conceptual up cycled carpet pad bracelet 3690

The use of found materials has a long tradition in both modern and traditional cultures. This series is about the formal possibilities of a throw-away material: carpet pad.

Carpet pad is itself composed of reclaimed plastic from soda bottles, containers and other sources. The variations color come from the particular mix of recycled plastics used in the batch. The rubber backing has a wonderful high-tech hexagonal pattern embossed in the surface creating a tension between the rough pad fiber and the controlled anti-skid backing.

 This first bracelet is a simple circular form made by double wrapping a rectangular strip of pad and securing the overlap with waxed nylon thread.

The tension created by the wrapping is expressed in the naturally circular form and the slightly anti-clastic shaped surface which is visible in the bottom photo.

Industrial grey with the alternating diagonal pattern contrasts with the controlled light purple hex patterned backing on the interior.

7" (178 mm) 1.4 oz (40 g)









design and photographs © copyright 2015

pink and purple basket weave rope bangle 3469

 Bright pink and deep purple on black cross weave makes a splashy color statement in this basket weave design
Slip on style without hardware

 8" (203 mm) circumference
2 1/2" (66 mm) diameter
1 1/4" (32 mm) wide

available soon
custom work based on this design can be ordered
more basket weave designs here
see what's available in the Etsy shop here




design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

purple blue grey basket weave rope bangle bracelet 3219

 Colorful purple teal blue and two blue-gray mixes are combined in this soft slip on bangle style cuff. Single over-under weave pattern with 9 loops.

 Tightly drawn up to completely hide the weft cord the resulting pattern has a zig-zag look to it.

Made on an 8 5/8" mold this came out smaller at 6 7/8" (175 mm) inside circumference

soft and flexible



                     only one available here


design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

basket weave rope bracelet 3206

 This simple plain-weave cuff is made with 3 mm cord. These pieces of cord are predominantly blue, purple and verdigris with a bright teal accent. The weft is black polyester.

The weave is drawn up to a firm but not tight tension which allows the loops of cord to show the alternating pattern.

 The cords are tied off with waxed thread then trimmed.

Soft and flexible about 8" inside circumference.



           available here




design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

Stegosaurus spiked rope bracelet 2766

 Resembling the tail spikes of the childhood favorite dinosaur these polymer clay beads look dangerous but are not very sharp.

The spikes are blunt and flexible. These also look like sea urchin spikes but of course the color is not a match.

The polymer clay comes out like a hard rubber texture after the 15 minute curing in the oven.

Here's another design you might like.

The longer spikes are held apart by small drum shaped beads. The edge stitching pattern secures all the spikes and beads together. Read more about how to make this type of rope bracelet in this tutorial.

This design is made for a larger wrist measuring 8  5/8" (219 mm) inside circumference.

 The infill cords are grey and dark purple. The spikes are "elephant grey"the drum beads are "pewter" both materials made by Sculpey and available in craft stores and online.

The closure is an oversize black plastic button and loop.

                     Available here


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

Illustration from "Dinosaur Time Machine" 

3x3x3 rope bracelets

Three braided rope bracelets
Three bright colors
Three part weave design

available here

         Orange
         Red
         Purple


design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

A fairwell to honeysuckle, Pantone's color of 2011 on Etsy

A fairwell to honeysuckle, Pantone's color of 2011 collection has lots of color and many items you will want to click through to see. Curated by Cassie from the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. Visit her Esty ShopClementine, her blog, her flickr page, or follow her on Twitter.

For pure colorful fun you need to see this Splash Dyed Hand PAINTED Scoop Neck Pinned Rolled Cuffs Tee and Bow Pin in White Spectrum Acid Pink by two string jane from LA. Visit Alyssa's shop twostringjane  to find more apparel & accessories or visit her online.

Hold the universe in your hand with this If I Could I Would Give You the Entire Universe II 8 x 10 Inch Digital Illustration Print made by Meredith Schwab and offered in her shop DittyDrops which is filled with bright geometry graphic designs.

The featured listing in this colorful collection is a colorful grey and purple turks head knot bracelet made from hand dyed cotton cord. This is an example of the collection of blended colors you can find in my Etsy shop or for an expanded collection click through to my Zibbet shop. This bracelet is a size "medium" but it's easy to order a large or small one all you have to do is ask.

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

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

purple and black interweave rope bracelet

Here is an interweave of purple and black combining a 22 x 9 x 1 diamond weave knot with a continuous  parallel interweave of 3 mm hand dyed purple cord. The turks head forms the diagonal pattern and the interweave forms the vertical offset pattern. 


The ends are pulled through the overlap and concealed. There are just two pieces of cord used in this design.
This design is available now in the design section of the Etsy Shop. 
design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

neon bright colors in traditional rope bracelet weaves

 Bright synthetic cord is used to create these classics. The traditional three part plain weave design made with 5/32" cord. Unlike cotton cord theses will never shrink and will never rot. The colors are integral to the material. The first example is a very bright lemon yellow in a 17 bight weave about 8 1/4" (209 mm) inside circumference. (1280)

 This example is a deep electric purple also made in a 17 bight weave design. (1281)


Find these listed in the solid colors section of the ArtFire  shop. If you like the color but need a different size please message me: use the "contact artisan" button on the left side of the screen.

This one is a really nice blue color that is impossible to replicate in cotton. The size is smaller only 6 3/4" (174 mm) made in a 14 bight pattern. (1282)


More neon brights can be found in the Etsy Shop. 


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

birthday party!

 Rope bracelets make great party favors. Here's a collection that was made for an upcoming birthday. The guests will receive either a blue, green or blended color bracelet, the purple one is reserved for the birthday child.


The materials are hand dyed 3 mm cotton cord. The weave pattern is a double diamond made in a smaller size for teenagers. These are adjustable as well so the recipients can make them fit the way they want.

This is a group of medium size bracelets made with both blue and green cords. These can be worked up to fit as well. There are of course two extra loose ends!


If you would like more information about how to get a party package for your next event please visit the children's section in the Zibbet shop to see some possibilities. Many other color and size combinations can be made by request.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

multi colored wide cord fabric cuff bracelet 1195

A warm pallet of color including brown, orange, pink, red, black with yellow and green accents. Extra large and extra wide slip-on style cuff bracelet made with up-cycled cords. The continuous design has no seams or closure toggles.

 Four ply nylon binding thread keeps the cord structure in a semi-rigid but flexible form. Thread ends are buried. This bracelet was made on a cylindrical mold. The cords were laid out and secured with long needles. The nylon thread is passed back and forth to establish the spacing then drawn up to consolidate the final shape. The cord compresses to about 50% of the relaxed shape.

















design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhaKnotShop

desert sunset beaded 3 button cuff bracelet 1194

This project is another that has been sitting in my partially complete box waiting for a decision about the closure design. After messing around with several ideas I worked out a nice lie-flat three button solution.


The colors are bright southwest desert inspired oranges, pinks, yellow, red and purple. Embedded glass beads emulate the treasure hidden in the folds of the earth and visible only to the mind's eye and the careful observer...

 The toggle closure system is three loops of cotton cord and buttons. The center loop passes through the red loop then secures on the center button. The two outer loops fit over the smaller buttons.


The center loop and button showing the white loop passing through the red loop.

 loop over button on the left...








a row of red glass beads is visible just below the buttons.

Loop over button on the right...secure






This cuff is available for sale click here.   If you like this design you may also be interested in this one or perhaps this one.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

wrapped multi-part cuff bracelet 989

 Brightly colored cotton floss wrapped around a multi-part cotton core creates a slip-on bracelet with vibrant color and casual style. This is an adult size "large" measuring 8 1/4" (208 mm) inside circumference and is naturally flexible to fit over all but the biggest hands.


Colors are: red, yellow, orange, pink, purple, gold, mauve, and magenta.
This is available for sale   click here

This design is part of the fiber wrapped jewelry collection available here on   Etsy
or here on  ArtFire
or you can check out  Zibbet  (different items on each site!)


You may also be interested in these designs:
fiber wrapped slip on bracelets 
new fiber wrapped bracelets
choker and bangle set
fiber wrapped necklace with beads  


design and photographs copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop

pair of anemone cuff bracelets 925 & 926

The anemone cuff bracelet pair made from up-cycled pieces of hand dyed cord. The color range is from white to blue to green to purple to rust red. The texture is soft and flexible. The size is "large" 8 5/8" (219 mm) inside circumference to slip on over larger hands.

Four ply nylon thread holds it all together. The ends have been gently frayed.

Both bracelets were made from the same cords on a large mold and then cut in half to make an identical pattern for both.

This is part of the design )strata( collection available on ArtFire handmade marketplace     click here    






design and photographs copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop

double toggle beaded cuff bracelet 898

This is a completely over the top cuff that resembles a mass of tangled roots. This organic form is a mix of materials, hand dyed cords, bead clusters, floss accents and unique expandable double toggle closure. 

This item is available for purchase    click here

The bracelet can be worn in it's small size or you can flip the big beads out of the loops and expand it to wear it on your upper arm. Those of you with skinny feet can try wearing it as an anklet. 

Size closed is a "medium"
8" (203 mm) inside circumference
2 1/2" (63 mm) inside diameter
2" (52 mm) wide (varies)

Expanded this is an 'extra large" size:
10 1/2" (267 mm) inside circumference
3 1/4" (84 mm) inside diameter

Colors: blue, green, brown, black, purple
All glass beads in blues, greens, and reds


This is part of the design )strata( collection available on Zibbet      click here      to see the other items like this one in the collection.
design and photos copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop 

double toggle beaded cuff "tide pool" bracelet 891

This wide beaded cuff braceletis made with darker blue, green and grey cords and features a double toggle closure with a keeper loop.


This view shows the bracelet in it's smallest closed position with the large blue beads pulled through the loops. The keeper loop is visible in front.


When closed this measures about 8" (203 mm) inside circumference.

 There are beads worked into the loops that form the ends of the cuff. These are of various colors and sizes offering a "found" look to the piece.


Light purple and green-blue floss finish off this side.


This bracelet is available for sale  click here

This view shows the opened position with the keeper loop passing through the toggle loops. Periwinkle blue and bright green floss finish off the edges.




This is part of the design )strata( collection available on Zibbet      click here      to see the other items like this one in the collection.

design and photographs copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop

fiber wrapped slip on bracelets 849, 850, 851, 852

Soft cotton fiber wrapped bangle bracelet 849

Made with a nylon core and hand dyed cotton fibers in colors grey, turquoise, and copper green

Size "extra large" 9 7/8" (251 mm) inside circumference

Soft cotton fiber wrapped bangle bracelet 850

Nylon core and hand dyed cotton fibers in colors eggplant, copper green, turquoise, and denim

Size is "medium" 7 3/4" (198 mm) inside circumference

Soft cotton fiber wrapped bangle bracelet 851

Nylon core wrapped with hand dyed hemp and cotton fibers, colors are natural tan, red, and eggplant

size is "large" 8 1/2" (218 mm) inside circumference

Soft cotton fiber wrapped bangle bracelet 852

Nylon core wrapped with hand dyed cotton fibers, colors are grey, eggplant, turquoise, and white

size is "medium" 7 5/8" (194 mm) inside circumference

Find these and other fiber wrapped  designs on Zibbet

design and photographs copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop