Did you design the Cordsmith®?

Yes! I took the idea and my fiber arts knowledge and worked with my husband and his 3D design skills to create Cordsmith®. Over multiple iterations I finally landed on a version that was functional and accessible.

Is the Cordsmith® tool accessible?

It’s lightweight, designed to be able to be used left or right handed, has a texture on both sides that makes it easy to hold onto and is sized that small hands can grip it firming while hands with dexterity issues or conditions like arthritis can grasp and worked with a relaxed hand. It actually works better if you’re relaxed which means you can work longer without fatigue. The Original Cordsmith® and Cordsmith Mini® have identical handles and the needle lengths are about the same so switching between them will feel natural.

Can I buy a Cordsmith™?

Yes! One Cordsmith® is $25 and there is an automatic discount of 20% when purchasing two or more shipping to the same address which brings the price down to $20 each. You are welcome to mix and match The Original Cordsmith®, Cordsmith Mini®, Cordsmith XL®, Cordsmith Tailor® and Cordsmith Fine Tailor® when ordering.

Shipping within the US is $5 for up to 4 tools and to Canada is $16.45 for up to 4 tools. You can find a list of stockists here.

What is the lead time?

We are currently fulfilling individual orders within a 1-3 business days and customized wholesale orders within 5-10 business days. When you contact me to order, I provide when your order is expected to ship and will let you know right away if there is a delay but we are always shooting for early!

Is the Cordsmith® legit?

Very much so! I posted a 30 second clip of Cordsmith® in use on 11/7/23 and received my first orders within 5 minutes and haven’t slowed down since!

We are currently at over 26,000 units sold which have shipped to over 40 countries!

Are there more sizes?

Yes! The Original Cordsmith® is designed to be ‘one size fits most’! I’ve personally tested it with fingering weight up to bulky and I’m seeing others using chunky yarn like Rasta or Mecha with no problem! The fiber content and twist of the yarn will make some of the heavier weight yarns easier to work with than others so feel free to experiment. I’ve easily used my Original with a superwash bulky but have seen some struggle with single ply non-superwash bulky. Some people are even using fingering weight to make an i-cord and then using that to make a bulky weight i-cord.

Cordsmith Mini® uses smaller needles and spacing and is intended for yarn weights lace up to sport and creates a cord about the gauge of bulky weight yarn. The process for using them is the same! You can see a comparison of the different sizes with different yarns here on TikTok.

Cordsmith XL® uses 4 Original needles with slightly narrower spacing that works with lace weight up to DK and creates a thicker cord than the Original that is slightly flat directly off of the tool but can be squished into a rounder profile.

Cordsmith Tailor® (Original size needle) and Fine Tailor® (Mini size) are single needle tools perfect for weaving in ends – including those too short tails that you can’t thread onto a tapestry needle. Use them for seaming, three needle bind offs, installing zippers and more! These use the same handles you already know and love and are ideal for people who struggle with tapestry needles! While The Original Cordsmith® is the “one size fits all” of our cord making tools, Fine Tailor® will likely be the tool you reach for most for weaving in ends. Tailor works great for heavier weight yarns and projects while Fine Tailor® will be best for lighter weights.

How do you cast on?

Create a slip knot and wrap it around the right needle, under the middle needle, and around the left needle. Tighten the knot and then, after making sure all of the needles are open, wrap your yarn across all three needles. Holding onto the tail of the slip knot pull forward, up and over the needles. Pull back towards the handle to complete your stitch and it will reopen your needles. Pull back up towards the middle below the open needles to start your next stitch. Repeat until you have the number of stitches you need. You can watch a video here on Instagram or here on TikTok. For Cordsmith XL™ use the same process ignoring one of the end needles and when you wrap your yarn you’ll wrap across all 4 needles and complete the stitch as above. Repeat until you have the number of stitches or length needed.

How do you change colors?

Grab your new color and, leaving a little bit of a tail, yarn over and start your next stitch. You can hold the new tail and old tail together with your cord to make it easier for the first stitch to add stability. When you’re finished with the cord or have a couple of inches down, twist the tails once so the colors point at their sections and weave them back into the middle of their matching color sections of cord. You can watch a video here on Instagram or here on TikTok.

How do you bind off?

Take your tail and place on a tapestry needle. Pull through each of the loops as you pull them off the needles. Pull tight and weave in. You can watch a video here on Instagram or here on TikTok.

How do you pick up dropped stitches?

Stitches popping off is usually due to trying to work too fast. It’s easiest if you pull the stitches back a round or two so your yarn is back at the “starting position” stitch and then picking the stitches back up to keep working. For me, since I’m right handed and I like to wrap clockwise, my starting stitch is the one on the right. For Cordsmith Mini®, you might find it helpful to have a crochet hook or tapestry needle handy to help pick up stitches due to the smaller needles and spacing. You can watch a video about picking up stitches here.

How do you do an applied I-cord bind off?

Pick up the first three stitches of the i-cord bind off – one per needle – and work the stitch with Cordsmith® and then you’ll pick up your next stitch on your left needle to work the next stitch repeating down the edge until you’ve bound off all stitches. Another option is to start the cord on your Cordsmith® with a couple of stitches and then start picking up your stitches as described above. This allows you to create a straight point. While both the Original Cordsmith® and Cordsmith Mini® work for i-cord bind offs, you may prefer Cordsmith Mini® for lace/fingering/sport projects to provide a tighter gauge and sleeker finish. You can watch a video here.

Is my Cordsmith® broken?

A visible seam is normal due to the way our tool is printed and assembled since the handle is printed in two parts. Needles that seem wiggly or loose are also normal! That little bit of wiggle allows for flexibility which makes your stitches easier to work while also providing strain relief so your needles are less likely to break. If you have a handle that has actually fallen apart or a needle that has broken, please reach out with photos and I’ll arrange for a replacement right away.