I-Cord with a Hook, Part 4: Seamless-Looking Circular I-Cord

The techniques in this series were developed for I-cord made with a hook, but many of them can be adapted to I-cords made by other methods.

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Welcome back to our series on making I-cord with a crochet hook. Here’s what we’ve covered so far:

Part 1 - Three techniques for making a Better Basic I-cord: Longtail Cast On, Afterthought Column, and Loop-by-Loop Bind Off.

Part 2 – Self-Buttoning I-cord 

Part 3 – Open-Ended I-cord 

Today we’ll learn how to stitch I-cord into a continuous-looking loop.

Seamless-Looking Circular I-Cord

Circular I-cord makes a wonderful foundation and/or finishing edge for crocheted projects. It's tempting to call this type of cord "grafted" (as I have in earlier posts), but true grafting, in the knitting sense of the word, requires live loops at each end. What we'll be doing today is not grafting, but seaming I-cord to form a continuous-looking ring, using a duplicate stitch technique inspired by this post from TECHKnitter.

You can use any I-cord cast on you like for this technique, but for a soft, easily-seamed join, I recommend the method shown below.

This tutorial is for a 4-stitch cord. As always, you can adjust the numbers to suit your preferences.

Instructions are written for right-handed crocheters.

What you’ll need:
Yarn (non-slippery is best, worsted weight or larger)
Hook
Yarn needle for weaving in
Optional: Extra hook two or three sizes smaller (for hooking up Afterthought Column)
Optional: Stitch markers

Links to tutorials for techniques used in this post:
Working the I-cord Body (scroll down in post)
Afterthought Column for I-Cord (scroll down in post)

Circular I-Cord Start

1. Start with a single adjustable loop (drape yarn over the hook from back to front to back again, with tail to the left of running yarn).
2. Grasping ring to secure, insert hook into ring, pull up a loop, then chain 1.
3. Tighten the chain by pulling upwards on working loop while holding the ring.
4. Gently snug the working loop back down to the hook.

5. Repeat Steps 2-4 three more times. You should now have 4 loops on your hook (see photo 5 below), each with a small tight chain stitch beneath it.

Note: The tightened chain stitches will count as Row 1 of your I-cord, and the loops on your hook will count as Row 2.

6. Remove all loops from the hook. Leaving the rightmost loop hanging free, begin working the I-cord body (see this post, "Working the Body"). Remember to keep tension relaxed, and don't tug the cord.

Photo 6 shows what my cord looked like after 6 rows (remember that the loops on the hook count as a row):

(Note: I tried using a Sharpie to mark the front "legs" of my Row 2 stitches, but all it did was leave faint smudges on the yarn plies.)

Work I-cord rows to the desired length (my sample was 30 rows long; anything shorter was very awkward to seam).

7-8. Gently pull the starting tail out of the starting loop (doing this will keep the starting end smooth).

Not pictured: Place a marker (if desired) in the free loop, then hook up the Afterthought Column (see this post, "Afterthought Column"). You should now have 4 live loops, with the running yarn exiting the loop to the right of the Afterthought Column.

Remove hook from loops, placing loops on holder if desired.

The last stitch of the Afterthought Column will be the first stitch used for the seam. Before you seam the cord, you'll need to shape it into a ring, lining up each last stitch with the Row 2 stitch of the same column.

Lining up the Stitches for Seaming

9. If you placed a marker before hooking up the Afterthought Column, you're good to go. If not, identify the Afterthought Column's Row 2 stitch (it will be a little bigger than the other loops, and the yarn tail will be coming out of the stitch below it). In Photo 9 below, the Afterthought Column's Row 2 stitch is marked with an orange V.
10. Pinch the cord so the Afterthought Column is facing you. Work your way to the other end of the cord, always keeping the same column pinched and facing you. (You can also do this in reverse, by following the Afterthought Column from its end to its beginning.) If you haven't already done so, place a marker in the the Row 2 stitch.
11. Photo 11 shows the Afterthought column identified and marked with black Vs. The final, live loop of the Afterthought column is marked with brown dots. The loop behind it, marked with green dots, is the stitch with the running yarn coming out of it.

12. Cut yarn, leaving a 4-6" tail. Thread a yarn needle onto the running yarn (this will weight the running yarn and keep it out of your way during the next step).
13. Without twisting the I-cord, form it into a ring, keeping the Afterthought Column on top.
14. Carefully insert hook into center of cord, several rows from the end, bringing it out between the live loops at the end of the cord. Yarn over with the starting yarn tail.
15. With hook, pull the starting tail through the cord, and out. Gently pull the starting tail until Row 1 of the cord is sitting in the center of the live loops at the end of the cord. Be careful to keep the Afterthought Column ends lined up.

Seaming the Cord

16. With needle, sew from WS to RS through the live Afterthought Column ending stitch, making sure the stitch loop is facing forward and not twisted.
17. Next sew from right to left behind the "legs", or V, of the Row 2 stitch.
18. Sew back through the ending stitch, from RS to WS. First duplicate stitch complete.

Not pictured: Moving one stitch to the left each time, rotating ring as needed, repeat steps 16-18 in each column until all the stitches are seamed. Each duplicate stitch you make will cover the tiny Row 1 stitch of the same column.

When seam is complete, check the join and adjust stitch tension as needed to match surrounding stitches in size. (To adjust, gently pull on one side of a seam stitch at a time, working from right to left around the ring. You may have to go back and forth a few times to get all the stitches adjusted.)

19. Finally, work an extra duplicate stitch in the next stitch to the left (marked with green dots in Photo 19), keeping the duplicate stitch behind the original stitch. Pull yarn to slightly shrink the extra duplicate stitch. Weave in ends by hiding them in the cord.

Congratulations! You've just completed a seamless-looking circular I-cord.

Can you spot the seam in mine? :)

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In Part 5, we'll learn how to use our I-cord as a foundation for crochet.

You may do whatever you like with any items you make using this tutorial, but you may not distribute the tutorial, its text, or images, without permission. (Links are always welcome.)

Thanks for reading, and happy I-cording!

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I-Cord With a Hook, Part 3: Open-Ended I-Cord

The techniques in this series were developed for I-cord made with a hook, but many of them can be adapted to I-cords made by other methods.

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Welcome back to our series on making I-cord with a crochet hook. Here’s what we’ve covered so far:

Part 1 - Three techniques for making a Better Basic I-cord: Longtail Cast On, Afterthought Column, and Loop-by-Loop Bind Off.

Part 2 – Self-Buttoning I-cord

Today we’ll learn how to make open-ended I-cord with tidy, invisibly-joined ends:

Which is the start and which is the end? Even I can't tell.

Open-Ended I-Cord

Open-ended I-cord makes a great channel for drawstrings – think adjustable cowls, drawstring bags, or sweater necklines. Almost any cast on/bind off combination will work for open-ended I-cord; the method I'm presenting here was developed to yield a firm standalone I-cord with sturdy, matching ends.

This tutorial is for a 5-stitch cord. As always, you can adjust the numbers to suit your preferences.

Instructions are written for right-handed crocheters.

What you’ll need:
Yarn (non-slippery is best, worsted weight or larger)
Hook
Yarn needle for weaving in
Optional: Extra hook two or three sizes smaller (for hooking up Afterthought Column)
Optional: Stitch marker

Links to tutorials for techniques used in this post:
Knotless Longtail Cast On (scroll down in post)
Working the I-cord Body (scroll down in post)
Afterthought Column for I-Cord (scroll down in post)
Invisible Join

Open End Start
1-2. Leaving an 8” yarn tail, *knotless longtail cast on 1 (2 loops now on hook), draw second loop through first (1 loop now on hook). Keep a relaxed stitch tension.

3. Repeat from * 3 more times (4 cast on/cast off chains complete).
4. Remove hook from working loop; with hook, draw yarn tail through working loop as though tying off, but do not tighten.
5-6. With yarn tail facing right, insert hook under back bump formed by yarn tail (Photo 5), draw up a loop with working yarn (Photo 6). Tug yarn tail to secure.
Take a moment to look at your starting row: one long edge looks like traditional chain stitches, and the opposite edge looks like knitted garter stitches.
Hold the starting row with the "chain" edge facing you, angled slightly downwards, as in Photo 6. You'll be picking up loops in the yarn strands just behind the chain edge.

7. *Keeping working loop on hook, insert hook through strand just behind the back loop of next chain (indicated by rightmost arrow in Photo 6 above), draw up a loop.
Repeat from * across – 5 loops on hook.
Not pictured: Remove hook from loops; insert hook into second loop from the right, leaving the rightmost loop hanging. I-cord will be worked over the 4 remaining loops (indicated by arrows in Photo 7).
8. Work I-cord body rows to desired length, leaving the hanging loop unworked.

Not pictured: Use yarn loop or stitch holder to temporarily secure top loops.
Inserting hook from bottom to top of hanging loop, hook up the afterthought column.

Open End Bind Off
After working Afterthought Column, remove the yarn loop or stitch marker to release the secured loops.
Remove hook from afterthought column loop.
9. Inserting hook into the loop where the running yarn is attached (this should be the next loop to the right of the afterthought column), chain 1.
 *Insert hook into next loop to the left, yarn over and draw through both loops on hook (one stitch bound off).

Repeat from * until all loops are bound off.
12-13. Cut yarn, leaving a 6” tail. Invisible join to first bound-off stitch.

At starting end, using starting tail, invisible join cast on stitches to form a continuous ring.
Weave in both ends.

Technical Notes

Using a combination cast on/bind off for the starting chain was the best way I could devise to set up for the Afterthought Column and have a yarn tail in the proper place to make a truly invisible join. If you know a simpler method that will give the same results, I'd love to hear about it!

If you're wondering why we chained 1 before binding off: I-cord is worked in a spiral, which means the starting loop of a round will always be lower than the ending loop of a round. (The Afterthought Column loops are technically the ending loops of each round.) Adding a chain-1 brings the starting loop level with the ending loop, and makes for a smoother invisible join.

(It's all about the invisible join....)

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And that's it! Shortest tutorial of this series so far. :)

You may do whatever you like with any items you make using this tutorial, but you may not distribute the tutorial, its text, or images, without permission. (Links are always welcome.)

In the next segment, we'll learn how to invisibly graft I-cord into a continuous-looking loop. After that, we'll tackle using I-cord as foundation and finishing edges for crochet.

Until then, happy crocheting and I-cording!

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I-Cord With a Hook, Part 2: Self-Buttoning I-Cord

The techniques in this series were developed for I-cord made with a hook, but many of them can be adapted to I-cords made by other methods.

Welcome back to our series on making I-cord with a crochet hook. In Part 1, we learned three techniques for making a Better Basic I-cord: the Knotless Longtail Cast On, the Afterthought Column, and the loop-by-loop Bind Off.

Today we'll be making Self-Buttoning I-cord, which features a looped start and a button end, both worked in one with the cord.

Note: All variations in this series will use the Afterthought Column technique for the body of the I-Cord. See Part 1 for instructions.

What you’ll need:
Yarn (non-slippery is best, worsted weight or larger)
Hook
Yarn needle for weaving in
Optional: Extra hook two or three sizes smaller
Optional: Stitch marker

Instructions are written for right-handed crocheters.

Self-Buttoning I-Cord

This very fun I-cord makes a charming foundation row for hats or mitts. You could also use it to make some quirky yarn jewelry.

Tutorial is for a 5-stitch I-cord, but feel free to experiment with other sizes of cord. Note: the button size will change with the number of stitches, so you may need to adjust the number of chains in the starting loop.

Starting Loop
1. Leaving a 6” tail, ch 5 (see photos below).
2. Bring ends together to form flat ring, slip stitch in first ch.
3. Ch 1, tug yarn to tighten ch.
4-5. *Insert hook in ring, pull up a loop, then ch 1, tug yarn to tighten ch.
6. Repeat from * three more times – 5 loops now on hook.

7. Remove hook from loops. Leaving rightmost loop free, insert hook in second loop from the right.
8. Working from right to left, gently pull up a loop in each loop to complete the I-cord row. (Ignore that hanging loop for now.)

9. Continue working I-cord rows over these 4 loops to desired length. (See “Working the Body” in Part 1 for details). Keep gentle tension, and do not tug the cord. Your cord should be tidy on the front and laddered in the back, as in photo below.
Tip: If you plan to use this as a foundation for crochet, work 2-3 more rows of loops than the desired foundation stitch count.
10. Use yarn loop or stitch holder to temporarily secure top loops.
11-12. Inserting hook from bottom to top of hanging loop, hook up the afterthought column (see “Afterthought Column” in Part 1 for details).

Button End
Remove the yarn loop or stitch marker to release the secured loops.
Remove hook from afterthought column loop, and insert hook into the loop where the running yarn is attached (this should be the next loop to the right).
13-14. *Insert hook in next loop (to the left), yarn over and draw through all loops.
15. Repeat from * until all loops are bound off.
16. Slip stitch in first bound-off stitch. You will be working the next round into the back loops of the bind off round.

17-18. Chain 1, sc 2 in back loop of same stitch, then sc 2 in back loop of each stitch around. Optional: Sc in slip stitch for a flatter button. (See also Varying the Button Size, below.)
19. Cut yarn, leaving a 4"- 6" tail, and invisible join to next sc. (Click here for invisible join tutorial.)
20. Check that the button fits through the loop. Fit should be snug enough to prevent the button from slipping out when tension is applied to the cord.
Tip: If loop is too loose, thread the yarn tail on a yarn needle and whipstitch around the back bumps of the chain stitches, tightening as  needed to shrink the loop.

When you are satisfied that the loop fits, weave in all ends and bury yarn tails in the cord.

Varying the Button Size

• For a smaller, firmer button: switch to a smaller hook when making sc round.
• For a button that cups: do not sc in the slip stitch; you can also invisible join to second sc of round.
• For a larger button: work a second round of stitches before tying off.

Ideas for Variations

• Use the yarn tail to sew a bead in the center of your button.
• To make a larger, more decorative button loop: use the Longtail Cast On from Part 1, and work 8-10 extra rows of I-cord. Sew the tip into a circle for the button loop.
• To add a purchased button: use the Loop Start from this post, and finish the cord with the Bind Off from Part 1. Use yarn tail to attach button.

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In Part 3 we'll tackle Open-Ended I-cord. (I had hoped to include it here, but I think this post is long enough already, don't you?)

You may do whatever you like with any items you make using this tutorial, but you may not distribute the tutorial, its text, or images, without permission. (Links are always welcome.)

Thanks for reading, and happy I-cording!

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I-cord with a Hook, Part I: A Better Basic I-Cord

The techniques in this series were developed for I-cord made with a hook, but many of them
can be adapted to I-cords made by other methods.

Consider the humble I-cord: it's soft and stretchy, with good recovery; flexible, weave-able, knot-able; makes great surface embellishment; and, when used as an edging, can be subtle or bold depending on your color choice.

I-cord as edging has long been used by knitters, but crocheters too can take advantage of its stretchy softness.

There are almost as many ways to make I-cord as there are applications for it: you can use two knitting needles (double-ended or straight), two crochet hooks, a needle and a hook, a single hook, a Knitting Nancy/French Knitter, an I-cord mill, or even just your fingers. (See end of post for links to examples.)

Being a crocheter with minimalist tendencies, I like to make I-cord with a single hook. I've started using I-cord edging in some of my crochet patterns, and along the way I’ve worked out some variations on the basic technique that I’d like to share with you here.

In this series, we’ll learn:

• Easy, innovative ways to make better I-cord with a crochet hook
• Starting and ending variations, including closed ends, open ends, and a self-buttoning version
• How to graft I-cord ends together for a continuous loop
• How to use I-cord as foundation for crochet, including the best place to insert hook
• How to add I-cord edging to crochet
• Hook and gauge recommendations for combining I-cord and crochet

Better Basic I-Cord with a Hook Phototutorial

Take a look at these samples, both made with worsted weight yarn and a size H hook. Each sample is 4 stitches around and 10 rows long:

The lefthand sample in each photo above is decent basic I-cord, worked according to directions you can find online (just google “how to crochet I cord”). It's a little gappy at the start, a little messy at the end, and the tension is loose but fairly even.

The righthand sample is what I call Better Basic I-cord. It features:

• Better Beginning - longtail cast on for a smooth, rounded tip
• Better Body - “afterthought” column of stitches for firm, even tension
• Better Bind Off - worked one loop at a time for a softy rounded end

Can you make good I-cord without these techniques? Of course! But if you've tried to make I-cord with a hook, and been unhappy with the results, these techniques might make all the difference.

Use any or all of the Better Basic I-cord techniques when making:

• I-cord intended as decorative ties
• I-cord that will be grafted into a tube
• I-cord that will be subject to repeated stress
• I-cord foundation or finishing rows for crochet

Let’s make some I-cord!

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What you’ll need:
Yarn (non-slippery is best, worsted weight or larger)
Hook
Optional: Extra hook two or three sizes smaller
Optional: Stitch marker

Instructions are written for right-handed crocheters.

Knotless Longtail Cast On

Instructions are for a 4-stitch I-cord. To make a larger or smaller cord, cast on more or fewer loops, with a minimum of 3. If making larger cord, add one extra inch to the tail for each extra loop. (For 2-stitch I-cord, see this post.)

To start, wrap a 6”-8” yarn tail around your hook from front to back to front again, so the tail drapes over the running yarn in front. The two yarn strands should form a loose “V”, with the yarn tail towards you. (You can make a slipknot if preferred – just make sure that the short yarn tail is at the front.)

Tension working yarn as preferred over left fingers.

1. Hold the loop on the hook with a right-hand finger or thumb (see photos below).
2. Insert your left forefinger and thumb between the V, keeping the yarn tail in front. With the other fingers of that hand, grasp the dangling yarn tail. Spread your forefinger and thumb apart, and pull the hook slightly downwards to create tension on the V. Keep the running yarn looped over your forefinger, and the yarn tail looped over your thumb.
3. With hook, reach under the yarn tail in front of your thumb.
4. Raise the hook to form a loop.

Knotless Longtail Cast On

5. With hook, reach back, and scoop up the strand at the front of your forefinger.
6. Pull up a loop with this strand.
7. Remove thumb from thumb loop.
8. Pull on both strands, one at a time, to tighten the loop on the hook.

Repeat Steps 1-8 until you have 4 loops on your hook (or desired number).

Knotless Longtail Cast On

Working the Second Row

9. Tug the yarn tail to wrap it tightly around the base of the last loop (see photos below).
10. Without turning work, gently pinch the base of the loops. Remove the hook.
11. Insert hook into the second loop from the right, gently yarn over and ...
12. Pull up a loop. (The running yarn will pass behind the loops.) Try not to put tension on the yarn or the other loops; it’s okay to work loosely.

To finish the row: Insert hook into the next loop, yarn over and pull up a loop.
Insert hook into the leftmost loop, yarn over and pull up a loop (you can let go of all the base loops now).

Your work should look like the photo below, with 3 loops on the hook, and 1 loop hanging off to the right. (Ignore the hanging loop for now. You’ll come back to it later.)

See that hanging loop? Ignore it for now.

Working the Body

*Remove hook from the 2 left loops (1 loop now on hook; see photo below). If desired, gently pinch the base of the loops to keep them from twisting or pulling loose.
Gently yarn over and pull up a loop.
Insert hook into next loop, yarn over and pull up a loop. Repeat to end of row.**

Starting the next row

Repeat from * to ** until you have 10-12 rows, or to desired length. Keep your tension relaxed, and don’t worry if the loops look a little sloppy.

Your cord should now look like the photo at left below. To temporarily secure the live loops, loosely draw the working yarn through all the loops, letting it hang down at both sides (or place the live loops on a stitch marker).

Body of cord complete (left);
placing live loops on temporary hold (right).

The Afterthought Column

What we have now is a loosely-tensioned 3-stitch I-cord, tidy on the front, laddered on the back, and with a spare loop hanging off the starting tip. Let’s turn it into a firm and tidy 4-stitch I-cord!

You may switch to a smaller hook (if desired) for this step.

Go back to the starting tip of your cord and identify the bottom laddered strand passing behind the first row of loops (see photos below). Look carefully; it can sometimes be hard to spot.
Insert hook from bottom to top through the loop you left hanging.
Insert hook under bottommost loose strand, pull strand through loop on hook.
*Insert hook under next strand, pull through loop on hook.
Repeat from *, working up the cord, until all the loose strands have been hooked up:

Working the (planned) afterthought column

Binding Off

Remove the stitch marker or yarn loop to release the live loops at end of cord.

Cut yarn, leaving a 4” tail.

Gently draw the yarn tail up and out of the loop it’s exiting (photos below).
*Insert hook in next loop to the left, draw yarn tail up and all the way through.
Repeat from * until all loops have been bound off.
Tug the tail to settle the loops rogether.

Binding off one loop at a time

Now tug firmly on both ends of your I-cord to even up the stitches. To smooth it further, run it through your fingers in both directions.

To weave in ends, bury them in the cord.

More Tips for Better Basic I-Cord

To avoid twisted stitches, be careful to insert your hook properly into each loop, keeping the left "leg" forward.

If you do find a twisted loop somewhere along your I-cord, you can either let it ride; frog the whole cord back to that row and re-work; or fix it after the fact. To fix after the fact, release only that column of loops back to the mistake, pick up the loop again (the right way), then hook up the released column of stitches just as you did the afterthought column.

When hooking up the afterthought column, be careful not to skip a strand or insert hook into the back wall of the cord by mistake. Either of these will result in a puckered cord.

To identify which strand is the next one, follow the yarn that exits the edge loop above the row you just hooked up. You may find it helpful to insert another hook under the strands, as I did here:

Identifying the next strand

If making a long I-cord, warm up first with some waste yarn.

My I-cord always gets a little tighter after the first few inches, as my hands warm up and remember how best to hold the loops.

As with any new technique, practice is the key to comfort and success. So practice, practice, practice!

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Whew! If you’ve read this far, you deserve a cup of tea. Or possibly something stronger. :)

If all these techniques together seem overwhelming, work on just one at a time. When you’re comfortable with that technique, add another. Before you know it, you’ll be cranking out I-cord that's firm, beautiful, and smooth from end to end.

In Part 2, we’ll move on to variations: open-ended I-cord and self-buttoning I-cord.

You may do whatever you like with any items you make using this tutorial, but you may not distribute the tutorial, its text, or images, without permission. (Links are always welcome.)

Thanks for reading, and happy I-cording!

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Some Examples of various I-cord methods
With double-ended knitting needles: http://www.stitchdiva.com/tutorials/knitting/i-cord
With straight knitting needles: http://www.sapphiresnpurls.com/2011/12/i-cord-on-straight-needles-single.html
With a needle and a hook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCl8vJpKaPg
With a single hook: https://www.planetjune.com/blog/how-to-crochet-an-i-cord/
With fingers: https://makezine.com/2009/07/02/finger_knittin_good/
With Knitting Nancy/French Knitter: http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/knittingnancys.html
With I-cord mill: http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-cord-from-mill.html

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A Trick for Improving I-Cord Tension

Here's a little teaser for my upcoming I-cord series....

I-cord made with knitting needles or a crochet hook often looks like this:

Tidy front, laddered back

The standard treatment for laddered I-cord is to tug firmly at both ends to even up the stitches. Let's see how that works:

After tugging: stitches are even, but tension is poor

Is there a way to make firmer I-cord without using a special gadget? Yes. You can try working more tightly. You can switch to smaller needles or hook.

Or you can use this simple trick:

Starting at the bottom, hook up the ladder-like strands,
one at a time, into an extra column of stitches.

Bingo!

Firmer I-cord

Mind the Gap: Using this trick creates a hole at the starting end of the I-cord. Stay tuned for a full tutorial that will show you how to bridge the gap.

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The Hurricane Finish for Hat Crowns

How do you close the hole at the top of a bottom-up knitted or crocheted hat? A common method is to work decreasing rounds until 8 to 10 stitches are left, then cut the yarn and gather the stitches together with the yarn tail, pulling until the hole disappears.

Although this method works, it can sometimes distort the stitches around it, or create an unsightly "knipple" (see this post by TECHknitter for the origin of that delightful term, plus some great tips for closing knitted hat crowns).

Here's an alternative method I developed for the recently-published Blue Spruce Hat. I've named it the Hurricane Finish - a name that seems doubly appropriate in light of its appearance and the tempestuous year we've been having. (Note: this finish can be used on knitted hats too; see "Tips" at the bottom of the post for instructions.)

Hurricane Crown Finish

The Hurricane Finish is a decreasing spiral of back loop only slip stitch (blo sl st). It can be used on crown openings of all sizes: the blue hat shown above started with a 12-stitch opening; the grey hat, a 20-stitch opening; the red mini sample, a 16-stitch opening. Note: the more stitches there are in the opening, the more rounds there will be in the spiral.

Here's how it works:

"Yopta" is my personal shorthand for Yarn Over, Pull Through All (loops on hook).

For some reason that middle photo makes me think of Jaws....

And there you have it! From gaping hole to a tidy swirl of stitches:

And no need to weave in, or worry about the yarn tail working loose. :)

Tips for Working the Hurricane Finish:

• If your hat is worked spirally from dc or taller stitches, you'll need to decrease the stitch height before starting the Hurricane Finish. To do this, make the last few stitches of the final round successively shorter, ending with an sc.
• Keep a relaxed tension when working crochet slip stitches.
• If you're starting with a very large opening (say 20 stitches), using a smaller hook will draw the crown a little tighter.
• For a knitted hat or mitten: decrease as instructed in pattern, or until you have about 10-16 stitches left. Bind off (with plain bind off) the last round until one loop remains live, then insert a crochet hook through that loop and work the Hurricane Finish as instructed.
• For a larger "hurricane" at the top of your hat, skip stitches less frequently (for example, blo sl st 3, sk 1). You can also start with a round of fewer skips, then increase the frequency of skipped stitches as the hole begins to close. (My personal preference is for a smaller "hurricane", but you may want to make it a design feature.)
• If you're not happy with how it looks, frog it and try again with different tension or hook size. (I had to do the grey hat several times to find a tension I liked.)
• Be sure to mist or wet-block your hat, or at least the crown, to fluff up the yarn and smooth out the stitches.

Do you work hats from the bottom up? What's your favourite way to close the crown?

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