Pin this Romanian Cord tutorial for later!
Recently I was working on a new pattern for a tote and was in need of some nice handles. I looked online for leather or chain handles but nothing seemed quite right. I really didn’t want to go with the same old crocheted band handles either….what to do? I started looking for ideas and stumbled upon a few tutorials for Romanian Cords. There are several versions, and they are all quite lovely. I think they would make fantastic jewelry, trim, drawstrings and more, but back to my handles…..I tweaked a bit and came up with this version which I’m very pleased with. You’ll have to wait a bit to see the bag, but you can play with making the cord while you wait!
At first making the Romanian Cord is awkward, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll fly right through it. It is sturdy, with nice texture and is flat-ish. I found that by working two strands together of a worsted weight cotton I had the perfect thickness for my needs.
So here’s how you do it….
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Start with a chain 2 and work a single crochet in the first chain you made. In the picture below, note the highlighted loop, this is the loop where you will work your next stitch into, but you must turn your work and work it from the back. I find it easier to insert the hook from the front, then turn and finish the single crochet.
In this next picture you can see the back side of the loop where you worked the 2nd single crochet and the completed stitch.
For the 3rd single crochet, and each single crochet thereafter, insert hook in the pink highlighted loops. Again, I find it easier to insert my hook into the two loops from the front, turn my work and complete the sc from the other side.Â
And there you go! A beautiful, sturdy cord! Easy right? Just remember to keep turning your work in the same direction for every stitch and don’t work too tightly or it will be difficult to insert your hook in subsequent stitches! You may find it useful to mark the position for the first few stitches until you get the hang of it.
If you are having trouble following the picture tutorial, please watch my right and left handed video tutorials below. You may also find my other video tutorials on YouTube HERE!
Right Handed Version:
You may also find the Right Handed tutorial on YouTube.
Left Handed Version:
You may also find the Left Handed tutorial on YouTube.
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Marsha Lavoie says
I think I saw this same cord quite a few years ago in one of the now-defunct crochet magazines, Magic Crochet or Decorative Crochet, using the name Crayfish Cord. I wonder if anyone else remembers this.
T K says
The Romanian cord is also the basis for creating any design in romanian crochet. Then just use filler stitches to complete the design
Janice O'Malley says
The Celtic Weave video has an issue with the volume. In order to hear you speaking, I had to turn my computer’s volume up to 100% but with other videos it’s usually at 30-40%. Even at full blast it was hard to hear you. Thank you for the instructions though. I’ll try to learn it by watching.
PatternParadise says
I’ll take a look.