one button rope bracelet with wood barrel beads 2666

 The one-button design is as versatile as there are materials available...this one is made with 3/16" cotton braid for the framing cords, some bright white nylon braid, and two lengths of hand dyed tan cotton cord.


Tutorial "how-to" click here.

 The center is a row of variegated color but regular shaped wood beads obtained at the store. See the previous post for the latest on DIY paper beads used in these bracelet designs.

The white nylon highlights the warm color of the wood. The tan cords give this a nice earthy color.

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

                         Available here


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

Rusty Denim collection on Etsy

Here's another creative collection Rusty Denim made by Holly Renee Becker. Her shop is hollytamales but there's no mexican food instead she has pillows, pockets, and towels.

Here is a Denim Flowers Necklace, Pearl, Bohemian Glass Crystal, Navi and Blue Denim made by artmirey who is a architect and an artist (winning combination!) See more shabby chic, romantic, elegant, unique jewelry and accessories in her shop TheMireyBoutique.

Who doesn't need a small bag for travel? This is a Handmade Upcycled Denim Makeup Bag but it could hold almost anything made by farrago and offered with other handmade handbags and purses, tote bags, makeup bags in her shop of the same name.

The featured item in this rusty collection is this white & denim blue turks head knot sailor rope bracelet offered her in a medium size but available in small and large sizes by special order. There are more of these all cotton hand dyed rope bracelets in the blended color bracelets section of WhatKnotShop on Etsy.

white grommet rope bracelet 1920

Oversize rope grommet bangle made with bleached cotton clothesline and waxed cotton thread.

Size medium" 8" (203 mm) inside circumference

                         available here


design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

big order in progress so blogging takes a back seat

A customer placed a large order for an upcoming wedding with a nautical theme. Here's a photo of the nearly finished project.

She wanted 110 in three sizes for her guests.

The design is a traditional three part braid made from 100% cotton cable cord. The ends are stitched and trimmed off. Small size uses a blue thread, medium a white thread, and large a red thread to help sort them out. (the mediums have not been finished in this photo)
design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

Don't forget the Camera collection on Etsy

Don't Forget the Camera collection made by Jennifer Tatroe is a collection of well done product photos. Jennifer's shop Palimpsestic has original work that contains real historical pieces rather than digital prints or reproductions. Find more information about her on Twitter, her own website, or her blogspot.

An unusual item in this collection are these Arrows Sea Green, Red and Yellow made by Stacey Foster and offered through her shop verlaivans where you can find chevron necklaces, as well as a lot more arrows.

Simple but handsome this Knee Length Wool Skirt made by Jane and offered through janeyclothing is a classic with fully lined interior for keeping warm while awaiting for that photographer to locate the camera.

The featured item in this collection (top billing, thanks!) is the signature classic white turks head knot sailor rope bracelet made with 100% cotton cable cord and available in size small,  medium (shown) and large. This popular item is one of the best sellers in my Etsy shop. 

Finding your fit - a quick guide to size and selection of sailor bracelets

Here are some quick links to helpful articles discussing how to estimate rope bracelet size:

Figuring the fit - a how-to guide for estimating the correct size for a turks head bracelet. This post shows how to measure your hand and estimate the size of the bracelet that you want and also offers guidance on shrinkage factor for cotton bracelets.

Nominal sizing - offers a guide to the labels "small", "medium", and "large" that are used in the product offerings in WhatKnotShop. 

Working up a BASIC turks head knot bracelet offers a visual guide to tightening up an adjustable knot to fit snugly on your wrist.

teal rope bracelet 1563

Classic 17 part weave design made with hand dyed 100% cotton cable cord.

The cord takes the dye in a variable absorption creating a textured teal blue color.

Size is medium 7 5/8" (193 mm) inside circumference


                     available here


design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

green rope bracelet 1681

 I end up with a lot of shorter pieces of cord when making larger more complex weave designs so every now and then just grab the scrap basket and see what's in it.

These are the simplest three part rope bracelets. Everyone knows how to make them, ok well a lot of people do and there are a number of online tutorials available for the do-it-yourselfers.

This is a nice bright green color hand dyed 3 mm soft cotton cord made into a 14 bight bracelet.

My give-away basket gets full over the winter and by the time the next block party rolls around there are a lot of these in different colors and sizes.

Find this one listed in the Etsy shop, several more in the ArtFire shop, and you can get lost in the huge selection available in my Zibbet shop.

I will combine product from these venues for reduced shipping if you contact me and ask...

design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

1 button beaded cuff red and purple 1644

 This is a one button cuff made with braided cotton piping material and a mix of polyester and hand dyed cotton cord.

The size is a "medium" measuring about 7 1/2" (191 mm) inside circumference when closed.

Red, clear, and amber glass beads are worked into the seams between the cords around the edges.

 The toggle closure is a single plastic button and loop. The entire affair is constructed on an 8" plastic mold where the cords are laid out then edge bound together with four ply waxed nylon thread. When the cord fabric is stable the cuff is removed from the mold and the beads are worked into the seams.

This item is available here  and is part of a larger collection available at WhatKnotShop on Zibbet

Colors are off-white, rust, purple cords with red, clear, and amber glass beads, the button is a reddish brown.




design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Terrific Teal collection on Etsy

Teal is one of my favorite colors so this Terrific Teal collection curated by Lee Meyer really hits the spot. Visit FleurDeLeeDesign to find Handcrafted stone, wire and metal jewelry made right here in Minneapolis.

42things offers these Paper Snowflake Die cut icy blues (25) which will dress up your holiday table or scrapbook. The multi-talented Jo got into another collection reviewed on this blog just recently and her shop has more up cycled and recycled handmade designs worthy of holiday gift giving.

You can almost feel the sand between your toes in this Ocean Photography, Concord No. 2 (Oceanscape) made by Tricia McKellar and one of many photos offered in her shop TriciaMcKellarPhoto. She is one of 20 Photographers Whose Work You Can Actually Afford so click the link, scroll down and read the review on Photojojo a great place to look for serious gear.

The featured item in this collection is extra wide white & teal turks head knot rope sailor bracelet which is an updated teal color (of course...) based on a popular grey and white design. This soft and comfortable cuff can be made in a variety of colors by special request. Find this and lots of other blended color rope bracelets in WhatKnotShop on Etsy.

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

Black walnut earth tone dyed turks head knot bracelet 1522

This bracelet is made with cotton cord that has been dyed using black walnuts harvested from a neighborhood tree. The color is dense earth tone taupe which is somewhat lighter than the dyebath which was a real black.

The outer husk of the walnuts was mashed and mixed with a small amount of water then boiled according to this recipe from Practical Primitive then used to create a limited amount of black walnut cord. Size is 7" (178 mm) inside diameter.

design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

white rope GEOmetry bangle 1640

White cotton clothesline cord is worked into a wedge shaped slip on bracelet. Simple form made from soft materials.





Binding is four ply nylon thread.

Slip on size is 7 1/2" (191 mm) inside circumference

                             available here.


double clothesline cuff      GEOmetry collection


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

OD paracord turks head knot bracelet 1612

 Small size plain weave design turks head knot rope bracelet made with olive drab colored parachute cord. This is a highly engineered synthetic cord with a braided cover and a soft multi strand interior very popular with makers of so called "survival bracelets".

In this design the knot has been worked up to a nice and firm shape on a PVC mold and the cord has been evenly tensioned to produce a very flat and somewhat stiff result. The paracord is very smooth and once worked into shape it takes a set that retains the shape of the mold.

This example is a "small" size measuring 7 1/8" (181 mm) inside circumference. The paracord has been tensioned during the work up so there is almost no stretch in this bracelet.

This item is available here. See more solid color rope bracelets in cotton and synthetic fibers in the solid colors section of my Etsy shop.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

four bead toggle cuff in white cotton 1542

 This is a very simple cuff made with braided white cotton cord and purple sparkle beads.


Nine passes of cord are bound together with four ply nylon thread on a mold. The size is "small" in this example but of course this design can be made in almost any size with your choice of colors.

The beads pop through the loops to open.

If you like this design and would like to request a custom made version or find out more please click here to contact me or leave a comment here.

design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

red white and blue 1399

It's coming up on that time of year again when we all get to celebrate this experiment with democracy that began with a bunch of guys (yeah old white men...deal with it) who got together to try and figure out how to have a country organized by laws instead of fallible human beings. A radical concept that we are still trying to figure out how to operate. Yeah we got liars, cheaters, malcontents, criminals, good people, entrepreneurs, yeoman farmers, businessmen, students, stay-at-home moms, solid citizens, and everyone else too.
Happy fourth of July! Eat a brat, buy a patriotic bracelet, visit my shop.
design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

black string cuff bracelet 1386

Extra soft black polyester cord is mold wrapped with the finger interlock weave pattern to form this 13 strand string bracelet. Slips on comfortably then you forget it's there.

No stretch design, no shrink material, no nonsense black.

Available here.



design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Seaside Dreams collection now musing on Etsy

West Lafayette Indiana is nowhere close to a salt water seaside but Ashley doesn't let that stop her from creating this Seaside Dreams collection. Visit her shop The Sunshine Girl to see a small but fun collection of crochet and a hollow book (stash for ??) Her treasury collection is cleverly arranged with white, yellow, turquoise, and green groupings vertically and necklace, handbags, bracelets, and earrings horizontally. (should we expect randomness from an engineering student?)

My picks are from the bracelet row. The Sunshine Yellow. Cloud Cuckoo Bracelet with Faceted Clam Shell, Glass bead, Lucite Flower and Czech Glass leaf title is almost as long as the bracelet its self. Made by CloudCuckooLand from Hong Kong. See more of Kiki's fine work in her shop of the same name.

Fiona - Single Wrap Adventurine on Leather offered by MadRiverDesigns is one of a series of wrap style bracelets in a multitude of colors inspired by the landscapes and rivers of Vermont.

The featured item in this collection is green and blue turks head knot sailor bracelet made with two shades of blue and green cord. This design is limited availability as the subtle green color is difficult to replicate perfectly. See more mixed color rope bracelets in the blended colors section of my Etsy shop.

2 button toggle cuff bracelet with beads 1290

  Constructed fabric layers, subtle colors, glass beads. Size is 8" (203 mm) inside circumference. Two buttons and loops secure the bracelet closed.

 A large green glass bead nests in a cove on the edge of the overlap. Four ply nylon thread binds the assembly together.

 The seam at the overlap loops is filled with small glass beads.

Toggle closure loops are highlighted with cotton floss.












design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

cotton cord fabric cuff bracelet with glass beads 1231

 A pair of blue plastic buttons and loops hold the corners of this organic collection of cord and beads. Multiple mixed fiber cords are laid out then stitched together with a collection of irregular glass beads. The binding process compresses the cords together and the beads are embedded in the layers. Two opposing loops overlap with a seam of turquoise bubble beads between them. Cotton floss is applied to the edges to highlight the structure. This is one of the design )strata( series of fabric cord bracelets.

This view shows the buttons and loops.  The four ply nylon binder remains in constant state of tension holding the cords and beads firmly in position. This is a medium-small size measuring 7" (178 mm) circumference when closed.
This and other unique fiber art items are available in the design section of the Etsy shop.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop