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Finishing · Easy

I-cord

A crochet i-cord is a narrow round cord made of chains only. Pull up three loops, take the hook out of two of them, and work a chain through each loop in turn: first the one left on the hook, then the two you are holding. Row after row of those three chains closes into a tube that looks like the knitted cord of the same name.

How to work it

  1. Chain three

    Make a slip knot and chain 3. One chain for each stitch of the cord.

  2. Pull up three loops

    Put the hook into the second chain from the hook, yarn over and pull up a loop. Do the same in the third chain. There are three loops on the hook.

  3. Take two loops off the hook

    The top of a cord of three stitches, drawn flat: three columns of chain stitches side by side. The loop at the top of the right-hand column is on the hook. The loops at the top of the other two columns, marked, have been taken off the hook and stand open.

    Slide the hook out of the last two loops, leaving only the first on it. Pinch the two loose loops between finger and thumb so that they stay open, and do not pull on the yarn while they are off the hook.

  4. Work the loop on the hook

    Yarn over and pull the yarn through the one loop on the hook. That is a chain.

  5. Work the two held loops

    The same cord a moment later. A chain, marked, has been made on the right-hand column, which is now one stitch taller, and its loop is on the hook. The other two loops still stand open. An arrow shows where the hook goes next: into the open loop of the middle column.

    Put the hook back into the next loop you are holding, yarn over and pull through that loop only. Do the same with the last held loop. Each loop has had one chain worked through it, and three loops are on the hook again.

  6. Repeat

    Take two loops off again, and work all three in the same order. Go on until the cord is as long as you need.

  7. Finish

    With the three loops on the hook, cut the yarn, yarn over and pull the end through all three loops. Pull it snug.

At a glance

Used for
Handles, ties, drawstrings, trims, and the limbs of toys
Made of
Chains only, worked in three columns side by side
Loops
Three in the steps here. The cord can also be made with two loops or with four.
To make it thicker
Start with more chains, one for each loop.
To make it longer
Work more rows. The length is not fixed by the start.
Looks like
The knitted cord called an i-cord: a smooth, narrow tube

The name comes from knitting, where the same narrow tube is made on needles. The crochet one is worked with a hook alone, and the only stitch in it is the chain.

The move to get used to is that loops come off the hook and wait. Hold them between finger and thumb, and keep the yarn a little slacker than usual. A loop that is tugged while it is loose can run out.

As the rows build up, the three columns of chains close round into a tube. The cord is round, not flat.

This is not the round cord of the Cords page, which is a spiral of single crochet (UK double crochet) worked round a small ring. Patterns call both an i-cord. The cord here can also be worked onto the edge of a piece as a trim.

When it goes wrong

A loop pulled out while it was off the hook.
The yarn was pulled while the loop was loose. Pinch the loose loops between finger and thumb, and leave the yarn slack until the hook is back in them.
I cannot get the hook back into a held loop.
The loop has drawn closed. Hold the yarn more loosely than usual while loops are off the hook, so that they stay open, and work slowly.

Variations

  • A two-loop cord. Chain 2 and pull up one loop, so that there are two loops. Take one loop off the hook and hold it, work the other, then put the hook back and work the one that waited. The cord is thinner.
  • A four-loop cord. Chain 4 and pull up three loops. Work the loops in the middle in the same way as the first: a chain through each, one after another.

Questions

Can you make an i-cord with a crochet hook?
Yes. Pull up three loops, take two off the hook and hold them, and work a chain through each loop in turn. Repeat until the cord is long enough.
How do I make a crochet i-cord thicker?
Use more loops. Start with four chains for a four-loop cord.
Is this the same as a cord of single crochet worked in a spiral?
No. Both are called i-cords, but the spiral cord is made of single crochet worked round and round, and this one is made of chains.

Where to go next

Stitches