When we want to add a subtle decoration to our projects, Purled i-cord cast on is a great way to do it. The edge formed by this method looks nice next to any stitch pattern, and it works remarkably well with garter stitch.
This edge looks the same on both sides of the fabric and it has a pleasant sturdy structure. The edge is moderately elastic making it less likely to stretch out of shape. That means that the edges of your projects won’t be distorted even after many washes.
All it takes to make the purled i-cord edge is three simple steps.
WATCH EVERY STEP IN THIS VIDEO TUTORIAL
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SETUP
We start by casting on stitches for the i-cord. You can go with three to five stitches, but it seems that a narrower version looks neater than a wider one, so I’ll cast on three stitches for an i-cord that will decorate the edge of my swatch.
As to the way to get those three or more stitches on your needles, any cast-on method will do as long as it forms a sturdy edge – we don’t want the very side of the cast on edge to flare out. To start the i-cord on my swatch, I used the slingshot version of the long-tail cast on method.
Turn the work.
This is the only time we turn the work while we add new stitches to our needles. From now on, the right side of the fabric will be facing us up until we cast on all stitches we need for our project.
STEP 1
Bring the yarn to the front of the work and move it over the right needle making a regular yarn over.
It might feel a bit awkward when you form a yarn over for the first time because the right needle is not connected to the i-cord yet.
To make it less confusing, simply place the tip of the right needle under the working yarn, move the yarn to the back of the needle and the yarn over will be formed on the right needle without any effort on your part.
STEP 2
Bring the working yarn to the front of the work and purl the stitches of the i-cord.
Keep an eye on the yarn over formed in the previous step. Make sure the yarn goes over the needle and the yarn over does not disappear after you purl the first stitch.
If that yarn over gets loose, pull the yarn slightly after you purl the first stitch to tighten the yarn over.
Usually, the yarn over might get loose only in the first row of the i-cord. Once the needles are balanced, the yarn overs behave much better.
STEP 3
Bring the yarn to the back of the work and slip the stitches of the i-cord to the left needle. Do it purlwise, without twisting the stitches.
Repeat these steps until you cast on the number of stitches you need for the project less one stitch plus the stitches of the i-cord. Finish with step 2 (when the newly-minted stitches and the stitches of the i-cord are still on the right needle).
For example, to cast on eight stitches for my swatch, I stop when I have ten stitches on the right needle – seven cast-on stitches (eight less one) plus three stitches of the i-cord.
Turn the work.
Purl all stitches of the i-cord together. If the i-cord is made of three stitches, purl those three stitches together. If your i-cord is wider, purl 4 together or purl 5 together depending on the number of stitches you cast on at the very beginning of the cast-on process.
Then bring the yarn to the back of the work and slip this stitch purlwise to the left needle.
Now we are ready to work the first row of the project.
ROW 1 – WRONG SIDE OF THE WORK
This row can be worked in two different ways.
If you add this edge to a project worked in garter stitch, or if you want to highlight the edge with a garter ridge on the right side of the fabric, knit all stitches in this row through the back loop.
If you add this edge to a project worked in any other stitch pattern and you don’t want to decorate it with an additional garter ridge, purl all stitches in this row through the back loop.
Because purling through the back loop is a slightly tricky maneuver, I’ll break it down into a few very simple steps.
With the yarn at the front of the work, insert the tip of the right needle from left to right under the back leg of the first stitch on the left needle.
Wrap the needle with the yarn as we do when we purl a stitch.
Pull this yarn wrap through forming a neat twisted stitch at the bottom of the right needle and slip the worked stitch off the tip of the left needle.
Once you finish the first row and turn the work, you will see that working each stitch through the back loop produced a lovely row of twisted stitches that propped the i-cord making it more vivid.
To make the cast on edge look better, pull the i-cord sideways to redistribute the yarn and even out the stitches.
To add this cast on edge to a seamless project, leave a longer tail before you cast on the stitches of the i-cord, then repeat the three steps described in this tutorial until you cast on all stitches you need for your project.
HERE’S A VIDEO TUTORIAL THAT SHOWS EVERY STEP
Finally, use the long tail to graft the open stitches of the i-cord to the corresponding stitches of the first row of the i-cord. I explained this process in great detail in the first part of the book about matching cast ons and bind offs.
SAVE IT FOR LATER
This and 36 other in-depth tutorials are part of Knitting Collection #7.
