Wednesday's Table

These past few weeks, I have been trying to combine my love for knitting and my love for making jewelry.

I hadn't had much success.

And then, this week, I discovered what an i-cord is.

Tools of the trade: yarn (or crochet thread), and
a pair of double-pointed knitting needles.

Granted, my first thought was that it was the charging cable for an Apple product: the iCord.  But, no, the i-cord is in fact a knitted tube, usually created using double-sided knitted needles.  

The technique is actually fairly simple--I was able to figure it out immediately after looking at a tutorial.

With that knowledge, I was able to create this:

A simple necklace--elegant and lightweight--
made with size 11 needles, and ribbon yarn.

Here's a close-up!  ...Just because.  :)

I really, really like the look of that necklace--it looks quite classy when worn.  And with such a simple design, I'm sure that other specialty yarns would work quite nicely as well...  I am excited to try more!

But, you know me.  I didn't stop there.  

Since the i-cord is essentially a tube, I thought: "Why not put something inside the tube?"  That led to the creation of these two necklaces:

Made with: size 3 crochet thread, size 8 needles, and 12mm beads.

Made with: size 10 crochet thread, size 6 needles,
and 10mm beads.

Close-up!  You can tell that the purple necklace is smaller than the
black-and-white one...  I can't decide which style I like better.

My biggest problem right now is making professional-looking closures for this type of necklace.  For these, I simply tied the ends to toggle clasps...  It works, it's functional, but isn't exactly invisible.  Maybe it just adds to the charm?  In any case, it's something I am going to work on a little bit more--maybe I can tweak it.

The heart-shaped toggle clasp is visible on
the purple necklace--a whimsical touch.

Once I had made those beaded necklaces, I made one last iteration of the i-cord necklace.  For this one, I simply used it as the cord for a pendant.

I am very happy with the results.

Made with: size 3 crochet thread, size 8 needles,
and gold-plated paraphernalia.

Another view--showing off the cord...
and those golden discs don't move around at all.

Pendant close-up.

So, yeah.  I am really, really happy with this necklace, tied-on toggle clasp and all.  When worn, it provides an interesting juxtaposition: it is both bold (the pendant is large, and the cord is thick) and delicate (because of the filigree and the texture of the cord).  

I look forward to having the opportunity to wear it--and maybe even make one to sell, if I ever figure out how to do the closures!

And so, those are the three versions of i-cord necklaces that I've done so far.  There are so, so many more options.  I will probably keep playing around...  Who knows?  I might come up with something else cool!