twisted cords

I love twisted cords... they are incredibly easy to make and have unlimited uses

make a thick cord to use as the strap on a knitted handbag, or a thinner one as the tail for a knitted toy... and that's just for starters!

and they are so much faster to work up than what an i-cord is

you will need to precut some lengths of yarn... approx three times the length you would like the finished product to be

the number of lengths you use will depend on the desired thickness... have a play around and see what you prefer

make a practice cord

cut 3 pieces of yarn, each one about 30cm in length

after you have cut the yarn... put the scissors in your pocket... you will need to keep them close by


1. anchor the yarn to something solid, eg. door handle, clothes horse, basket handle, or a willing assistant might hold it for you!


2. begin twisting the yarn together... I like to just use my fingers, but of course there are options... some folk like to tie a pencil at the end of the yarn to use as a twisting handle... I have also heard of people attaching the end to an electric mixer (set to fast) or a drill (set to slow)


3. continue twisting... see how the 'twist' is getting tighter?


4. release some of the tension... does it curl all over the place like this? if so, you have twisted enough... pull firmly to straighten the cord out again


5. fold carefully in the middle and allow the two halves to twist together... do not let go yet!


6. cut at the anchor point, and tie in a knot to prevent unravelling


if using as a tail, keep the looped end to attach to the toy

otherwise, knot the top so that both ends look the same