double loop rope bracelets made from hand twisted rope 4061

This double rope bracelet is an example of what can be made with a firm four ply segment of handmade rope. The cotton yarns are rigged on the rope machine and held under tension while twisted hundreds of times, then laid (plyed) together using the spreader tool to control the lay.

The four strands are themselves composed of a pair of yarns so the finished rope is made out of  eight cotton yarns. (Spinning a yarn may be slang for how a story is told but it also is the technical description of rope manufacturing.)

Controlling the tightness of the lay so that the finished rope has some stiffness means these little slip on bracelets hold their shape quite nicely. The thickness of the finished rope is about 4-5 mm.

The cotton yarns are compressed evenly so the finished rope is round in section. The overall segment length is about 74". This is a convenient length for my basement workshop, greater lengths are possible with more time and patience.

The finish is a traditional coach whipping detail here made with a pleasing light yellow ochre waxed thread. The loose ends are relayed around the barrel of the whipping and fed through parallel to the rope, then trimmed off.

Look for this and similar designs in the ETSY shop soon.




design and photographs copyright  2016