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Binding off the icord way: The BEST knitting finishing touch

by Fiona Stevenson

Welcome back to the last day of our Cute as a Button Cardi knit along using Universal Yarn’s Uptown Worsted Hues. This week, I shared the secrets of how to pick the perfect yarn for your project, how to get the right fit, how to knit the lace sections with confidence, and how to maintain an even tension throughout the sweater. It’s Sunday and finally, I’m revealing the beautiful bind off you may have noticed in all the photos of my Cute as a Button cardigan. It’s an icord bind off, and it’s possibly my favorite finishing technique of all time! Follow the tutorial below and try it out for yourself. You’ll LOVE it!!!!

Two balls of Uptown Worsted Hues in Pink Sand colorway (cream, pink, light blue, sand) are centered in the foreground while a lace cardigan sweater knit with the yarn lays in behind, blurred slightly; Universal Yarn

The Cute as a Button Cardi knit along continues today with perfect finishes.

The icord bind off tutorial

This is a crisp, clean, decorative bind off I use a lot on shawls and cowls. Be aware that it uses approximately three times as much yarn as a regular bind off, so make sure you have enough yarn left to make it. I used it for the hem and the sleeves of this cardigan.

Close-up of the icord bind off on the sleeves and hem of a cream, pink, blue, and sand striped Cute as a Button lace cardigan; Uptown Worsted Hues, Universal Yarn

Use the icord bind off to make your Cute as a Button sweater something truly special.

abbreviations

BO – Bind off

K – Knit

K2tog – Knit two stitches together

LH – Left hand

RH – Right hand

St(s) – Stitch(es)

Icord Bind Off

  1. Cast on 2 sts at the beginning of the next row.
  2. K2, k2tog.
  3. Slip 3sts purlwise from the RH needle onto the LH needle.
  4. K2, k2tog.
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until 3 sts remain on the LH needle.
  6. With the needles tip to tip, slip the 3sts on the LH needle onto the RH needle.
  7. K2, BO1, k1, BO1. Cut yarn and pass yarn through the remaining loop and pull tight.

A close-up of two cream-colored stitches added onto the left-hand needle; Uptown Worsted Hues, Universal Yarn

Step 1 – Cast on 2 sts.

A close-up of needles showing a K2tog stitch; Uptown Worsted Hues, Universal Yarn

Steps 2 and 4 – K2, k2tog.

A close-up of needles showing slipping stitches purlwise from the right-hand needle to the left-hand needle; Uptown Worsted Hues, Universal Yarn

Step 3 – Slip 3sts purlwise from RH needle to the LH needle.

A close-up of needles showing a k2tog stitch; Uptown Worsted Hues, Universal Yarn

Step 4 – K2, k2tog.

A close-up of the icord bind off partly completed on a set of metal needles; Uptown Worsted Hues, Universal Yarn

Repeat steps 3 and 4 and watch your icord bind off grow!

And, now, the final touch – buttons!

All the hard work is done. Time for a little fun! Let’s choose some fun buttons for our Cute as a Button Cardi. I asked my FB and Insta fans to choose their favorite button, and they did! I’ve shared the photo I posted below so you too can decide which buttons you think goes best on my sweater.

A postcard photo with 5 different kinds of buttons: pink ducks, pink hearts, pink flowers, light blue bunnies, white hearts on pink circles. In the center it says: Choose Your Favorite Button.

Which buttons do you like best?

The most popular button was the little white hearts on the bottom right of the photo below, but the second favorite were the ducks on the top left-hand corner. Since the ducks were my favorite buttons, I went with those. Hey, my vote’s gotta hold more weight than anyone else’s, right?

The finished Cute as a Button Cardi in cream, pink, blue, and sand stripes with duck buttons lays flat on a rich blue velvet cushion; Uptown Worsted Hues, Universal Yarn

Here it is! My Cute as a Button Cardi!

Thanks for joining in!

Thanks for joining the ‘Cute as a Button Cardi knit along’ this week using Uptown Worsted Hues by Universal Yarn. I hope you enjoyed getting the inside scoop on expert knitting secrets for making perfectly knit delights for you and your loved ones. Knit on and come back soon!

This is part 5 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 4: When it’s important to knit two swatches per project

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