wrapped leather cord button bracelet 2781

 This design is made from 2 mm round leather cord waxed cotton thread a wood bead and a plastic button.

It's a lightweight sophisticated accessory that will add a touch of boho style.

This detail shows the loops and the button closure. The bead adds a little symmetry to the closure system.

The waxed thread is wrapped around the cords securing them tightly. A loop is used to capture the loose end which is then pulled under the wrap then the ends are trimmed.

Soon to be available online.




design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

ultra slender string grommet bracelets 2801

 Grommets are pieces of rope or line that have been unlaid then twisted back into a circular form. the natural twist of the cord is used to re-create the  shape of the line without any loose ends.

Here's a tutorial that shows how traditional grommets  are made.

Here's a video showing the same process.

The design shown on the left  is made with a waxed thread whipping to bind the loose ends instead of the splicing shown in the tutorial.

 The material used is a white #60 cotton cord which is about 1/8" (3 mm) diameter.

I measure about 3 1/2 circumferences of cord then cut the piece and un-lay it. This creates three strands, each has a "corkscrew" shape due to the original construction of the cord.

As in in the tutorial above the cord is re-twisted in the circular form three times around. The ends are laid parallel and the whipping is applied.

Here you can see the white whipping cord that binds the loose ends which have been trimmed off in the photo.

A variety of sizes is available, this one is a 6" circumference. These are very sturdy and can be stretched hard to slip them over your hand. They will shrink back to original size or slightly smaller if you get them wet.

                   Available here
design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

Lima bean beaded one button cuff bracelet 2792

 Here's another variation on polymer clay beads used in the one button bracelet designs. This one features smooth ribbed beads that resemble lima beans in shape. The holes are made in the base of the bead to enable edge stitching to secure the bead in place.

Here's another design made with these custom made beads you might like.

Read the tutorial explaining how to make the one button toggle bracelet here.

 The button toggle is made out of the same material as the beads: light tan scuply clay baked for 15 minutes in the oven.

You can see the back side of the lima bean beads in the center of the cord fabric.

The framing cords are a dark pearl grey. The infill cords are an olive taupe cotton both hand dyed in my basement laundry room.

This playful design is about 7" (178 mm) inside diameter.

See more of these unique creations in the fiber art section of my Etsy shop.



design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

dinosaur spiked bracelet 2793

This sculpy project involves creating beads that resemble the protruding plates of a stegosaurus and incorporating them into a one button design. This spiky bracelet is a companion piece to the Stegosaurus spiked rope bracelet.

The color is a light tan with grey orange and yellow cords. The framing cords are off-white. The button is also made with the tan clay.

Size is a "small" 7" (178 mm) inside circumference.

 The beads are made with two holes to enable a firm connection to the fabric. You can see these holes in the photo on the left.

The bracelet is constructed the same way as shown in this tutorial with the added beads.

Here's another design made with less aggressively shaped beads you might like.

See more of these playful designs in the fiber art section of my Etsy shop.






design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

one button rope bracelet with polymer clay beads pewter 2764

 This one button design features handmade 10 mm round polymer clay beads placed in a field of blue green and grey cords. The oven bake clay is a "pewter" color which has a bit of a sheen to it.

Read the illustrated tutorial showing how to make these bracelets here.

The beads are secured with the edge binding thread.

 A small button and loop toggle holds the bracelet closed and is easy to manage.

Size is "small" 7" (178 mm) inside circumference when closed.

Here's a similar design you might like.

Here's one made with blue glass beads.

Here's a similar design made with wood beads.

                     Available here



See similar designs in the fiber art section of my Etsy shop.

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

Stegosaurus spiked rope bracelet 2766

 Resembling the tail spikes of the childhood favorite dinosaur these polymer clay beads look dangerous but are not very sharp.

The spikes are blunt and flexible. These also look like sea urchin spikes but of course the color is not a match.

The polymer clay comes out like a hard rubber texture after the 15 minute curing in the oven.

The longer spikes are held apart by small drum shaped beads. The edge stitching pattern secures all the spikes and beads together. Read more about how to make this type of rope bracelet in this tutorial.

This design is made for a larger wrist measuring 8  5/8" (219 mm) inside circumference.

 The infill cords are grey and dark purple. The spikes are "elephant grey"the drum beads are "pewter" both materials made by Sculpey and available in craft stores and online.

The closure is an oversize black plastic button and loop.




design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

Illustration from "Dinosaur Time Machine" 

wide double diamond herringbone weave turks head knot 2767

 Every so often I confront the box full of leftover scraps including this 28 ft piece of white nylon cord remaining from another project. This piece was just barely long enough to construct this 17 part x 25 bight herringbone weave knot.

parts x bights x strands click here for explanation

The layout started with 4 bights (first pass around the mold) set up in a double diamond pattern. The opposing bights set up an even tension when the knot is worked up so it doesn't get all lop-sided.

 The mold used is an 11" circumference tube which actually needed about 31 ft of cord so I had  to use another piece of cord as a placeholder. Later after working up the knot I was left with about 12 ft of slack so the knot you see here only really requires 16 ft. Scraps go back in the box!

The single strand or "pass" makes this bracelet able to stretch out to 8 5/8" (219 mm) and contract to about 7" (178 mm). It can slip on over a big hand then crush down to the size shown in the pictures. Works kind of like  a chinese finger trap (remember those?)

The herringbone weave is famous for the double "V" patterns so popular in fabric design. You can pick them out in the first photo on the red pool noodle background.

                    Available here

More like this in my Etsy shop, including these other wide cuff designs in the white rope bracelets section.

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

nautical knot rope bracelet with blue accents 2756

 This versatile nautical bracelet design is shown here made with a natural white cotton cord and ultramarine blue cotton floss. In this variation of the design the loop has an extra piece of cord secured by the coach-whipping. The monkey fist knot is made with the cord end tucked into the center of the ball.

This is a "small" size measuring 7" (180 mm) inside circumference when closed.

 This design is adjustable opening up by sliding the cord through the barrel knots as shown here.

See the posting about adjustment here.

You might like this variation on this design.

or perhaps this one made with hand dyed taupe cord.

Or this one made with extra large barrel knots.

The monkey fist knot rides along inside the loop when the knot is drawn up to it's natural size.


A collection of these special bracelets are available online here.



design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

hybrid weave turks head knot bracelet white nylon 2758

 This is a 14 bight x 15 part x 2 strand compound or hybrid weave turks head knot made with ordinary 1/8" white nylon cord.

The weave pattern is:
U2-O2-u1-o1-u1-o1-u1-o1-U2-O2+running part

U = "under"
O= "over"


The layout was done on a 10-1/2" cardboard tube using about 30 ft of cord


The edges come out with the thicker double layer of cord while the center area is thinner, roughly this shape:
  ________                               _________
(_________)_____________(__________)
(__________________________________)

Here's a similar design you might like:

Extra wide hybrid weave bracelet

This design can be easily slipped on and worked up to a 7 3/4" (195 mm) wrist size

Similar designs can be found in the Etsy online shop section white rope bracelets.





design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

one button rope bracelet grey white with clear glass beads 2749

 Whenever I use a grey and near-white cord combination the potential for color actually increases. The grey takes on a warm or cool tone as the eye compares it to the surrounding materials. The off-white braided framing cords push this grey in a "cool" direction. The clear glass beads put in a tiny bit of  spectrum color which the camera filters out of these photos.

Here's the tutorial showing how to make one of these bracelets.

 The other challenge is trying to white-balance the image which has a disproportionate effect on the appearance of the object. These were all photographed on a bright white field with a white balanced camera setting. After importing the the image from the camera the white background is normalized using the Graphic Converter software. Even after this you an see the background retains some residual color.

Here's a more colorful cousin of this design.

Here you can get a sense of the transparency in the embedded beads.

More on-button designs in the Etsy Shop.

Look for this on in the Walker Shop this summer, another good reason to come visit the Twin Cities.


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

one button cuff with paper beads 2750

 Paper beads made from glossy catalog pages come up with the most interesting textures and colors. During the making of the beads they are all covered with the sealant/glue that creates the hard coating so it is not easy to see the color. When dry they begin to show.

These are roughly 6 mm oval beads worked into a simple one button design.

 The infill cords are ecru and dark grey setting off the eclectic color of the beads.


How-to tutorial here.

Another paper bead design you might like here.

A simple grey plastic button and loop form the closure.

This one is going in a special summer consignment at the Walker Art Center shop. If you are in Minneapolis between June and August stop by and check out this and other work by Minnesota Artists.

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

double button beaded cuff bracelet 2741

 This is a slightly wider design variation on the single button bracelet made using heavier framing cords and lighter infill cord. The framing cords have a single row of blue and green glass beads stitched in along the seam. Kind of a soft tribal look.

Seven part illustrated tutorial here.

The infill cord is a mix of teal and light grey which forms a pleasing anti-clastic shape with the thicker framing cords.

Size is "medium" 7 1/4" (183 mm) inside circumference when closed.

Here are some other similar designs you might like:
one button rope bracelet with glass beads 2709
one button rope bracelet with wood barrel beads 2667
one button bracelet with paper beads 2666

Two oversized wood buttons and loops make a secure closure that is easy to undo with one hand.

Look for this in the Walker Art Center shop this summer along with a limited selection of other work from Minnesota Artists. You can also visit me on the mnartists.org site where I'm slowly building up a a collection of my favorite items.

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop