1 button leather wrapped bracelet with black glass beads 2933

 This is the fourth in a series of small one button leather cord bracelets. Each has a unique detail that makes it special.

The basic design is four ply leather cord wrapped with a black waxed cotton thread. A 6 mm round wood bead and button connect with a pair of loops to form a secure easy to manage toggle.

This design features a pair of black glass crow beads placed opposite the button and loop.

 Size "small" about 7" (178 mm)

This design can be made both larger and smaller to fit children, women, and men.

All the components in this design are black: the button, the waxed cotton wrapping, and the beads.

Here are more designs you might like:
1 button bracelet with a pair of wooden beads
1 button bracelet with a polymer clay bead
1 button bracelet (plain - no beads)




           Available here.

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

1 button wrapped leather cord bracelet wood beads 2930

 This is the first of a series of small one button leather cord bracelets. Each has a unique detail that makes it special.

The basic design is four ply leather cord wrapped with a black waxed cotton thread. A 6 mm round wood bead and button connect with a pair of loops to form a secure easy to manage toggle.

This design features two 3 mm wood beads placed opposite the button and loop.

 Size "small" about 7" (178 mm)

This design can be made both larger and smaller to fit children, women, and men.

Almost any type of bead detail can be added opposite the button and loop including custom made beads.

Here's a look at the group of bracelets. You can see the different details including:

four handmade paper beads
a grey poly clay bead
the basic design without any added beads

               Available here

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

one button rope bracelet grey white with clear glass beads 2749

 Whenever I use a grey and near-white cord combination the potential for color actually increases. The grey takes on a warm or cool tone as the eye compares it to the surrounding materials. The off-white braided framing cords push this grey in a "cool" direction. The clear glass beads put in a tiny bit of  spectrum color which the camera filters out of these photos.

Here's the tutorial showing how to make one of these bracelets.

 The other challenge is trying to white-balance the image which has a disproportionate effect on the appearance of the object. These were all photographed on a bright white field with a white balanced camera setting. After importing the the image from the camera the white background is normalized using the Graphic Converter software. Even after this you an see the background retains some residual color.

Here's a more colorful cousin of this design.

Here you can get a sense of the transparency in the embedded beads.

More on-button designs in the Etsy Shop.

                  Available here


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

knotted choker style necklace with glass bead 2684

 This is a really simple and popular design for a choker style necklace. It's made with a pair of sliding barrel knots and a small cylindrical glass bead.

The cord is a 2 mm black leather lacing material that can be easily tied. The leather has a natural friction that holds the knots firmly one they have been worked up to a firm condition. Here's a tutorial explaining how to make this knot.

The knots can be made with as many wraps as you want. This is a smaller 13" necklace so the knots have four wraps. Bigger beads and larger necklaces can have 5 or more and still look proportional. Anything less than three wraps risks the knot coming apart.

Adjustment is made by sliding the knots on the standing part of the cord.

Here's a look at a selection of barrel beads that have the correct internal hole size. The glass beads must have a 2.5 mm or larger hole to accommodate the cord. I use beads from India that come in one pound buckets and must be sorted out. Many of them are the wrong size or have internal cracks that cause them to fall apart.

This necklace was a custom design but you can see similar designs here.

design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

rainbow rope bracelets

A rainbow of colors hand dyed in 100% cotton cord and made into super cool rope bracelets. This batch is a size "small" made to fit most teens and smaller adults.

 Colors (left to right):
purple
navy blue
fog grey
walnut taupe
starboard green
bright yellow
tangerine orange
fuchsia pink
lighthouse red

Find the entire collection 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

wide white paracord turks head knot bracelet 1758

White nylon paracord worked in a 12 part design - turks head knot bracelet. Tough as nails elegance.

Size is "small" 6 1/2" (164 mm) circumference with some ability to stretch over your hand.

                       available here




design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

paracord pair rope bracelets 1756

A pair of soft white paracord rope bracelets

Size is "small" 6" (152 mm) but stretchable

1 2 keep 1 2 share              available here





design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

Sailor Love collection on Etsy

Here's a red white and blue collection of Sailor Love made by Keri Calhoun who has an Etsy shop Keriadonna filled with crochet and sewing projects focused on color and style. You can follow her on twitter or read her blog.

If you are a sailor you might love this HELLO SAILOR red striped Shirt & Anchor Pin XS-L made from jersey knit by Deborah Brehm. On the other hand you might just want a date with the model... See more of Deborah's work in akashacouture and be sure to join the Miss Lovett mailing list.

Add some blue to the red and white shirt with this SAILOR'S HOOK Bracelet made by Erin Smith of MOONDROPSjewelry.

The featured item in this collection is the teal blue turks head knot rope bracelet small made from hand dyed cotton braid. This is a "small" size but is available in medium and large by request. Visit the solid colors section of WhatKnotShop on Etsy to see more of these classic rope bracelets in a range of colors.

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.

Dip dyed nylon turks head bracelets 1693

Nylon braided cord that has had the core fibers removed leaving only the outer braid dip dyed in a navy blue dye bath. This renders the cord very soft and flexible.

The color infuses the nylon fibers in a progressive gradient from dark blue to light blue to white

Size is "small" (6 3/8 in/163 mm) stretch is minimal to about 7 in/178 mm

                         available here


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

white 4 loop and bead cotton cuff 1636

four loop and bead cuff bracelet

braided cotton clothesline cord nylon thread plastic beads

flexible soft shape



                     available here 

design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

white rope bracelets extra small 1535

 Here's a group of small three part turks head knot bracelets made with 100% cotton cable cord. 


Find these here in the classic whites section of the Etsy shop.

These small sizes are perfect for party favors, or gifts for children.


To request a custom design like this please use the Etsy convo utility or leave a comment here.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

red and black herringbone weave knot rope bracelet 811

 This is a small herringbone weave design made with 1.5 mm synthetic cord. The weave pattern is over two-under two with five parts. 


The material is a high density synthetic with almost no elasticity. 


Size is "small" measuring in at only 6 1/4" (158 mm) inside circumference. The bracelet will stretch slightly due to the herringbone weave, not the material!


This bracelet is available in my Zibbet Shop. Click here to message me with any questions.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

pick a pair of ocean & sky rope bracelets 1381

A pair of turks head knot rope bracelets made in the traditional three part plain weave out of 3 mm cotton cord. The colors are teal and blue. These bracelets are matched for color and size which is a "small" 6 1/2" (165 mm) inside circumference. This size will be a comfortable fit for teens and smaller adults. 
See more blended color rope bracelets here.
Check your "slip-on" size here to understand the special way in which these types of bracelets can be made to fit.
design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

blue green and black small rope bracelets 1296

Three small rope bracelets made for a special order. Two are blue-green blended colors, one is simple black. All three are 12x5x3 weave design using 3 mm cord. This produces a nicely proportioned small size slip on bracelet for younger people. The inside circumference is 5 1/2" (141 mm). These have just a bit of built in stretch.
Place a custom request at my Etsy shop use the Request Custom Item button or simply convo.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Kid stuff - three styles made especially for children 1292

A Michigan mom wanted some gifts for her kids and requested three very different designs all made extra small to fit over tiny hands.
Upper left is a black multi strand cord bracelet with red beads similar to this item in the Etsy shop. A wilder version of this design can be seen here.
On the right is a grey and white turks head knot bracelet which is a replica of this adult sized bracelet also available in wider designs like this one or in a medium width design.
In the center is a square knot macrame bracelet with a green glass bead very similar to this one. Other slip-on style macrame bracelets can be seen here on the blog or visit the square knot bracelets section of the Zibbet shop.


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Glow-in-the-dark turks head knot rope bracelet 288

A while back I had a request from someone who wanted a real glow-in-the-dark bracelet. I ordered some extra cord which as you can see from the photos will hold a nice greenish color when the lights go out.

The glow cord is combined with a blue nylon braided cord to make a smaller size (7 3/8" or 187 mm) circumference bracelet. This one is worked up to a very firm condition so no stretch!

Available here 


design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

traditional five part rope bracelet design - small size 1198

Made with a smaller diameter cord this is one of the most popular weave designs in the online venues. As you can see this bracelet is a smaller size (on advice from one of my favorite customers!) and will fit younger teens quite nicely. Color is natural white. Ends are secured by stitching just like all the items in my shops, and the size measures just 7" (178 mm) inside circumference.
Available here


Design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

red cord fabric double toggle cuff bracelet w beads 1199

 This is a double monkey fist knot and loop closure cuff in bright colors. The cords are a mix of hand dyed cotton and synthetics. There are three different textures: the smooth cotton Darice cord that are the red, orange, blue and yellow colors; the cotton cable cord which is the yellow and purple color; braided synthetics colors electric green and light blue.

The monkey fists are tied in a pair and the cord is wrapped around to form the toggle loops. The entire structure is "post tensioned" with nylon thread which stretches then compresses the cords and makes a stiff shell our of the cord forming a fabric. Three glass beads accent the piece.


Size is a "small" measuring 7 1/4" (184 mm) circumference.

This design is similar to a number of other design )strata( bracelets like this double button cuff and this three button cuff and this double toggle beaded cuff  although these designs use buttons and large beads as toggles.


All these are unique designs which share similar details.
design and photographs © copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop