PurlbedGarment making › Bands and trims
Machine i-cord (tube cord)
A thin, round, solid cord that looks like a row of stocking-stitch Vs going round a tube. Used as drawstrings, ties, loops and applied edges. 3–5 needles are in work. The carriage knits in one direction only and slips (misses) in the other, so the yarn always starts from the same side.
- Single bed
- Needle selection
Machine types that can knit it
Demo swatch
Drawn for: Single bed, punch cardApproximate preview worked out from the bed chart, not a photo.
Steps
- E-wrap cast on 3 or 4 needles.
- Set the carriage to knit from one side and slip on the return.
- Knit as many passes as you need, adding weight to the cord as it grows.
- Cast off or leave on waste yarn for sewing on.
The full card
- What it looks like
- A thin, round, solid cord that looks like a row of stocking-stitch Vs going round a tube. Used as drawstrings, ties, loops and applied edges.
- How it behaves
- A round tube, 3–6 stitches around.
- How it works
- 3–5 needles are in work. The carriage knits in one direction only and slips (misses) in the other, so the yarn always starts from the same side. The strand carried across the back pulls the few stitches round into a tube.
- Machines
- A carriage that can slip in one direction (Brother part button or part cam, Silver Reed slip settings). On a machine without slip, move the carriage back with the needles pushed back to non-working position, or pull the yarn back by hand [unverified].
- Parameters
- 3–4 needles (more needles make a flatter tube); tension a few numbers tighter than normal for the yarn [unverified]. A small weight on the cord helps it knit off.
- Steps
- 1) E-wrap cast on 3 or 4 needles. 2) Set the carriage to knit from one side and slip on the return. 3) Knit as many passes as you need, adding weight to the cord as it grows. 4) Cast off or leave on waste yarn for sewing on.
- Charting
- A narrow bed chart: knit rows alternating with slip rows on the same needles.
- Limits and common problems
- Too loose → a flat strip with a ladder at the back instead of a round cord [inference]. No weight → stitches do not knit off.
- Combines with
- piped-edge, machine-linking, pk-loops-braids.
- Pieces and assembly
- Drawstrings, ties, button loops, applied edging.
Written in our own words from machine manuals, knitting references and swatching. Knit a test swatch before a whole piece.