Colorful Lanyard Cast-On for knitters, and Lanyard Cast-Off, tooLet's make a fish!

Lanyards cords, useful for knitters was part 1 of this series. But lanyards aren't only for making cords  They also make very pretty CAST-ONs and CAST-OFFs! 

Colorful and quick: Lanyard cast-on

To demo, here are some little fish. These little quick projects show off how stretchy and pretty lanyard edges can be, with the cast ON matchy-matchy to the cast OFF. 

Cast on (fish bottoms) and cast off (fish tops): a perfect and colorful match

The next post will show the lanyard cast-on and cast-off in real life: on the edges of a baby sweater. And as a bonus, a matching deco-band which echoes both the cast-on and cast-off. But for today, the basics, so...

Let's make a fish

The sample fish is the pink one, featuring yellow borders and a red dotted outline.

Let's make a fish 

To make the fish, you will need:

• three different colors of scrap amounts of yarn: wool in worsted weight preferred (worsted weight = yarn ordinarily worked at 5 st/in)
• A crochet hook suitable to the yarn-gauge
• One small thin double pointed needle (DPN)
• Two knitting needles in a size suited to your yarn--I think DPN's will be easiest here.
• tartar sauce--haha! Not!

This is a three-color lanyard, but in the finished product, really only two colors are obvious in the lanyard itself. Specifically, 

• The first color laid down will be the color of the fish (A):  PINK  in our example. This color shows somewhat in the lanyard border itself, but the other two colors dominate. 
• The second color laid down (B) will be the contrast color which runs inside the border in a series of attractive purl-looking bumps,  RED  in our example.
• The third color (C) makes the top and bottom outline of the border. In the example, C = YELLOW: the yellow edges outlining the fish and the red border. This will also be the color of the wrapping on the fish's tail. 

This demo project uses short rows so you can cast OFF  without having to pick up along any edge: the cast-on segues directly into the cast-off.  Even if you've never worked a short row before, these ones are super-basic: don't let the short-row component scare you off. 

LANYARD CAST-ON

Make a three-strand S-mounted lanyard as shown in the first post of this series (illustrated directions for cord here, video of "s" mount here). 

Continue drawing loops through one another in regular order: pink-A, red-B, yellow-C until you have 11 pink bumps. End with the full sequence, meaning, after there are 11 pinks, make one more red and one more yellow. (Geek note: in this way, you are set to begin the cast OFF in correct color-cycle sequence with another pink.)

An S-mounted three color lanyard worked for 11 full cycles of pink-red-yellow. Running yarn to right, tails to left. The yellow loop is inactive at this point, but will patiently wait be picked up again as part of the cast-OFF.

With the slim, small dpn, pick up out of the lanyard, the pink bumps. Mount these right arm forward, as for ordinary knitting stitches. 

A repeat of the opening photo, showing pink "bumps" mounted right arm forward on a slim dpn. Click here to enlarge. These mounted loops are now ready to knit into. The yellow loop continues to patiently wait in suspension until we begin the cast off. 

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KNIT THE FISH

Row 1 (front). Switch to larger dpn's. 

• Slip 1 pink st "open" (i.e.: not twisted, also called "slipping purl wise").
•  *P1, K1, repeat from * until within 2 sts of end, P1. 
• Wrap last st by holding yarn to back, slip last st to right needle, bring yarn to front, return last st (the one you just wrapped) to the left needle. 
• Turn work. 

Row 2 (back). Due to the slipping maneuver which ended row 1, row 2 begins with 1 st on the right needle and the yarn to the back. Don't forget to transfer the slipped stitch to the second of the larger dpn's before knitting row 2.

• *P1, K1, repeat from * to within 2 sts of end of row. 
• Wrap second-to-last st by holding yarn to back, slip second-to-last st to right needle, bring yarn to front. return second-to-last st to left needle. 
• Turn work.

Row 3 (front). Due to the slipping maneuver which ended row 2, row 3 begins with 2 sts on the right needle and the yarn to the back. 

• *K1, P1, repeat from * until within 3 sts of end of row. 
• Wrap third st from end of row by holding yarn to back, slip third-to-last st to right needle, bring yarn to front. return third-to-last st to left needle. 
• Turn work.

Row 4 (back). Due to the slipping maneuver which ended row 3, row 4 begins with 3 sts on the right needle and the yarn to the back. 

• *P1, K1, repeat from * once. You are now 4 sts from end of the row, P1.  
• Wrap third st from end of row by holding yarn to back, slip third-to-last st to right needle, bring yarn to front. return third-to-last st to left needle. 
• Turn work.

Row 5 (front). Due to the slipping maneuver which ended row 4, row 5 begins with 3 sts on the right needle and the yarn to the back. 

• *P1, K1, repeat from * once. You are now 4 sts from end of the row.  
• Wrap fourth st from end of row by holding yarn to back, slip fouth-to-last st to right needle, bring yarn to front. return fourth-to-last st to left needle. 
• Turn work.

 Row 6 (back). Here is a progress photo showing the work just before starting row 6. There are four sts on the right needle, 7 sts on the left needle and the pink running yarn is at the back of the work. In this back-view, the tails from the cast on are to the right, the red and yellow running yarns from the lanyard cast-on are to the left. The yellow loop waiting patiently to left shows where the lanyard remains in suspension while we continue knitting the fish. 

Progress photo: just before starting row 6

• Commence working row 6 by K1, P1, K1. You are now 4 sts from end of the row.  
• Wrap fourth st from end of row by holding yarn to back, slip fouth-to-last st to right needle, bring yarn to front. Return fourth-to-last st to left needle. 
• Turn work.

Row 7 (front). Due to the slipping maneuver which ended row 6, row 7 begins with 4 sts on the right needle and the yarn to the back. 

• *K1, P1, repeat from * once, K1.  You are now 2 sts from end of the row.  
• Wrap second--to-last st by holding yarn to back, slip second-to-last st to right needle, bring yarn to front. return second-to-last st to left needle. 
• Turn work.

Row 8 (back). Due to the slipping maneuver which ended row 7, row 8 begins with 2 sts on the right needle and the yarn to the back.

• * K1, P1, repeat from * to within 1 st from end of the row.  
• Wrap last st by holding yarn to back, slip last st to right needle, bring yarn to front. return last st to left needle. 
• Turn work.

Row 9 (front). Due to slipping maneuver which ended row 8, row 9 begins with 1 st on the right needle and the yarn to the back.  

• *P,1, K1, repeat from * to within 2 sts of end of row, P1. 
• Wrap last st by holding yarn to back, slip last st to right needle, bring yarn to front. return last st to left needle. 
• Turn work.

Row 10 (back). Switch to smaller dpn and slip the wrapped st onto it. Working with the smaller dpn, 

• *P1, K1 until within 2 st of end, P1. Slip last st. 

The knitting is done, 11 stitches are on the slim dpn. Cut the pink yarn to a tail of several inches. 

__ __ __

LANYARD CAST-OFF

Lanyard cast-off echoes the lanyard cast-on. The main difference is, the first stitches in the sequence--the pink ones--are not worked from the pink running yarn (which, in any case, you just cut off at the end of row 10!) Instead, the pink stitches of the last row of knitting--waiting there on their smaller dpn--will be used instead, acting as the first stitches of each cycle of the lanyard. 

Specifically, 

• Hold the work in your non-dominant (usually left) hand. 
• Take the crochet hook in your dominant (usually, right) hand and slip it through the yellow loop which has patiently been waiting in suspension all this time.
• Next, onto the crochet hook, slip in the "open" position, the first pink stitch from the tip of the smaller dpn. 
• Draw the pink stitch through the yellow loop, and snug up the yellow. The upper inset shows this: the first pink stitch has been slipped off the dpn onto the crochet hook, with the yellow loop now snugged up around its little neck. In the square overview photo, middle, you can see the yellow running yarn which has been tugged upon to do the snugging. 

The lower inset shows that after the pink has been drawn through and the yellow loop snugged and dropped off, the next step is exactly as for the lanyard cast on: the red is caught around the hook of the crochet needle, ready to be drawn through the pink.

Recall that the color-cycle sequence of the lanyard cast-ON was pink, red, yellow, then starting again with pink. So, you have just replicated that color-cycle by drawing a "first pink" through a "last yellow." and there is the second color--red--waiting to to go through the pink. After the red is through, the cycle will end again when the yellow running yarn is drawn through the red loop. Then, the next cycle will be set up to begin with next pink stitch drawn off the dpn by the crochet hook, and again drawn through yellow.

 Below is one final progress photo with the cast-off more than half done, and a pink about to be drawn off the slim dpn, then through a yellow. Recollect that, except when one loop is in the process of being drawn through another, there is only ever one loop at a time on the barrel of the crochet needle, so that yellow will drop off the needle as soon as the pink is pulled through.

Lanyard cast-off in progress

Geek note: Heads up! When we come to troubleshooting, we will revisit the above photo for an optional alternative bind-off. This photo has been given a green background rather than blue so you will remember it!

The cast off ends with a yellow, and the last step is to use the yellow running yarn to work a wrapping over the fish's tail. Begin by cutting the the red tail to the length of a few inches. Holding all the tail ends in a bunch in your left hand (non-dominant), work a single crochet casing over the strands (or use the yellow running yarn to work any other ending which catches your fancy in the second post of this series). 

Here is a close-up of the crocheted tail-wrap being worked. Again, the directions for this are in the second post of this series. 

Crocheted tail wrap worked over fish tail-strands

For finishing, work in the pink cut end near the head of the fish. If desired, knot the individual tail strands to prevent their coming unplied in the future, and make an eye with a scrap of contrast color yarn.

Wondering what to do with your fish? These are small enough to fit into an envelope with a card or letter, where little kids like them as a surprise. They also fly surprisingly well when thrown--the tails stream out and catch the breeze. 

TROUBLE-SHOOTING

Trouble-shooting a too-loose cast off. If the problem is that the main color stitch is too loose where it is worked as part of the bind off, then re-work the last row of the garment before the cast off with a smaller knitting needle. Because the cast-off often is somewhat loose, the fish pattern calls for a smaller needle on row 10, and if that's still too loose, use a smaller needle still. 

If the problem is that the cast off is just overall sloppy and loose, use a smaller crochet hook and/or pull the yarns tighter after each stitch.

Of course, all these tricks can be combined.

Trouble shooting a too-tight cast off. Sometimes, the problem is not a too-loose cast off, but a too-tight one. The first and easiest thing try is working the cast off with a larger size crochet hook.

If that is not sufficient, perhaps the last row of knitted stitches was knit on too small a needle. It stands to reason that if the last row of stitches on the slim dpn are too tight, the cast off will also be too tight. Correct by re-working the last row on a larger needle, rather than switching to a slim dpn.

 If the problem persists even with a looser last row and a larger hook, there is a third alternative: you may work the cast-off in the manner of a single crochet instead. And this is where we re-visit the photo with the green background. 

Suppose instead of drawing the pink through the yellow and the yellow dropping off, that you hold both the pink and the yellow on the crochet hook, as shown in the green-background photo AND THEN, draw the red through BOTH. This replicates how a single crochet is worked by drawing a third loop through two loops over the barrel of a crochet hook.

Specifically, *draw the pink off the slim dpn onto the barrel of the hook, BUT ALSO retain the yellow on the hook--there are now TWO loops on the barrel of the crochet hook as per photo. Through BOTH of these, you would draw the red as a loop. This would be followed by a single yellow drawn through the red in the manner of a chain stitch, but the next pink would NOT be drawn through the yellow, with instead, a new cycle commencing by repeating from *, above. 

Do you wonder whether the single-crochet-like alternative looks different than the ordinary lanyard cast-off? The fact is, you might notice the point where one switched to another, but they are otherwise extremely similar. The real difference is in the tension, not the overall appearance. 

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CAST-ON AND -OFF IN REAL LIFE

On a larger project, the cast-on and cast-off are the same as shown here with one exception: you don't usually have a situation where one segues into the other, as they do on this pattern. Therefore, the cast on usually ends after the last main-color bump has been worked, meaning, you wouldn't add another red, yellow combo after the last pink as you did on the fish. Similarly, the cast-off usually starts by drawing the contrast color through the first stitch to be cast off. In terms of this pattern, there would have been no yellow loop waiting patiently to start the cast-off color cycle. Instead, you would have started by slipping off a pink stitch and drawing through a red, then a yellow, before starting the cycle over again by slipping the second pink off the knitting needle, and through the yellow.

--TK

Questions? Feedback? Talk to me about this post  on Ravelry TECHknitter forum 
or via e-mail (contact on "more info" page, upper right)

Lanyards starting and ending

The previous post showed making (warp knit!) lanyard cords with a crochet hook, suitable as drawstrings for hoodies and the like. In this post, we'll look at starting and ending these cords.  There are lots of choices!

From easiest to most complex, lots of choices

Of these endings, some are simple knots, some involve crochet, some are a form of macramé. But these are by no means the only options. Knots and macramé are crafts in themselves, and many decorative knots have been developed over the centuries. This post barely scratches the surface. 

1 a and b: cord-end knotted, with tassel-end

1a: Using the overhand knot, knot the end of the cord, leaving the strands protruding and unknotted.

1b: same, but also work an overhand knot on the ends of each individual strands.

This is the easiest option: a few seconds and you're done, plus, the cord will never unravel. As shown below, work an overhand knot on the end of the cord. For the longest-lasting cords, catch the base of the cord itself into the knot. The strands protrude as a tassel, either left as they are (option 1a) or each strand knotted (1b) to prevent it coming un-plied in the future.

Left: overhand knot at end of cord, the cord end is part of the knot.

Middle, option 1a: knot tightened, strands left protruding as a tassel, strand ends unknotted.

Right, option 1b: tassel strand-ends knotted.

To work this as a cord-beginning, prepare by leaving unworked, sufficient lengths from which to afterwards to form a tassel. Above, these lengths, start the cord with a twist. Then, knot the end afterwards as part of the finishing process. While it may seem you could just start with a knot, that will result in a cord loose at that end. You can't catch into the knot, the base of a cord you haven't yet started! 

 This option works on all the cords: flat, as well as 2-, 3- and 4-strand. It is the quickest. 

2a, b and c: ends worked in through a knot or winding

2a: cord knotted, tails worked in

2b: same as a, but on an I-cord

2c: winding instead of knotting, also shown on an I-cord

Knotted or wound-around, on a lanyard or even on an I-cord.

First, secure the cord end with an overhand knot as for option 1.

Left: thread each strand-end in turn onto a needle, 

Right: work the end into the cord through the knot (no tassels). Tension the strand slightly and cut near the cord. 

2a: Knot the end of the cord as for option 1. Then, thread a sharp needle with each strand in turn, plunging through the knot itself before burying the end in the hollow center of the tube. Plunge the end into the knot very close to the spot where it emerges from the knot, but not in the exact same spot, or you risk undoing the knot itself. Where the worked-in strand emerges from the cord below the knot, tension the strand slightly and then carefully cut close to the cord. The strand will retract into the cord-center, never to be seen again. 

2b: Same, but on an I-cord. Many people leave their I-cords plain on the ends, the only finishing being to work in the end. However, IMHO, adding an overhand knot is an improvement: it protects the cord-end and gives you a little knob to grab when tightening the cord. 

2c, winding: On an I-cord, you have only one strand to work in at each end. So, you can simply wind the strand tightly around the end several times. Then, using a threaded needle, plunge the strand-end through the core of the cord (and therefore, also through the tight winding). On lanyard, you can wind one strand around, then work the other strands into the tail through the winding, just as you would work tails in through a knot. 

Working a threaded needle through a knot or winding requires force so watch out! Don't pierce your fingers! Consider wearing a thimble. 

Like option 1, to use this at the beginning of a cord, start the cord with a twist, then come back afterwards and work the knot or winding, leaving the strands a sufficient length before starting the cord. 

 This option works best on hollow-center cords (i.e.: I-cord, or 3- and 4- stranded lanyard). This option is my personal favorite: it never, ever wears out and remains fresh over the years (decades!) 

3a and b: half-hitch knots over the strands

Option 3 is very quick: a series of half hitch knits in contrasting colors, leaving the strands as tassels. These endings taper the cord because only the strands are knotted: this leads the cord-end to elongate. In other words, the base of the cord is not part of the knot. This means that, unlike the other "endings" in this series, you can also start the cord with these knots, a good option if you want to start working the lanyard from a completely secure base. You can leave the tassel-strands plain or comb them out for a feathery look. (You can also knot them as for option 1b, but that is not shown.)

Half-hitches, 3a: three left are sequential. 3b, (right) is alternating from both sides over the center red "filler cords"

On a three-stranded cord, (three left cords, option 3a) each strand takes a turn being worked over the ends as a half-hitch. On a four-stranded cord (right, option 3b) the cords are divided into pairs: the inner pair remains as a "filler cord" (red in photo) while the outer pair (yellow and black) alternate being knotted from opposite sides, in half-hitches around the filler.  

A half-hitch knot is nothing more than an overhand knot (shown above, option 1) but this time, worked around the other strands.

Half-hitch

 Here is a  useful animation: as you watch, imagine the metal knob as the other strands of the tassel.

One note. Skinny knots pulled tightly are not easy to undo. Consider practicing tension in knot-making around some plain strands of yarn before committing to knotting an ending onto a lanyard cord. 

This option works on all the cords: flat, as well as 2-, 3- and 4-strand. However, it is not very showy in a two-stranded cord. 

4: single crochet casing over the strands

Crocheted casing

This is a quick ending. It is best worked using one of the strands of the lanyard, so prepare by leaving a long tail (longer than you think!) for that strand at beginning and end. 

Here is the how-to diagrammed in 7 steps

step 1

1: leave a long tail--shown here as blue. Hold this strand to the back with your non-dominant hand (usually, left) with the long strand uppermost.

step 2

2: Using a crochet hook, and working with the long strand, reach the hook behind the other strands of the tassel and pull a loop to the front (highlighted red).

step 3

3: Retaining the red loop over the barrel of the crochet needle, again reach behind the other strands of the tassel and catch the long strand under the hook of the needle as a second loop (highlighted green). Draw the second loop through the first in the direction of the red arrow.

step 4

4: You now have a loop (highlighted green) over the barrel of the needle, anchored at the bottom by the previous loop (highlighted red). In other words, the red loop is an anchoring loop, formed around the other strands of the tassel and the green loop is a chain stitch, pulled through the red anchor.  

step 5

5: Retaining the green highlighted loop around the barrel of the crochet hook, again reach the needle behind the other strands of the tassel and use the hook to pull up a new loop (highlighted purple), However, do NOT pull the purple loop through the green. The purple loop is actually another anchoring loop.

step 6

6. Retaining the green AND the purple loops over the barrel of the crochet needle, catch yet an additional loop over the needle (highlighted orange). There are now three loops over the crochet hook: green, purple and orange. The entire assembly is anchored by the red loop first made, as well as the base of the purple loop.

step 7

7: Finally, pull the orange loop through the green and the purple loops. Like the green loop, the orange loop is a chain stitch, it is not an anchoring stitch. 

With this series of maneuvers, you are performing "single crochet" stitches, the bases of which surround the other strands of the tassel. In technical terms, these stitches "encase" the other tassel-strands, so that you have made a "single crochet casing" over the other strands. To make the next stitch, recolor the loop on your needle to green in your mind's eye, and repeat steps 5, 6 and 7. 

Again: the structure is a series of anchoring loops (the red as well as the purple loops above) topped with a chain of traveling loops (the green and the orange loops above).  In the opening photo, you can see the topping-chain running along the right side of the casing, while the anchoring stitches lay to the left, encasing the other tassel-strands.

If the tension is not what you expected, this casing is very easy to pull out and redo, tighter or looser,  using a smaller or larger hook. This is a big advantage over methods requiring knots of any kind. 

Finishing: When the casing is as long as you want, and you are happy with the tension, pull the yarn tail through the last loop on the crochet hook. However, this causes the tail to stick up into the air, so, with your crochet hook, reach under the last loop of the last anchoring stitch, and pull the tail through this loop to join the other strands where they emerge from the casing. The tail will now lay in the same orientation (under the loop) as the other strands and form part of the tassel. 

Because the casing is made from one of the strands of the cord, this casing cannot slide off the end of the tassel: it is anchored in the cord itself.

To use this at the beginning of a cord, start the lanyard with a twist,  as shown in the first post, afterwards working this casing over the beginning of the cord. Again: prepare by purposely leaving one strand long before starting the lanyard. 

This option works on all the lanyard cords: flat, as well as 2-, 3- and 4-strand. (Preview: this is the ending for the little fish we will make in the next post, which introduces lanyard cast-on and bind-off. Stay tuned!)

5a and b: macramé endings: gathering knot and spiraling half-hitches

5a: winding a tassel: gathering knot. In this variation, you wind the end of the cord somewhat similar to option 2c, but where that option featured a knot, this option features a tassel. This is a form of macramé called a "gathering knot."

Gathering knot

For this trick, you use a separate piece of yarn, in the color you want the winding to be. IRL (photo above) there is a red winding over a four-strand red cord. In the diagram below, we are winding a blue yarn around a four-strand gray tassel-end. 

Four steps of a gathering knot

• 1. Using your separate piece of yarn (blue) pull down a loop (highlighted in red) then begin winding down, over the loop in a clockwise direction, following the red arrow. 
• 2. Wind around several times, evenly and tightly.
• 3. Draw the cord-facing tail (highlighted red) through the beginning loop (also red)--this is at bottom of illustration. Tug up on the tassel tail in the direction of the red arrow. 
• 4. This snugs the loop-and-tail assembly, and hides it in the winding. 

This kind of winding tends to want to slide off the end of the cord in use. To combat, thread the cord-facing end of the winding onto a needle and work it into the hollow core of the cord, shown below. Tension the strand slightly, then cut where it exits the cord and it will retract. Leaving a long tail inside the core of the cord adds friction, helping the winding stay in place. 

Hiding the cord-facing tail in the hollow core, similar to option 2, above

If the color of the winding is wrong for it to become part of the tassel, then the tassel-tail can be cut short and its end tucked under the winding. Otherwise, if this tail is the correct color to join the tassel, it adds one strand to the tassel--the red tassel in the photo is a four-strand, but there are five tassel tails for this reason. 

Experience teaches that, if you are using a same color winding, you should somehow distinguish the winding-tail from all the other tails. That way, when the time comes to tug the opening loop under the winding, you will know just which tail to pull. Another thing: You can work this over the strands only, or over the strands and the base of the cord--doesn't really matter, just work both ends of your lanyard the same. 

To work this at a cord-beginning, start the cord with a twist,  as shown in the lanyard post. Then, afterwards, work the winding over the cord-beginning as part of the finishing process.

 This option works best on hollow-center cords (i.e.: I-cord, or 3- and 4- stranded lanyard) because the hollow core offers a place to anchor the top tail. However, if you are willing to cut the top tail and tuck it under the winding, it also works with 2-strand or flat lanyards: in that case, wind very tightly.

5b: spiraling half-hitches with tassels, a macramé ending with optional additional strands

Macramé half-hitch spiral with optional additional strands

This ending is nothing more than a series of half-hitches tied, always in the same order, over the cord-end. As each knot is tied, it is pushed back in sequence by the pre-existing cord before it. The result is a very pretty spiral.

The tassel above has optional extra strands added for a fuller-looking tassel. The diagrams below demo that idea with an additional purple strand. However, additional strands are optional: you can work this spiral of half-hitches over a cord without adding any extra strands. 

step 1

1. Into the last loop of the lanyard (blue), draw the other strand(s) of the lanyard, as well as (optional) additional short strands of yarn (here, shown in purple). For optional additional strands, center them in the loop with one arm to the outside, as shown. Snug up this last loop and leave this blue strand of lanyard-yarn quite long, this "running yarn" is what the tassel-end will come to be wrapped with.

step 2

2. Thread the blue strand onto a needle and work it a short distance up the core of the cord until it emerges at the point where you want the spiral to start--maybe a half-inch or so. Unlike in previous options where a strand was threaded through a cord-core, DO NOT cut the yarn. 

step 3--making a half-hitch

3. Commence by making a half hitch around the cord-end, at the height the running yarn emerges. This half-hitch and all the others (except the last) are made as shown: following the path of the red arrow, draw the yarn to the back, then behind the tassel, around the bottom, then up in front, and finally, from right to left, under the strand where it emerges from the cord.  

step 4--spiraling half-hitches

4. Continue in this manner making sequential half hitches around the tassel, always in the same direction. As you snug each knot firmly to its neighbor, the knots will automatically spiral around the cord. You can enhance the angle of the spiral by further twisting the knots around the tassel after every few knots. 

step 5--last half-hitch

5. To end the series, work the final half-hitch in the other direction. Specifically, bring the strand behind the tassel, around the bottom, but this time, through the previous loop from left to right. In this orientation, the last knot lays over the strand, trapping the strand to lay smooth as part of the tassel. This is the same knot as was used in option 3, above.

Because the casing is made from one of the strands of the cord, this casing cannot slide off the end of the tassel: it is anchored in the cord itself.

To use this at the beginning of a cord, start the lanyard with a twist. Then, afterwards work this macramé series of knots over the beginning of the cord. Purposely leave one strand long before starting. 

This option works on all the lanyard cords: flat, as well as 2-, 3- and 4-strand. It is true that a flat cord has no hollow core, but, because the yarn is wound and knotted around the cord-end, the part of the strand threaded onto the needle in step 2 will never show. 

* * *

One final note: wherever a yarn-end has to be worked in above, the illustration shows a threaded needle. However, a knit-picker tool works just as well if not better, especially with short ends. I showed a sewing needle because I didn't want you to think you had to run out and buy some new tool. However, IMHO, it is really worthwhile getting and learning to use a knit-picker. 

Knit-picker tool showing closeup of head. IRL, the hook is  tiny.

A knit-picker is a tiny latch hook meant for dragging snags to the back of the fabric in commercially knit polo shirts and the like. They are available in every fabric store. To work tails into a lanyard, work the hook in the open-position through the knot or winding, or up into the hollow core of a cord. Then, grab the tail to be worked-in under the latch, shut the latch and retract the knit picker. This drags the tail along with the retracting hook. In other words, a knit-picker works the opposite direction to a sewing needle and has the advantage of never needing to be threaded. There is more about working ends in with a knit picker at this post, and the idea is the same for working through a knot or winding, or burying an end in a hollow core. 

Again: working anything, needle OR knit-picker, through a knot or winding takes force. Do not pierce your finger. Consider a thimble.  

* * *

Other posts in this series: 

Cords for Decoration and Utility: quickly use a crochet hook to make "lanyard" cords (+musings on warp knitting)

Using Lanyards for colorful cast-on and cast-off (Let's make a fish)

--TK

Questions? Feedback? Talk to me about this post on TECHknitting Ravelry forum.

Cords for decoration & utility: quickly use a crochet hook to make "lanyard" cords (+ musings on warp knitting)

Pretty, aren't they?

I-cords are useful and attractive, but they can only really be knit in one color, and can be rather stiff. Today's method of making cords with a crochet hook can be made in different colors--very pretty!  This cord is based on a crocheted chain stitch, but two strands (or more) are used. Like the chain stitch cord on which it is based, this is very strong--much stronger than the single strands of yarn from which it is made. In two strands, it is thinner than I-cord, and much faster to make, but obviously, the more strands (and potentially, the more colors) then the thicker (and slower) it gets. 

If you remember plastic-lace "lanyards" from summer camp, these cords have a similar look, but they are worked with loops and a running yarn, rather than knotted out of cut lengths.

The motions

Here's a "motions" video of working a two-stranded cord, hopefully a help with the how-to's. It demo's four things.

• Two ways of holding the yarn--standard grip and reverse grip. 
• Two different stitch mounts ("S" and "C") which are also explained in illustrated detail, below.

Two-strand cord in two different colors

Start the first color as a twist over your crochet hook. A twist is the easiest way to start practice making cord because it pulls out very easily. (The very next post will have much more about cord endings and beginnings.)

As shown from the front (left illustration) the tail descends over the running yarn (running yarn = yarn running back to the ball). If you rotate the twist around your hook so it's seen from the back (right illustration) the tail descends behind the running yarn. It looks unsecure but as soon as you pull a new loop through, the twist flips over, while the next loop made with that same strand locks the twist down--more about this below. 

Technique: twist to start cord

Follow the blue arrow to hook the second color (left illustration) and pull it through the first loop (right illustration).

Two-stranded cord: second loop pulled through

For better detail, click here to enlarge

Taking a closer look at the path of the yarn, the "standard way" to mount yarn on a crochet hook is what I'll call an "S" catch: if you squint a little, the path of the yarn makes an "S" as it travels

•  behind the stem of the hook from left to right, 
• then comes forward around the stem from right to left, 
• to then pass under the hook itself in that same right to left direction. 

There is more about stitch mount below, in the section on yarn topology. 

This picture shows three things: 

--First, it shows the "S" mount position to grab yarn for the next loop (technique)

--Second, it shows "crossing over," where the green yarn crosses in front of the white to start the next color-cycle.

--Third, it shows how the starting twist comes to be locked onto the running yarn when working the first "real stitch" in that same color, as mentioned above.

Click here to enlarge for better detail

The 2-color cycle starts anew when you "cross over" the first (green) yarn onto the hook, and pull the first color through the second (white), as shown above.

Continue in this manner, "S"-mounting the yarn, and drawing up first a loop of A, then of B. 

Here is the cord in real life

2-stranded cord worked in green and white

showing front (left) and back of same cord

At the end of the cord, draw either yarn--doesn't matter which one--through the last loop and tighten. For now, we leave the cord there, but there will be more about cord-ends (and cord beginnings) in the very next post. 

Three-color cord

Similar in its manner of work to 2-color cord, only just adding another color to the work (left illustration) before "crossing over" the first color through the third (right illustration). 

Three-stranded cord: the first two strands (red and pink) are worked as for a two-stranded cord, followed by a third strand (yellow) worked in the same manner. Then, the cycle starts anew when the first color (red) "crosses over" to be drawn through the last color (yellow). 

Click here to enlarge 

Here is the cord in real life.

3 stranded cord worked red, pink, yellow showing the different side views

Four-color cord 

Same as three-color, but draw through a fourth strand before "crossing over" to begin the next color cycle. 

Four-stranded cord: the first three strands (red, yellow, red) are worked as for a three-stranded cord, followed by a fourth strand (black) worked in the same manner. Then, the cycle starts anew when the first color (red) "crosses over" to be drawn through the last color (black). 

Click here to enlarge

Four-stranded cords most resemble the plastic-lace lanyards of summer camp, and a quick look at an end shows why: there are four yarns clasping one another in turn, a sort of four-part handshake. It's true that the photo shows the cord when the work is over and the ends have been cut, but the loops in the work have the same "clasping around-and-around" structure. 

A four-strand cord forms a sort of a box-shape, and each face of the shape actually looks quite different.  The end shown above belongs to a four-strand cord worked with two reds, a black and a yellow. Here is a photo of the different faces of that cord.

The different faces of 4-strand lanyard

As practical consequence, if you want a particular color to show more, use more of it (as the two reds in above example). That way your wanted color shows no matter which way the cord turns.

Tension

Too tight is no good: the cord looks cramped if each loop is drawn up very tightly. Too loose is no good either. Two-stranded cords always lay rather flat, but when you get to 3- and 4-stranded cords, a too-loose cord has no bounce. With a "just right" tension, 3-stranded work has a prism cross-section △ and 4-stranded, a box-profile ▢, both with hollow cores. If your cords are a bit flat, tightening up will make them more 3-D. Vary the crochet hook size until you get the result you like, or vary your grip, as shown in the video (or both). 

Yarn topology--a geekish interlude with musings on warp knitting

In the illustrations above, I showed always catching yarns around the hook as for standard crocheting, with the yarn mounted on the crochet hook in "S" orientation.  

If instead, you draw through without winding the yarn around the stem of the crochet hook, the path of the yarn more nearly resembles a letter "C." (BTW: both "S" and "C" mounts are shown in the short opening video.)

Technique: "C" mount. Compare to "S" mount

The below illustration shows the possible combinations of  "C" and "S" mounts in a two-stranded green and white cord where the green is always the first yarn knit. 

• If the first yarn is mounted "S-"wise and the second "C-"wise you get open loops. The loops resemble a lower-case "n," meaning, they look like knit stitches: the tails enter the stitch from opposite sides, and the bottom of the stitch is open (not twisted shut). 

• If both yarns are mounted "C-"wise, the first yarn (green) is twisted into an "e" loop: the loop is twisted shut, with a tail like that below the loop of a lower-case "e," but the second yarn is open--an "n" loop. 

• If both yarns are worked "S-"wise, the first yarn is an "n" loop but second yarn (white) is twisted into flipped "e" loop, like a backwards lower-case "e." 

• If the first yarn (green) is mounted "C-"wise and the second yarn (white) is mounted "S-"wise, you get two "e" loops

The four mount variations possible in a 2-strand cord. 

"S-C," upper left. Compare the structure with open lap warp knitting, below

"All-C," upper right 

"All-S," lower left 

"C-S,"  lower right. Compare the structure with closed lap warp knitting, below

Click here to enlarge, click here to view "all-S"cord IRL, previously shown above

Now, if you compare the above diagrams with the ones below, it becomes clear that we are working something highly unusual for hand knitters, and this is "warp knitting," or at least its first cousin. Warp knitting is worked column by column, with long yarns called "warps," because they resemble the warps in weaving--the long threads which go all the way through the entire length of a bolt of fabric. Due to the way it is made, it more dimensionally stable than weft knitting, and does not easily unravel.  Warp knitting gets its name by contrast to weft knitting, where the knitting is laid down in rows. Regular hand-knitting is weft knitting, laid down like the wefts in weaving--across the fabric, row by row. 

Warp knitting is beyond the normal ken of this blog because it is not a hand-knitting technique. It is always (well, almost always, I guess...) done by giant industrial knitting machines with hundreds, or even thousands of needles: a separate needle for each of the columns of long warp threads (video link). However, if you compare the structure of open lap warp knitting (below, left)  to "S-C" cord (upper left, above) or closed-lap warp knitting to "C-S" cord (lower right, above) why, would you look at that! You see yarns following essentially same paths.

Two forms of warp knitting, in which each column gets a separate strand of yarn (like the long warps of weaving).

Compare the open-lap structure to "S-C" cord: they share essentially the same "n" loop structure. Similarly, compare closed-lap structure to "C-S" cord: they share essentially the same "e" loop structure.

Click here to enlarge.

Illustration based on original source material in Journal of Industrial Textiles 

Close comparison reveals the 2-strand cord is very similar in structure to warp knitting. So, despite warp knitting being unusual for hand-knitters, now you can say that you have done it, or at least the two-column-wide, first-cousin version. Warp knitting by hand! And with a crochet hook, no less!  Achievement Unlocked in "Call of Knitting!" ("League of Knitters?" "Grand Knit Auto?") 

In three-color cord, I again showed the cord made in standard "S" orientation. 

Here's a closer look. The first loop was red, and a pink was pulled through that. So far, this looks a lot like the "n" loops of knitting. This is what the pink-through red stitches would look like IF you could isolate them as they lay in the finished cord. Of course, in the real world, there would be a crochet hook through the newest pink loop, and other loops of yarn through the backs, but in basic concept, this is what things look like after the second loop (pink) is pulled though the first (red).

Now, you draw the yellow (third color) through the pink (second color), and in basic concept, this is what you would have if you could just isolate those two yarns--more "n" loops. Looks just like pink through red, right?

But when you start the cycle all over again by drawing through a red, the last strand of all--the yellow loop--is suddenly going through the cord like an "e" loop. Why? Well,  just like in a two-strand cord, when the last loop in a sequence is "S-"mounted, it twists shut. It bears repeating: "S" mounts lay open unless they are the last loops of the sequence (here, yellow) in which case they twist into an e-loop when they are flipped over to "shut" the cord into a hollow 3-D shape and start a new cycle. (If you want that last loop open, you must work it as a "C" mount, just as was shown with two-strand cord. Specifically, if you want all the loops open in a three-strand cord, you must work "S-S-C.")

When you put all three components of the "all-S" 3-strand cord together, you get something complicated: two n-loops (red and pink) with an e-loop pulled over (yellow). This is it below (and yes, this took a hot minute to illustrate, and no, I'm not going to show the four-strand cord--you are on your own!) 

Click here for larger window.
Side views of this cord were shown above, click here to see them again. 

So, is three-strand and four-strand lanyard warp-knitting also? There is certainly a subset of warp knitting performed circularly: circular warp-knitting machines make cord and cord-casing for everything from rope to implantable tubular medical fabrics. Their method of operation is different, using many needles, not just one, but the fabric being created are essentially the same as we are making here: looped fabrics, both "open" ("n") and twisted ("e") around a hollow core where adjoining stitches are worked from different "warp" (long) strands and each column is joined to its immediate neighbors. Topology suggests that the answer is "yes" (or at least "they're pretty darn close").

* * *

At this point, perhaps you are thinking that it's interesting and all about the warp knitting, but "what's the bottom line? How does all this orientation stuff matter?" Well, as we get further along, we will see this orientation again. For now, however, the immediate take-away is CONSISTENCY! 

If you switch between "S" and "C" orientation at random, your cord will have a "broken" appearance where the pattern went off. This is a close-up of the back of the 2-strand cord from the "motions" video where the stitches randomly switched between "C" and "S" mounts as part of the demo. Random mounts = random appearance. Alternating color gives way to consecutive stitches along the edge. Random bars of white appear above the bottom border. 

For every-day cord making, method of mounting yarn on the hook is knitter's choice. For each strand, choose a "C" or an "S" mount--whatever is easiest for you. After choosing, however, stay with whatever you picked to avoid a gnarly cord like the one above.

Cords and colors

Multi-color

So far, we've mostly used a different color on each strand. 

• 3 strands, 3 colors[⓵ ➋ ⑶]
• 4 strands, 4 colors [⓵ ➋ ⑶ ➃]

But of course, this isn't the only possibility.

In three-stranded cord, 

• two colors the same and one different also looks very well [⓵ ⓵ ➋ or ⓵ ➋ ⓵ ]
• The order of knitting the colors actually does make a difference, most obviously from the back, the upper sample is ⓵ ⓵ ➋, and the lower is ⓵ ➋ ⓵

 

 

In four-stranded cord, 

• you can make three strands the same and one different [⓵ ⓵ ⓵ ➋] and again, where that oddball strand is placed in the order does make a difference to the overall look
• two sets of two colors; either staggered [⓵ ➋ ⓵ ➋] or clumped [⓵ ⓵ ➋ ➋] or 
• two strands the same and two strands different, and again, either staggered [like the red-black-red-gold cord above--⓵ ➋ ⓵ ⑶] or clumped ( ⓵ ⓵ ➋ ⑶]

The more strands, the more possible color combos. Yet, pretty soon you realize that the more strands, the slower to make and the stiffer the cord. 

Single color

In single-color cords, you have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of lanyard vs. I-cord.

4-stranded single-color lanyard
(left) vs. 3-stitch I-cord (right)

Lanyard of fewer strands are generally quicker to make than I-cord (although YMMV, especially when going up the learning curve). However, quicker to make but...longer to finish. I-cords have one tail to work in per end, whereas lanyards have one tail per strand-- a three-strand lanyard yields 6 total ends to deal with vs. two total ends for an I-cord. Depending how you want to deal with the ends (next post), the time-advantage of one-color cords may well be with the I-cord. And, the more strands there are in the lanyard, the truer this is. 

In terms of utility use, however, 4-strand lanyard has the advantage: it is more robust. It's much harder to unravel. It is more flexible and retains shape and bounce longer. (In fact, these are the very qualities that make warp knitting preferable to weft knitting where a more durable fabric is wanted.) For the drawstring of a rough-use garment such as a ski sweater, I would use lanyard rather than I-cord, especially if combined with a cord-lock (more on cord-locks below). Worked in the same yarn, and similar size needles/hooks, four-strand lanyard is about the same thickness as 3-stitch I-cord (photo, left) but thinner than 4-stitch I-cord  (not shown). The lanyard is usually more elastic, as well, but this depends on how relatively tightly the cords are worked.

In terms of aesthetics, compare for yourself. The look is different and each single-color cord is a pretty little thing in its own right. 

Keeping track

Just as with inconsistency between "S" and "C"mounts, inconsistency with grabbing the wrong color also makes a broken appearance. Maybe jot down your color progression so if (when!) interrupted, you can start right up again. Or, use alphabetical order to arrange the progression (blue-green-red-white for example). 

If you do decide to make a one-color lanyard, then keeping track of your strand-progression is harder than if each were a different color. If you have good eyes, you grab the strand coming from lowest down. For more reminders, designate the strands by leaving just one naked, then clipping something different around the remaining strands--a paper clip, a safety pin, a twisty tie (there's that alphabetical order again!) Slide these attachments along up the yarn and out of the way as you draw more yarn into the cord. 

Variety cords--worked flat

The two-strand cord made first was a flat cord, and you can work flat cords wider also, by adding in more strands. Like the two-strand cord, flat cords are also variants of warp-knitting, and perhaps more so in that most warp knitting is flat-knit. Because the strands on these cords never "cross over" to flip the cord shut into a hollow tube, these type of cords look less like lanyards and more like the "friendship bracelets" of summer-camp arts and crafts. Here is a three-strand cord which is flat and four columns wide--the center color (green) is worked twice for each single-working of the outer (pink and yellow) columns.

A flat cord of three strands, but four stitches wide--

the center green color is used twice as often. Because of the

"C" mounts when working the second half of the cycle 

(right to left) the loops in the entire cord lay "open" (not twisted). 

To make this cord, start as for three-strand cord but using a "C" mount for the last (yellow) stitch. Specifically, working from left to right, 

• make an "S" loop of color 1, (pink), then draw through an
•  "S" loop of color 2 (first appearance of green) then draw through a
•  "C" loop of color 3 (yellow)

For flat cord, we now work back across the cord, this time working from right to left. In other words, do not "cross over" to start again with color 1 (pink) as you would do for three-strand lanyard cord, but instead 

• through the yellow strand, draw a "C" loop of green (second appearance of green in the cycle)

 The cycle ends with this second green, then starts again with an "S" loop of pink. 

As a result of this back-and-forth across the width of the cord, the center color (green) zig-zags between  borders of the two outer colors. 

* * *

Really, there is just no end to the color patterns and method-variations of these cords. Try bringing stitches around the back when "crossing over" for lanyards. Try to figure out how to trap the running yarn in the hollow center of a three- or four-strand cord (experiments in topology + friction). Try making flat cords with more strands and colors--the wider, the more "woven" the cord looks. And, wouldn't a bead look pretty on each outer loop of the flat cord? 

Scrap-yarns in different colors + a hook = endless entertainment for long rides. 

Uses

Drawstrings for grownup clothing or drawstring bags, or ties for blousy-type summer knits are obvious uses for lanyards and cords. If you've lost the drawstring from your sweatpants or pj's, a two- or three-strand lanyard is a quick replacement. (Hint: clip a big sturdy bobby-pin through one end of the replacement-cord as a leader--it's a lot easier to pull and push a bobby-pin through a cord-casing than to try to wiggle a cord through without a leader.) 

tasseled lanyard on a cowl

In the department of not-so-obvious uses, cords are are an unexpected substitute for elastic. Three- and four-strand lanyards are surprisingly stretchy!  Cord can tighten up too-big hemmed hats or hemmed cowls, or hold shut the bottom of a hemmed ski sweater in a decorative way. They'd be pretty on a skirt, and I have seen cord used to hold up decorative knee socks.* 

For afterthought use (item too big) use the hem as a casing, work through a cord and leave the ends protruding from between two stitches of the hem. For when you plan ahead, make a buttonhole from which the lanyard will exit. 

Once the lanyard is threaded through, tug til the item fits as you would like it to and drop the ends--for hats, ends protrude in back; for cowls, socks and skirts, in front; for ski sweaters, from the inside of the hem at the right (where you can get at it to tighten it up). Here is an illustration from a TECHknitting series on hems and facings, showing a commercially-made ski sweater with an elastic cord and cord-lock, but you can copy-cat the idea with lanyard on a hand-knit.

 In woolen garments at least, I find that friction alone will keep the lanyard somewhat tight without tying. If friction alone in insufficient, tying is an option so long as you've made the cord long enough, or use a cord-lock. Because lanyards are stretchy in themselves, you'll still be able to get that cowl over your nose even when fastened shut. Tassels (next post) look well on the cord-ends: add these after the cord has been wiggled through the casing.

There is another unexpected use for lanyards also: As a decorative cast on, and an exactly matching decorative cast off, and that'll be the subject two posts from now. 

Lastly, safety around drawstrings

Cords + little kids = bad, dangerous combo. No cords for baby clothes! Yet little hands can pull drawstrings out of casings on grown-up clothing too. So, consider sewing the cord to the casing on your corded garments. A stitch or two in the center back does not affect how the cord works, but does make the cord un-removable. Now that cord won't come out for mischief or by accident.

Another alternative: make the lanyard cord longer, wiggle it through the casing and fasten the ends together into a circle. Then, scootch the join back into the casing, per below, never to be seen again. This leaves a pretty and smooth stretch of cord as the loop protruding. To tighten, pull up into bunny ears, then wrap one ear over the other in a half-granny knot. 

Or, lace a two-hole cord lock onto the cord before joining. Like the bunny-ears, with this trick neither the cord-lock nor the cord itself can be pulled out. Using a cord-lock means less cord to make: the loop protruding can be shorter than with bunny-ears. However, cord locks are a bit rough on cord--maybe save these for thicker and tougher 4-strand lanyard. 

The next post in this series is cord endings and beginnings.

The third post in this series is using lanyards as decorative (and matching!) cast-on and cast-off.

--TK

* Circulatory issues? Beware the use of cord OR elastic in socks! 

Questions? Feedback? Talk to me about this post  on Ravelry TECHknitter forum 
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