I had never done an I-cord bind off, but I’ve used the i-cord to make rope handles and long points or tassel holders on the end of hats.

I must say, this type of bind-off is quite nice. I used it recently when the Bay’s Edge Shawl called for binding off in this manner. As I neared the end of knitting on the Scrappy Bias Shawl, I wanted to do the same thing.

Here’s how the i-cord bind off is done, with a YouTube video at the bottom of this page:

To begin binding off, first add three stitches to the needle, with right side of project facing, also called a “cast on” of 3 extra stitches. Wrap the yarn around your thumb and place it onto the needle to make a new loop to knit. Do this 3 times.

Next: Knit 2 stitches, and slip one stitch Knitwise (as if you were knitting) from the left needle to the right. Three stitches on the right hand needle (see below). Now…Knit one, and pass that slip stitch back over it. (See the video below for more help).

Slip those 3 stitches back onto the left-hand needle. And begin again with K2, Slip 1, PSSO and slide stitches to L needle.

Binding-off this way takes longer, but the finished edge is more rounded and substantial than a regular knit bind-off. See it below in my photo. Once you get to the end, there will be 3 stitches left. Either bind them off in the regular way, or pull the yarn tail through all three.

Very Pink Knits shows all these steps on the video here. She does go a bit fast, but once you learn the steps, the bind-off will progress quickly.

If you are interested in creating an i-cord edging while you knit, I have a page that explains that as well. It leaves a nice edge up the side of an item, such as a scarf, dishcloth or other flat knit project.