long-tail cast on or any other basic cast on method you like. I prefer to use a slingshot version of the long-tail cast on because it does not form a stiff slip knot.
Then we turn the work so that the working yarn is at the right side of the stitches and take the needle with the stitches in our left hand and the empty needle in our right hand.
From then on, we work three simple steps:
(1) Make a reverse yarn over.
(2) Knit the stitches of the i-cord.
(3) Slip the stitches of the i-cord to the left needle. Do it purlwise, without twisting the stitches.
The tricky part comes when it is time to join the i-cord cast-on edge in the round. We want to do it seamlessly to make the join fully invisible. That means half-grafting the stitches of the first row of the i-cord to the corresponding stitches of the last row of the i-cord.
Here’s how we do it step by step:
SETUP
Repeat steps (1) through (3) until you cast on the number of stitches that you need for your project. This number does not include the stitches of the i-cord itself.
For example, to cast on 20 stitches for my swatch, I stop when I have 20 stitches on the right needle and 3 stitches of the i-cord slipped to the left needle.
Slip the stitches of the i-cord purlwise from the left needle to the right needle.
Now the right needle holds the number of stitches that we need for our project plus the stitches of the i-cord.
STEP 1
Arrange the stitches for working in the round. Divide the cast-on stitches between double-pointed needles, two circular needles, spread them on one short circular needle or split them in half if you use one long circular needle and the magic loop method.
No matter how you divide the stitches, add the stitches of the i-cord to the last group of stitches.
For example, to work with the magic loop method, I split the 20 stitches that I cast on in half, moved the first group of 10 stitches to the other side of the long circular needle and separated it with a magic loop from the other group that includes 10 cast-on stitches and 3 stitches of the i-cord.
Fold the cast on edge so that the first row of the i-cord is at the left side and the open stitches of the i-cord are at the right side. Thread the yarn tail into a wool needle and move the working yarn to the right to keep it out of the way.
To make it easier for you to see how this method works, I’ll use a yarn tail in a contrasting colour.
STEP 2
Make sure that the cast on edge is not twisted. Then insert the wool needle from back to front into the first stitch from the tip of the right needle (it will be the first stitch at the left side of the i-cord).
Slip this stitch off the needle and pull the yarn through so that the strand between the ends of the i-cord is as big as one leg of any stitch that forms the i-cord.
Because the working yarn is attached to this stitch, the stitch could easily get loose. Pull the working yarn a bit to adjust the size of the stitch, but don’t make it too tight – it should be as big as the rest of the stitches.
STEP 3
Insert the wool needle from right to left under both legs of the first stitch at the right side of the first row of the i-cord. Because the i-cord is upside down, this stitch will look like an inverted V.
Pull the yarn through leaving a strand that is as long as one leg of any stitch of the i-cord.
It is very important to keep every strand of the seam as long as one leg of an average stitch. This way, we’ll make the seam fully invisible.
STEP 4
Insert the wool needle from the top down into the stitch that we slipped two steps ago and from back to front into the first stitch on the right needle.
Slip this stitch off the knitting needle, pull the yarn through and form a new strand of the seam.
STEP 5
Insert the wool needle from right to left under two legs (another inverted V) of the next stitch in the first row of the i-cord.
Pull the yarn through and adjust the length of the strand.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you join all live stitches of the i-cord to the corresponding stitches in the first row of the i-cord.
LAST STEP
Insert the wool needle from front to back into the last live stitch of the i-cord and from back to front into the first stitch of the last row of the i-cord (the stitch that we slipped off the needle in step 2).
Pull the yarn through and shape the last strand of the seam.
Secure the yarn and hide the tail inside the i-cord.
If the yarn is thick, you can skip the “secure the yarn” step to avoid forming a bulky knot. But if the yarn is slippery, it is safer to secure the yarn to make sure the stitches of the seam won’t unravel when you wear your knitted creation.
As you see, the seam we’ve just created blends perfectly with the i-cord. That’s why it is a good idea to place a stitch marker before we start to work the first round. The marker will be the only way to tell where the beginning of the round is.
In the first round, work according to the pattern of your choice, knitting and purling stitches as usual, through the front loop. Because we cast on stitches by making reverse yarn overs, working them through the front loop will form a neat line of twisted stitches that will prop the i-cord and make it even more vivid.
HERE’S A VIDEO TUTORIAL THAT SHOWS EVERY STEP
To match this look when you bind off stitches of your project, use the i-cord bind off method and then join the ends of the bind off edge using the steps described over here.
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This and 36 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #7.
