Fine Finishing: iCord 4.0
Disclaimer and Disclosure. I’m a Mac. As in NOT a PC. As in I’ve been using Macs since 1984 and have trouble understanding why everyone doesn’t use one. Fortunately, Macs are famously well-adjusted and happy, so I can get along with everyone, and I’m usually first in line to laugh at the culture of Mac geekiness, so don’t take any of this personally. With that in mind, read on:
One of my favorite knitting techniques is known as i-cord, or if it were an Apple product, iCord. If it were an iPhone, it would definitely be running the much anticipated OS 4.0. The cool thing about it is that it is just about as versatile as my iPhone. With the electronic device, I can talk on the phone, surf the web, keep track of my calendar, play music, count my knit rows, measure my gauge (seriously-you know what I’m going to say-there really is an app for that) and many, many other things. It truly is a versatile and useful tool. I have been pleasantly surprised by how thoroughly it has gone beyond “nifty gadget” to “the little thing I carry that does real-life helpful stuff.”
My discovery and appreciation of iCord came with similar revelations. It is much more than just a nifty, gadgety sort of knitting technique that you only pull out at parties to impress people. If you can think of it, there is an app for that…amazing iCord. Did you know that it can be a cast-on; a knitted-in edging that prevents curling; an embellishment; a bind-off and an all-in-one applied finish that stabilizes, allows for custom buttonholes and adds both color and graphic punch to almost any design? There is hardly a finishing scenario that can’t be designed with iCord in mind. Yep, it’s that cool. 4.0 cool. The little pouch in the photo demonstrates the many uses of iCord as pretty much everything except the body of the pouch. Everything else including the button uses as iCord as the basic technique.
The only thing we really need clarify is that whole “I” thing. It actually came from the word “Idiot,” as in “Any idiot can work this cord.” Well, it really is that easy once someone shows you, but of course I would never think that about you. The “i” in Apple products originally came from “Internet” as in a Mac that was totally ready to connect to the internet. Then it just stuck, was easy to recognize and now means nothing except that you should plan on standing in line to buy what ever item it is prefixed upon. So, in spite of the fact that you never have to stand in line for iCord, that’s one more thing it has in common with Apple stuff-a sketchy name that now doesn’t mean much of anything. I hereby declare the “I” in i-cord to have absolutely no meaning other than emphasizing its extreme coolness and usefulness.
Get some yarn and try it! To work iCord 1.0, you cast on 3, 4 or 5 sts onto a double pointed needle and, with another double pointed needle, always knit every stitch with the knit side facing, sliding the stitches to the opposite end of the needle after each row instead of turning the work. It’s circular knitting on two needles! It makes an actual little tube. I was going to make a video for you, but when I searched on YouTube, I found many, many videos already in existence, so thanks to all the generous knitters that share their expertise with us interweb citizens. You’re about as cool as iCord.
