two button navy and teal cuff bracelet 3508

 Layered edge stitched cord
hand dyed navy and teal
poly clay buttons

 7" (178 mm)
2 3/8" (59 mm)
3/4" (19 mm)

Part of a developing collection of handmade artifacts re-created from collective memory in modern materials.

Available here





design and photographs © copyright 2015 WhatKnotShop

desert ochre open back pvc cuff bracelet 3455

 Hand carved incised pattern based on traditional basket weave design
Rugged thermoplastic materials
Desert ochre stain

This bracelet is one of the Handmade Artifacts collection which re-interprets the heritage of cultural objects in modern materials.

 size is a "medium"
7 7/8" (187 mm) inside circumference can be expanded to about 8" (203 mm) to slip on over the hand

oval interior shape 2" x 2 5/8"

1 3/4" (44 mm) wide

available here


carved bangle - large
small marsala cuff

similar white bone bangles 



design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

small Marsala cuff bracelet 3457

 Simple form made from pvc thermoplastic and stained Marsala red color. Open back and oval shape allows this cuff to be placed over a smaller wrist.

Elemental form simple shapes evoking the cultural heritage of ancient design. This is part of the Handmade Artifacts project re-creating simple powerful things using modern materials.

 Relaxed size 6 1/2" (165 mm) inside circumference
1 3/8" (33 mm) x 2 1/4" (57 mm) oval

1 3/16" (30 mm) wide

Available here


carved Marsala bangle - larger size


similar white bone bangles 


design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

black beaded slip on cuff 3451

 Black on black...laminated polyester cord with a center ridge of beads forming a slip on bangle style bracelet.

37 beads at the center
8 layers of cord on each side

Part of the new Handmade Artifacts project recalling the heritage of ancient forms re-creating and re-interpreting old ideas in modern materials.

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

lightweight and flexible

available soon in a new venue!

similar designs available here

custom work available





design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

sea glass basket weave cuff custom design 3446

 Beach glass or sea glass as we call it in Rhode Island is an artifact born of the action of water and sand on broken bottles. The soft colors range from light blue to dark green to cobalt.

Seeding a beach involves drinking the contents then smashing the bottles into fragments followed by a long wait to see how much of the frosted glass remains after several weeks of tidal action. Prized by crafters this natural product is available only to diligent beach combers.

 This custom basket weave cuff was made with hand dyed cord simulating this color palette. The extra wide design shows off the range if color creating a stacked effect. The cotton cord is slightly shrinkable when it gets wet.

You can see more of the basket weave style of custom rope bracelets here or read about how this design is made here.

To commission a design all your own please visit the Etsy shop here.



design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

1 button green beaded cuff bracelet 3064

 This 1 button cuff bracelet is made with hand dyed cotton cord, green glass seed beads, and a handmade polymer clay button.

Read more about the construction technique here.

 This handmade cuff is part of a small collection. Each bracelet is made on a mold using an edge-stitching technique to secure the cords with high strength nylon thread.

Find the red-orange bracelet here.

Find the ecru tan and red-black bracelet here.

This polymer clay button is slightly oversized with two holes large enough to pass the 3 mm cotton framing cord and still slip through the loops to form a secure closure.

                      available here




design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

2 button organic industrial cuff bracelet 3038

 Summer is cooling off and a new batch of assembled designs is waiting in my basket to get published and uploaded to the fiber design section of my Etsy shop. This is an example of industrial organic a contradictory combination of rough beads dark colors and things that suggest a machine made origin.

The cuff is made with the edge stitching technique combining hand dyed cotton with bits of paracord to form a matrix that traps the nugget like beads.

 The closure is a double button and loop toggle that is offset creating a wrap-around effect.

The poly clay beads were made using a screen to produce a knurled texture making it appear that these are nuts or knobs re-purposed from some piece of machinery.

The colors are darker with black and various shade of green accented by blue and grey. The blue glass beads create a mysterious glow.

                       Available here


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

nylon cuff bracelet aluminum bracelets grommet bracelets

 Extra wide cuff with a set of grommet bracelets.

Cuff 13 x 19 x 2 made with 1/8" nylon

grommets made from various types of cotton cord, stretch over hand and shrink when wet

                   cuff bracelet available here


                   grommet bracelets available here

 Extra wide cuff with three metal bracelets

cuff 13 x 19x 2 made with 1/8" nylon

metal bracelets 3/8" aluminum shape to fit in place

 seams of aluminum bracelets are precision ground and aligned then compressed together for a custom fit











design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

nylon hybrid weave turks head knot bracelet 2760

 Two weave patterns are combined in this interesting knot bracelet: Each edge has a herringbone (over 2-under 2) pattern which then shifts to a plain weave in the center.

This design is a "square" turks head with 14 bights and 15 parts.

Here is a related wider design.

The material is a 1/8" high density braided nylon cord which is a nice bright white color. This material is easy to work in the knot and unlike cotton tends to hold it's size without shrinking.

size relaxed:
7" (178 mm) inside circumference
2 1/4" (55 mm) inside diameter
2 3/4" (96 mm) wide

will stretch slightly to about 7 1/2"

The weave pattern is:
U2-O2-u1-o1-u1-o1-u1-o1-U2-O2 which has been doubled to bulk up the size.


                     Available here

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.


or maybe this one would be interesting as well

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






design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

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

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

extra wide two button ribbed cuff bracelet with wood beads 2644

Here's another cuff made with the edge binding system from cotton cords and a string of wooden beads. The design uses two one button bracelets made with the same colored cords and adds the 10 mm wooden beads in the center.

Read the one button bracelet tutorial here to see how the pieces are made.

In this bracelet the framing cords are 1/4" line which is thicker than the infill cords and creates a series of ribs.

 Here you can see the dimples made by the tensioned edge binding thread.

The wood beads are stitched in between the ribs after the two one-button segments are complete using the thickness of the framing cord to hide the stitching.

Here's a design without the thicker framing cords
two button rainbow bead cuff rope bracelet 2643

I think the ribbing adds a nice definition to the edge of this cuff. The single grey infill cord sets off the more earthy brown of the beads.




Available here


design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

extra wide beaded cotton cuff 2628

  All cotton extra wide beaded cuff assembled from braided cord, cable cord and lots of glass beads. The assembly process for this design involves making the two fabric sides separately and later joining them together with the big beads in the center seam.

The bigger beads are a variety of colors and shapes recalling a beach full of smooth stones. The small beads are like bubbles in the fabric.

  There are only two small buttons and loops which leaves plenty of space for a little "coastline" of beads along the ends. These are stitched on after the big pieces of the bracelet have been put together.

The tensioned nylon binding thread holds the shape of this cuff and gives it some flexibility.

This one is 3 1/4" (83 mm) wide but only 1 1/8" (183 mm) inside circumference giving it a nice long proportion.

                    Available here.

more of these in the fiber art section of my Etsy shop

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

Spool bracelet two button cuff beaded tribal style bracelet 2535

 Continuing the series of tribal inspired cuffs this design is all whites, off whites, and grey. The beads are all clear glass some with a hint of purple color. The edges are a heavier hand dyed braided cord and the center area is made from the twisted cotton cable cord.

 There is an extra braided center cord that is bound into the thinner shell between the edges. Overall this one came out about 2" (51 mm) wide.

The off white buttons and loops come apart to make this 7 1/2" (191 mm) inside circumference wearable for people with bigger hands.


                Available here


More like this in the fiber art design section of WhatKnotShop on Etsy.

design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

beaded cuff tribal statement bracelet grey, blue, green 2516

Another fabric cord cuff based on the Kuchi cuff form with the massive outer ribs and the thinner infill panel in the center. This one is grey with slate blue, light chocolate, and pale green cords offset by glass seed beads in cream, pearl grey, and brick red.

It is not as wide as a traditional Kuci cuff. the design measures only 2" (51 mm) wide instead of the 4" to 6" in some of the traditional cuffs.

The beads are placed in the cord matrix as the bracelet is assembled. Here you can see the beads in the infill cord which are a #30 cotton twine (about 1.5 mm diameter).  The bead color is more subtle than the photograph suggests.

When the nylon thread is tensioned the cords compress and the beads are held tightly together with the cord.

The ribs get a row of seed beads after the tensioning of the fabric is complete

The loops and buttons make this design open for people who might have hands that wont fit through a 7 1/2" (191 mm) internal circumference.   The weave and compression process left an open loop which was filled with a clear glass bead.

                         Available here

More like this in the fiber art design section of WhatKnotShop on Etsy.

design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

grey and yellow beaded tribal inspired cuff bracelet 2517

 Here's another variation on the two-rib cuff design. The ribs are the layered clothesline cords that form the edges and are the structure of the cuff. The loops and buttons are stitched in these heavy cords. The infill cords and beads are laid out inside the edge cords held in place with long needles. Four ply nylon thread is passed through at 90 degrees and tensioned to form the cuff.

Each of these starts out with a similar structure but  develop into unique expressions as the materials are assembled.

The center row of beads are a collection of irregular shapes in a mostly blue green range. These are threaded into the nylon thread during the layout process. When the thread is tensioned the beads and cord are pulled tightly together forming a fabric. This tensioning process is done in sequence to gradually tighten the assembly from the center to the ends.

The resulting form is quite stiff and self supporting for a bunch of string!

 The edges are actually three cords arranged in a triangular relationship. This creates two seams on each rib: one outside, one inside. These seams are where the rows of glass seed beads are stitched in.

Colors are a mix of blues, greens and, off-white. The rib cords are a medium grey.

Size is a firm "medium" 7 1/2" (191 mm) inside circumference when closed.

Two brown plastic buttons and loops make this easy to open but secure when closed.

Look for this and other unique pieces in the fiber art design section of my Etsy shop.


design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop