beaded grey fabric bangle 3278

 9 selected glass beads
12 layers cord
1 cuff bracelet

Astronomical design

edge stitched with four ply nylon thread
8" (203 mm) circumference
all new materials no animal products

A contemporary ancient modern artifact made from imaginary sources.

Available here


design and photographs © copyright 2015 WhatKnotShop

beaded rope bracelet 3452

 Off white braided cord bound together with rows of glass beads made into a slip on bangle style bracelet. The two large beads look like a toggle closure but are actually sewn in place.

High strength nylon thread is used to compress the cord and secure the beads.

 size large 8 1/4" (209 mm) inside circumference
2 5/8" (67 mm) diameter

available soon


similar designs available here

custom work available




design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

1 button wrapped leather cord bracelet wood beads 2930

 This is the first of a series of small one button leather cord bracelets. Each has a unique detail that makes it special.

The basic design is four ply leather cord wrapped with a black waxed cotton thread. A 6 mm round wood bead and button connect with a pair of loops to form a secure easy to manage toggle.

This design features two 3 mm wood beads placed opposite the button and loop.

 Size "small" about 7" (178 mm)

This design can be made both larger and smaller to fit children, women, and men.

Almost any type of bead detail can be added opposite the button and loop including custom made beads.

Here's a look at the group of bracelets. You can see the different details including:

four handmade paper beads
a grey poly clay bead
the basic design without any added beads

               Available here

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

knotted choker style necklace with glass bead 2684

 This is a really simple and popular design for a choker style necklace. It's made with a pair of sliding barrel knots and a small cylindrical glass bead.

The cord is a 2 mm black leather lacing material that can be easily tied. The leather has a natural friction that holds the knots firmly one they have been worked up to a firm condition. Here's a tutorial explaining how to make this knot.

The knots can be made with as many wraps as you want. This is a smaller 13" necklace so the knots have four wraps. Bigger beads and larger necklaces can have 5 or more and still look proportional. Anything less than three wraps risks the knot coming apart.

Adjustment is made by sliding the knots on the standing part of the cord.

Here's a look at a selection of barrel beads that have the correct internal hole size. The glass beads must have a 2.5 mm or larger hole to accommodate the cord. I use beads from India that come in one pound buckets and must be sorted out. Many of them are the wrong size or have internal cracks that cause them to fall apart.

This necklace was a custom design but you can see similar designs here.

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

anti clastic beaded cuff bracelet handmade artifact fiber art bracelet 1673

 This modern primitive cuff is made with a cotton piping material and hand dyed cotton cord forming the distinctive anti-clastic shape. Rows of glass beads are embedded in the seams.

6 mm wood beads are embedded in the seam on one side. The other side has a row of red and brown wood beads.

This cuff is secured with two plastic buttons and loops. Size closed is 7 3/4" (197 mm) inside circumference.

Available here

Part of the handmade artifacts series exploring ancient form in modern materials.

design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

2 button clothesline cuff with beads 1632

 Here is another of the clothesline cuff collection made with soft braided cotton clothesline, hand dyed cord scraps, wood and glass beads, and a couple of plastic buttons. The clothesline is laid out to form the loops and ridges then the smaller cord is bound in between. A row of lavender glass beads forms a seam in the center. The wood and glass beads are then worked into the seams on the ridges.

The whole process takes some time to complete and depends on the availability of cord scraps and beads.

This cuff measures 7 3/8" (183 mm) inside circumference when closed and is 2 3/8" (63 mm) wide.

You can find this bracelet on Zibbet along with a larger collection of the design )strata( series of fiber art bracelets.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

one button clothesline anklet with beads 1566

 Clothesline cord is a larger diameter braided cotton material that is both soft and strong. Here it's used in combination with some hand dyed nylon braid, cotton cord and a row of small blue glass beads. A single accent bead is paced opposite the button loop closure.

This anklet measures 8 3/4" (223 mm) inside circumference and features a blue plastic button and loop closure.

Find this beaded anklet in the design section of the Etsy Shop.

To request a custom design like this please use the Etsy convo utility or leave a comment here.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Kid stuff - three styles made especially for children 1292

A Michigan mom wanted some gifts for her kids and requested three very different designs all made extra small to fit over tiny hands.
Upper left is a black multi strand cord bracelet with red beads similar to this item in the Etsy shop. A wilder version of this design can be seen here.
On the right is a grey and white turks head knot bracelet which is a replica of this adult sized bracelet also available in wider designs like this one or in a medium width design.
In the center is a square knot macrame bracelet with a green glass bead very similar to this one. Other slip-on style macrame bracelets can be seen here on the blog or visit the square knot bracelets section of the Zibbet shop.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Square knot macrame rope bracelet with zip pull closure 1122

Square knot macrame bracelet with easy adjustment made from 2.3 mm white nylon cord.


Bracelet opens to a generous size to allow you to slip it on over your hand, then zips closed using the monkey fist knot pull.
<-- open measures 8 5/8" (219 mm) inside circumference

Closed with monkey fist knot pull measures 7 1/8" (181 mm) inside circumference (medium size)


Both open and closed size can be specified in a custom order at the Etsy online shop. To request a custom design like this please use the Etsy convo utility or leave a comment here.

Shown here partially open - this unique design can adjust to any size between fully open and fully closed to make a perfect fit. The nylon cord construction can be opened and closed repeatedly. The high friction pull closure ensures that this bracelet will not open unexpectedly.


See this and other macrame designs in the Square Knot Macrame section of the Etsy shop. More macrame bracelets can be found here.


Available with a monkey fist knot pull (shown here) or with a variety of colorful bead pulls.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop