Tulip i-Cord Knitter Machine- Wool

Easy to use and makes the perfect icord. Saved so much time and I did not have to crochet the straps for my dress.

If I didn't already own a Sentro-type circular knitting machine, I think it would have taken me much longer to figure this i-cord maker out. But once I did have it sorted, this little thing is awesome. Youtube helped get me started, but the video showed that the cord was started for a few rows before the bottom weight was put on. I tried this, and it made an unholy tangled mess. So then I put the weight on the tail from the beginning, and really ratcheted down the tension on the feeder yarn. It sounds like I'm about to break the thing for the first couple of rows but then it settles down and you can ease off the tension a little. Makes for a nice clean start to your cord. This was using Caron Simply Soft, and that's about as thick a yarn as I would go on this device (so Red Heart is a no-go). I'm keen to try it out with some sock- or fingering- weight yarn. I'm excited to add cording to my projects to make them look more finished and sturdy. It cost almost as much as my Sentro, but for practicality and useability, I can say that it definitely adds value to my makes.

High quality iCord knitting machine. Durable and well made.. makes iCord super fast.. well worth the price. Made the steams of the tulips in the attached pic with it.

This machine is very difficult to set up and maintain throughout the process, the speed needs tp be just right or else you run the risk of dropping stitches and making a big mess. I tried a couple different yarn types. Lace would leave too much room between stitches, worsted is too thick and jams the hooks. Dk seems to be the perfect weight for the little guy. I also used cotton that is a tiny bit thicker than dk but it was horribly hard to set up, the little latches kept getting stuck in the down or up position for the first 7 rounds. I had to go very slow and pull the yarn up or down in order to salvage it. After you get going it's fairly easy and doesn't need much maintenance. Yarn tension was an issue, if the yarn got snagged in the ball even a little the machine was very sensitive so I would unravel the yarn as much as you can before you start cranking. I like that the hooks are metal instead of plastic. I've had issues with plastic style machine knitting machines, they break and are too thick to get nice clean stitches. I will say that the hooks are sharp, I stabbed myself trying to undo a bad stitch so be careful. I've made 4 lengths of cord with the machine 12"-80" with only the issues at the start. The ends of the i cord are not pretty, so they needed to be cleaned up. I feel like if the machine was a little better quality it would take care of some of the minor issues, but it is good enough for me for now. We will see how Ling this little guy lasts, I'm hoping to get at least a year out of him with mild to medium use.

I already had another brand of I-cord maker (purple) and wanted to know if this one is designed better as I plan to make a lot of I-cord. It is indeed a better tool! I found that I can use thicker yarn - from light fingering up to (smooth) worsted/aran weight; it starts more easily; the weight is easier to move up as work progresses; I can put it down mid-project and it stands up; and its a nicer shape to hold. Here is what I have learned to make good I-cord every time with these things:1. Just feed the yarn through the loop, over the top and down the center then attach the weight - you don't need any fancy knots/sewing needles etc.2. Make sure all 4 hooks are open, and the yarn coming off your skein is loose. Start with the weight supported on a table or your lap.3. Very slow turn the handle so first hook grabs yarn and closes, stop turning as the yarn reaches second hook and nudge the yarn behind the hook. Repeat for the next 2 hooks only, and lift the tool so you start to feel the weight pulling a little. (In the first round, you only catch yarn inside hooks 1 & 3; nudge the yarn behind the hooks 2 & 4).4. Keep turning, as you lift up the tool to let the weight dangle straight down - after 2-3 cranks you can start going faster.Make sure the work coming out is always weighted and hanging down. Make sure the yarn coming in is very loose - you'll hear the "tick-tick-tick" change to clacking if the yarn has any tension on it.The Tulip I-cord maker is a few bucks more than the other brand, but is better quality and better design - much more useful to me so I'm glad I bought it.

Works great!

Would give a zero if I could. I was so excited to get this. I had such high expectations. Tried it 4 times. Each and every time it never knitted a tube it kept just making knots which I had to cut out. I watched numerous videos, so I know I was doing everything correctly. This morning I picked it up again to give it one more try. Before even loading any yarn into it I went to twirl the arm to get it into position and it snapped right off. What a huge disappointment. Now I’m stuck with a bunch of expensive yarn I got specifically for this machine and wire which I won’t be using.

works well with mohair! learning curve was easy for me once I figured out how to get the i-cord pulled down early in the process on so it wouldn't get tangled later on