Tips for Using Ravel Cords

Each tip has the email address of the contributor. If you find a tip particularly helpful, please contact that person and let him or her know!

Marlene segners@erinet.com finds that a 20 pound test braided nylon fishing line works great as ravel cord. She bought the 50-yarn spool (a really ugly green color, according to Marlene) and it has a nice contrast from the yarn colors she uses. It is easy to see and pull out. It is heavier than dental floss, is easier to pull out, and doesn't have that tangling "curl" to it that the floss picks up from its spool.

Anne Alexander knitter@KENT.NET did caution that black fishing line could leave a line in the knitting.

Teegie Province province@LYNCHBURG.NET uses crochet cotton. She buys a ball of variegated cotton and finds it works no matter what color of yarn she's using.

Geraldine Clark geri41@JUNO.COM suggests buying 100% nylon yarn. It works great for throw-away ravel cord.

Jean Stanwick jjstanw@voyager.net gives us a technique for marking a row of knitting for hanging a waist band or whatever. To mark the row, first pull every other needle out to hold position. Lay the ravel cord across these needles with a clip weighing down the end on the carriage side. Gently hold the other end. Activate the weaving brushes. Knit across slowly. When you get ready to hand the stitches, if you pull the ravel cord on both ends, it tightens up and cord. You can pick up the stitches easily. Just make sdure you are picking up the knitting along with the ravel cord, not just the cord itself. With this method, you are picking up the bars between the stitches rather than the stitches. For her is it faster than the two slip stitch rows. Also, having a ravel cord in a constrasting color makes it easier to see what you are doing. She adds this technique might not work as well on patterned knitting as on plain stockinette.

Mrs. Rosemary Paul rearep@BREMNER.UCT.AC.ZA reminds us not to forget the popular thing to use as disposable ravel cord---dental floss. She says she has been using it for ages and it never seems to wear out.

Kathy Ramey kcreation@fallscity.net uses a skein of crochet bedspread cotton as ravel cord. She just pulls a bit out of the skein, holds the skein over the carriage, and knits across. She gets the exact length she wants that way. Then she just clips it off. It is easy to remove from the knitting, is inexpensive, and, therefore, disposable. She picked up 2 skeins at Wal-Mart many years ago and is still using them.