three places on the lake

three part knots placed on handrails around Lake Harriet in south Minneapolis May 10, 2014

Materials: 3/16" synthetic yellow cord
Design: 11 x 3 x 3

If you find one of these leave a comment describing the location. If you can correctly guess the location I'll send you a replica in your choice of size.

Get a grip on this handrail, but where?

This guard rail protects pedestrians from car traffic, where is it?

An overlook with a view. Both function and beauty are served as this is a storm sewer outlet cleverly concealed below the platform.




four more places at the lake here





design and photographs © copyright 2014 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

navy blue string rope bracelets 3173

a bundle of post-dyed cotton string bracelets
navy blue

these grommets are made up then boiled in the dye bath for about 10 minutes to achieve a deeply saturated blue

 white nylon coach whipping
heavy weight cotton cord


grey post-dyed bracelets here

white string grommet bracelets here

6 1/4" (158 mm) to 7" (178 mm)


                available here


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

beaded white turks head knot bracelet 2945

 Traditional three part braided turks head knot rope bracelet that has been blinged up with a center strand of 3 mm clear glass beads. The beads have an interior coating that gives them a rainbow colored effect which the camera filters out quite effectively.

Here's a blue-green design you might enjoy.

Here's a tan design you might like.

 This one came out a nice "medium" size 7 1/2" (191 mm)

The bead string is secured a each end so there is flexibility like with other rope bracelets.

The beads are all glass so this bracelet has a bit more mass.

These are prototypes look for several other variations on this design



                  available here

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

blue and green beaded turks head bracelet 2943

 An ordinary 12 x 5 x 3 turks head knot turns into something sparkly when the center strand is composed of 3 mm glass seed beads.

A two strand knot was tied using 3 mm teal blue cotton cord. The knot was left a little slack as the glass beads are non compressible and need plenty of space to pass through the weave.

 A 48" length of four ply nylon thread strung with the beads was threaded through the center and drawn up to a firm tension so there were no gaps in the bead string.

Here you can see the placement.

The bead string was secured at one end and the cotton cord was worked around to remove slack and even the tension. Then the other end of the bead string was used to stitch the loose ends together.

The results are pleasing with the blue green mix of beads and the blue cord.

These bracelets are heavier due to the glass beads

This is a size "small" to show the concept.

               available here

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

wide weave re-shapeable herringbone rope bracelet 2768

 This functional cuff is made with a hybrid herringbone weave that features a tapered edge. Instead of the usual "over two - under two" the edge is a single over/under which gives it a thinner more contoured shape.

You can see the single overlap on either side in the photo to the left.

The herringbone weave allows this cuff to stretch to 8 5/8" (219 mm) to slip over your hand, then it can be re-shaped to fit snugly on your wrist.

This design uses about 19 ft of 1/8" braided nylon cord and is made on an oversize cylindrical mold.

Maximum width is about 2 1/4" (56 mm) when fully compressed.

Here's another similar design you might like.

Here's a hybrid design with a double thickness edge.

Looking for a super size herringbone? check this out.

See a collection of wide cuffs similar to this in the  white rope bracelets section of my Etsy shop


       Available soon online.



design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

yellow rope bracelets 2863

 This collection of knotted bracelets is made from a very soft and flexible synthetic cord. As you can see the color is a bright yellow with red and blue thread accents. The red and blue are actually individual strands of the woven sheath which surrounds the core.

This material came from a big-box retailer and is a 9/16" diameter made with a soft fiber core so it is very soft to the touch and quite flexible.

 On the left is the single strand design minimal profile only 1/2" (13 mm) wide.

In the center is the two strand design a bit more substantial at 1 1/8" (28 mm) but very soft and stretchy.

On the right is the symmetrical three part three strand design a full 1 3/4" (33 mm) wide.

Available from extra small to extra large. This group measures between 6 1/2" (165 mm) to 7" (178 mm)

You can choose size and width when you order

                      available here


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

two part rope bracelet 2797

 This two part weave design is made using a mold and a segment of braided cotton line. The cord is laid out loose on the mold then the second pass is looped under the first pass 13 times. This pattern is tripled and the loose ends laid parallel.

The shape is worked up to a firm fit on the mold.

 This type of knot is inherently unstable so there is an invisible web of nylon thread that holds the pattern secure. This thread is edge stitched through the plies and across the knot at the crossing points.

Here's a similar design made with glass beads at the crossing points.

This example is about 8" (205 mm) inside circumference.

Many size variations are possible with this design. It can be made on a larger mold with more crossings or smaller with fewer crossings. The diameter of the cord can be changed to adjust proportions and scale.



design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

ultra slender string grommet bracelets 2801

 Grommets are pieces of rope or line that have been unlaid then twisted back into a circular form.

Here's a tutorial that shows how traditional grommets  are made.

Here's a video showing the same process.

The design shown on the left  is made with a waxed thread whipping to bind the loose ends instead of the splicing shown in the tutorial.

 The material used is a white #60 cotton cord which is about 1/8" (3 mm) diameter.

I measure about 3 1/2 circumferences of cord then cut the piece and un-lay it. This creates three strands, each has a "corkscrew" shape due to the original construction of the cord.

As in in the tutorial above the cord is re-twisted in the circular form three times around. The ends are laid parallel and the whipping is applied.

Here you can see the white whipping cord that binds the loose ends which have been trimmed off in the photo.

A variety of sizes is available, this one is a 6" circumference. These are very sturdy and can be stretched hard to slip them over your hand. They will shrink back to original size or slightly smaller if you get them wet.

                   Available here
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

nautical knot rope bracelet with blue accents 2756

 This versatile nautical bracelet design is shown here made with a natural white cotton cord and ultramarine blue cotton floss. In this variation of the design the loop has an extra piece of cord secured by the coach-whipping. The monkey fist knot is made with the cord end tucked into the center of the ball.

This is a "small" size measuring 7" (180 mm) inside circumference when closed.

 This design is adjustable opening up by sliding the cord through the barrel knots as shown here.

See the posting about adjustment here.

You might like this variation on this design.

or perhaps this one made with hand dyed taupe cord.

Or this one made with extra large barrel knots.

The monkey fist knot rides along inside the loop when the knot is drawn up to it's natural size.


A collection of these special bracelets are available online here.



design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

hybrid weave turks head knot bracelet white nylon 2758

 This is a 14 bight x 15 part x 2 strand compound or hybrid weave turks head knot made with ordinary 1/8" white nylon cord.

The weave pattern is:
U2-O2-u1-o1-u1-o1-u1-o1-U2-O2+running part

U = "under"
O= "over"


The layout was done on a 10-1/2" cardboard tube using about 30 ft of cord


The edges come out with the thicker double layer of cord while the center area is thinner, roughly this shape:
  ________                               _________
(_________)_____________(__________)
(__________________________________)

Here's a similar design you might like:

Extra wide hybrid weave bracelet

This design can be easily slipped on and worked up to a 7 3/4" (195 mm) wrist size

Similar designs can be found in the Etsy online shop section white rope bracelets.





design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

how to adjust the slip-knot rope bracelet

 This tutorial shows how to adjust the size of the nautical slip-knot rope bracelet.

These bracelets are available here.

Remove bracelet from package. Lay flat as shown.

Separate monkey fist knot from loop.

Grab cord attached to monkey fist knot.


Note: There are two cords that pass through the barrel knot that can be adjusted to equalize the size of the bracelet.

Pull cord through barrel knot.

Expand bracelet, slip on over hand.

Pull on monkey fist knot to tighten up bracelet.


Note: If the fixed loops are unequal size, expand the bracelet and pull on the other running cord to equalize the loop size.

Adjust to a comfortable fit. Replace monkey fist in loop to hold loose ends together.



These bracelets are available here.



design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

custom work 13 part bracelet in black nylon 2714

 I don't see a lot of requests for these wider designs but this was a custom color request for a wide slip on style cuff. The design is similar to these:

big black paracord cuff 1747
and
Olive drab paracord turks head knot rope bracelet extra large 1540

both of which were also custom requests...

 This design is made with 2 mm nylon synthetic from a stash of material that came from a KMart store (of all places...) This is made by Wellington and marketed as a "sportsman cord" which might work for a tent stay or possibly a fish stringer...

Comes in 50 ft spools so it's just right for these bigger projects that need about 30 ft of line. This design required a 9" (228 mm) slip-on size. Read about how to measure your hand and estimate your size here: Figuring the fit - how to pick a size that's right for you.

I keep a few of these wider cuffs in stock and can make one to a particular size if needed.

You can also see the illustrated tutorial that shows how these are made from a cotton cord.

If you would like a pre-cut length of cotton or synthetic cord to try your hand at this just drop me an email message or leave a comment.


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop