even more even part turks head knot bracelets 3514

Four part rope bracelets are the next order of complexity up from the traditional three part sailor bracelets and they offer a special design opportunity. The center overlap creates a place to run a colored accent cord through the void in the weave. Because the geometry of the knot has even parts the overlap falls in the actual center not to one side or the other.

Here are some other colors in this same design.
Here is the tutorial showing how to tie four part bracelets.

 15x4x2 weave design with tangerine (a popular color!)

7 1/2" (191 mm) circumference a convenient size for many people

 Purple - mysterious just like the endless knot pattern...

Note that these are 15 bight designs. If you tie an 11 bight design as shown in the tutorial your bracelet will come out smaller. If you increase to 19 bights it will be larger.

Quiz: why does the bight count increase by 4 each time?

 Scarlet - "red is best" and popular!

Almost any color can be used to accent the basic off-white bracelet.

Navy - a traditional favorite color for anything nautical

Available here

These and other unique bracelets can be found online WhatKnotShop on ETSY


design and photographs © copyright 2015 WhatKnotShop

classic marsala ecru rope bracelet 3507

 Hand dyed marsala cotton cord centers two strands of natural white cotton in this medium wide rope bracelet. Classic plain-weave pattern knot design in five parts.

see more designs like this in the contrast+blend section of the Etsy shop






design and photographs © copyright 2015 WhatKnotShop

handmade rope wrap bracelet necklace 3298

 What makes this piece special is the rope is actually assembled on a rope machine from cotton yarns in a two-stage process.

The first stage creates a thin cotton cord from three plies of cotton twine. The second stage uses three of these cords to create the rope shown here.

                 available here

 The handmade poly clay button is placed on the inactive end of the rope winding machine with the cord threaded through the holes in the button.  As the rope is made the button is secured by the natural twist in the yarns

The loop is made with an eye-splice detail with a coach whipping securing the end of the splice. This is a traditional method of creating open loops that can carry heavy loads imposed by rigging on sailing ships.

The extra length creates a four wrap bracelet for a large wrist, five wrap for a small wrist. Two wraps makes a nautical choker style necklace or leave the single loop for an extra long draped necklace.

Color is a natural off-white, material is cotton.



design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

big barrel knot rope bracelet 2476

 This one goes a little crazy with the biggest barrel knots I could make (estimating the cord length is a guessing game). One is 15 the other is 17 wraps which makes a massive knot don't you think?

The 2 x 2 x 2 monkey fist and loop are whipped with brown waxed cotton thread for a secure and handsome finish.

And yes it is possible to slide these big knots around on the line, it just takes a little push.

 The material is a heavy #60 cotton line.

A similar design you might like is here.

Read about how to adjust the size of these bracelets here.

The size is a "large" measuring 8 1/2" (219 mm) when closed (shown in the photos). Expands to about 10" with some effort!


There is a collection this unique design rope bracelet          Available here.


design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

overhand knot cotton cord bangle bracelet 2645

This is a new design that combines a simple overhand loop knot with edge binding technique to make a soft bangle style rope bracelet.

3/16" cotton line is wrapped around an 8" mold and a series of overhand knots are placed in the center.

Here you can see the two part braided pattern clearly.


The whole assembly is edge-bound together using  waxed nylon thread.







Here's another view of the braided pattern.

Size is 7 7/8" (200 mm) circumference.

                Available here


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

two part rope bracelet with breads 2642

 This is the simplest turks head knot you can tie, just two parts wrapped around and laid out flat instead of bunched up. This pattern is somewhat unstable as the strands are not naturally positioned as is the case with the three part braid.

The secret is hidden.

Here's a similar you might like design made without beads.

There is a piece of four ply nylon thread placed at each crossing point. This edge binding holds the strands together in a nice parallel pattern and also holds those clear glass beads you see in the space between the parts.

The rope material is a 3/16" braided cord. Notice the overlapping ends also secured with the nylon thread.

Made on an 8" mold this bracelet measures about 7 3/4" (197 mm) inside circumference.

                Available here



design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

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

star knot meridian cotton rope bracelet 1739

A single strand of 3 mm cotton cord is used to construct this rope bracelet with a series of star knots in the center.

The design is by Norbert Trupiano and is published by Charles Hamel. Find the tutorial here.


This is the same design as this nylon version #1738

This bracelet is a relaxed weave measuring about 8 1/4" (210 mm) inside circumference but it has the ability to stretch out to about a 9" inside circumference.

photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

Tying Knots collection on Etsy

Tying Knots is one of my favorite activities and this collection by The Jetty has a lot of nice knot work. For some of us hobbyists it is "not work" but fun.

This Cotton rope sailor knot belt by marcelacamargo is a distinctive classic accessory. Find more knotty hair accessories and jewelry in his shop TeaAccessories.

I like the deconstructed look of this Big Knot Knit Bracelet in silver silk by Amanda Brown. Her shop ClementineBrown has several other knitted bracelets made from this soft material.

There is a lot to like at KarensRopeWork including this Cotton Nautical Doorstop - with Handle which is sold but don't be deterred there is more in her shop.

The featured item in this knotty collection is this white BASIC turks head knot sailor bracelet large adjustable. The material is 100% soft cotton braided cord made into a simple but sophisticated five part plain weave design. Each BASIC bracelet comes with illustrated instructions showing how to work it up to a smaller size on your wrist. Find many more colors in the BASIC bracelets section of my Etsy shop.

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.

small blue rope bracelet 1339

Sometimes it's the simple things that carry the most impact like this small size (6 1/2" 165 mm) blue cotton bracelet. The weave design is the over two-under two herringbone pattern made with a denim blue hand dyed cotton braid. 


The cord is a 100% cotton american made from T.W. Evans Cordage Company located in Cranston R.I. Crafters can find their products in hardware stores or you can order directly online. 


This cotton cord can be found in a number of items in the WhatKnotShop online venues. Find this item in the solid colors section of the Zibbet Shop. Custom sizes are available by special order.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

colorful rope bracelets for kids

 green 1331

typically 5 3/4" (146 mm) inside circumference with some stretch built in

red 1333 

all 100% american made cotton cable cord from Knotstuff Cords

 yellow 1334

hand dyed colors are made in small batches read about how it's done

 orange 1335

not sure what size you need? read this posting to find out how to measure and correctly estimate size

 light green 1336

If you want some good tutorials on how to make these check out this blog posting for my favorite online "how-to" resources

 grey 1337

When I make grey dye baths I always seem to get a nice variety of grey cords. See a micro-collection of grey bracelets here.

purple 1338

see a variety of other designs in the children's bracelets section of my Zibbet Shop



design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

black paracord herringbone bracelet/anklet 1238

This is a very large herringbone weave design made with black nylon parachute cord or paracord. This material is coreless that is there are no center strands inside the braided sheathing so it is very flexible and soft. As you can see form the photo the shape is still somewhat irregular. This is an experimental knot. It might work as a bracelet or perhaps an ankle bracelet if it is fully worked up to a firm symmetrical shape.

This turks head knot is a massive 41 bight x 21 part design which measures about 10" (253 mm) inside circumference in it's current relaxed state. This one will stretch to about 11 1/2". Here you can see the distinctive overlapping pattern. The core-less para cord lies flat. A para cord with 5 or 7 strand cores would be much thicker and stiffer than this example.
You may also be interested in this white paracord design.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

square knot macrame adjustable bracelet collection

Zip toggle macrame bracelets with beads in different colors and materials. All (except one) made with 2.3 mm white nylon cord. This is a small sample of the possible bead colors that can be used to make the toggle closure.  Find this one on Etsy  click here or look at the square knot collection on Etsy

<--cream color bead pull

 All are 8 5/8" (219 mm) size "large" that can be drawn to between 6 1/2" to 7 1/2" size when the toggle loop is drawn through.




<--navy blue plastic bead pull

Find more of these adjustable macrame bracelets in the Etsy shop. Find more slip on square knot bracelets in the Zibbet shop.




<--red plastic bead pull

<--lavender plastic bead pull

champaign synthetic 1 mm cord with tiger stripe oval bead pull

<--green glass bead pull

design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

blue green beaded rope bracelet with toggle 941

Three rows of turquoise blue glass beads arranged in white nylon cord. The beads alternate between clear green and blue glass and frosted green and blue. Stitching is four ply nylon thread. This is a larger size measuring 8 5/8" (219 mm) inside circumference when closed.

Waterproof and durable for everyday wear

The clasp is an overlapping toggles two of them with cream colored beads. Here you can see the loops and the two beads.

This item is available in the Zibbet shop  click here.

You may also be interested in a similar design made in a slip-on (no clasp) style  click here.

If you are looking for something with more texture and color take a look at this   click here  or this  click here
design and photographs copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop

large rope bracelets

This design is made with large size cotton clothesline cord which makes for a gigantic size bracelet. In this example the material is worked in a 4 part by 5 bight design. This oversize look is available from Tanya Aguiniga with hand dyed color accents.


Those of you that would like one or more of these for your own craft projects (dip dying or other work) please request a custom order via this link  custom order

Even though this looks huge the material is lightweight and quite soft. This cord comes with a synthetic core that can be left in place or removed by cutting the cord and drawing the core out with a small pair of pliers.


This material is an off-white more natural looking cotton made in a braided pattern around the core.


design and photographs copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop

white herringbone rope bracelet 948

One of the advantages to the double overlap herringbone weave is that the bracelets have a lot more inherent stretch than the simple plain weave pattern. For example this design made in 1/8" cotton cord is able to stretch from a relaxed 7 1/2" circumference to about 8 1/4". This stretch-ability makes it easier to get a nice snug fit without having to work up an adjustable bracelet and has the added advantage of being removable.

The material is a 100% cotton braided cord made by T. W. Evans cordage in Cranston, RI.

If you like this design you may also be interested in these herringbone weave designs:
 Narrow design in white synthetic  click here

 Navy blue in hand dyed cotton  click here

 or this colorful set that I use for my shop avatar  click here 

of course there are a number of other herringbone weave designs and colors:
 Herringbone designs on  Zibbet
 Herringbone designs on  ArtFire
 Herringbone designs on  Etsy

design and photographs copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop