deep teal nylon cord knotted rope bracelet 3642

Most of the hand dyed cord I use is cotton but every now and then it's fun to see how well color takes to the synthetics. Some dyes are well suited like this darker teal which saturates the nylon braid quite nicely. The natural shiny finish on the nylon fibers add to the effect.

This is a 12x5x3 double diamond plain weave bracelet made with 1/8" (3 mm) cord. The dye is a  water-based RIT applied in a stovetop boil to a hank of the nylon.

 7" (178 mm) circumference

A blue-green synthetic same design

More smaller bracelets in the same weave design

Available here WhatKnotShop

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






design and photographs © copyright 2015

blue green synthetic cord braided rope bracelet 3625

A wide rope bracelet made with high density braided synthetic cord that has a really pleasing color mix. The braided material is quite stiff and dense so the bracelet assumes a naturally stiff shape when worked up on the mold.

12x5x3 double-diamond turks head knot

very limited edition

7 1/2" (191 mm)
2 3/8" (61 mm)
1 1/2" (38 mm)

Available here at WhatKnotShop on Etsy






design and photographs © copyright 2015

marsala blend rope bracelet 3494 trend color for 2015

 Traditional five part turks head knot design made with a mix of hand dyed cotton cord.

Double diamond weave pattern shows off the contrasting three cord combination.

Read about how to place a center cord in a two-strand turks head knot bracelet here.

 This color blend is marsala with a lighter rust red. Read more about how the stovetop dye bath process is done here.

This design is made in a "medium" size measuring 7 1/2" (191 mm) inside circumference. Read more about how to estimate your size here.

Designs similar to this are available in the contrast+blend section of the Etsy shop. You may special order your size and color preferences by clicking on the "request" button

design and photographs © copyright 2015 WhatKnotShop

black paracord rope bracelet 3384

 Black paracord is a classic choice for making rugged rope bracelets like this herringbone weave design. The material is a 325 paracord which is thinner than the 550 material. This continuous weave has no hardware or clips.

 The design is a 29x5x2 herringbone weave drawn up to a firm shape. Size is a "small" measuring about 6 7/8" (274 mm) but the herringbone weave allows for a lot of natural stretch. This enables the bracelet to stretch out to fit over the bigger part of you hand then return to it's relaxed shape to fit more snugly on the wrist.

Paacord tends to shrink when it gets wet as the inner fibers absorb moisture and re-position. Nylon dries quickly and can be re-stretched to it;s original dimension.

check out the entire collection of paracord rope bracelets here.



design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

Pair of adjustable nylon cuffs 3379

 This is a matched pair of turks head knot cuffs made out of a single piece of 1/8" braided nylon cord.

 The weave design is 13x9x2 double diamond which creates a nicely proportioned size. They measure about 7 1/2" (191 mm) inside circumference in the relaxed  size shown here. The loose weave will allow someone with adults size hands to flex them on over the thumb.

The ends of the cords are left loose (not bound together) so these cuffs can be slipped on an adjusted to a sung fit on your wrist. It's easy to work up the desired size by chasing the slack through the knot to the ends.

                         available here


design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

rope bracelets for Nikole 3338

A special order for Nikole, blue and red rope bracelets in extra small and small sizes for children and teens. All made from hand dyed cotton cord.

Need a boatload of bracelets? Special orders are available.

see the color selections here


design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

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

three child size rope bracelets 3273

 a special order

lime green
navy blue
fuchsia pink

child size small



more available here 



design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

ombre dip dyed cord made into a turks head knot rope bracelet 3212

 The interesting thing about this design is the cord which was loosely coiled then dip dyed in a blue dye bath then the cord was dip dyed in a grey dye bath and allowed to dry. The overlapping color creates the transition.

The cord was then used to construct a traditional three part sailor bracelet. The areas where the cord was fully immersed in the blue are laid up right next to the grey areas giving this classic design a lively variegated color effect

 The cord is a #48 cotton which is a relaxed or loosely laid up product of my local hardware store. It has a light grey toned color right out of the ball so the blue dye comes out a bit more pastel in tone while the grey just looks completely natural.

Built as a sample this is a "small" size (14 part) but the cord can stretch making this a great all purpose bracelet.




design and photographs © copyright 2014 WhatKnotShop

essential rope bracelet 3180

essential rope bracelet

cotton cord
relaxed weave
classic three part braid
natural ecru
colors

7" (178 mm) inside circumference
2 1/4" (58 mm) inside diameter
about 1" (26 mm) wide

                 available here




design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

two of a kind matched pair wide rope bracelets 3144

on one hand:
warm olive taupe tan with a light sunshine yellow center
hand dyed cotton cable cord
five part double diamond weave design


                available here

 the pair

6" (153 mm) inside circumference
1 7/8" (47 mm) diameter

one to share
one to keep

similar design grey and teal here

green and white pair here

on the other hand:
light sunshine yellow with the warm olive taupe center



                available here



design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

daily double rope bracelets in green and white 3128

two rope bracelets
100% cotton cord
hand dyed colors

size small
one to keep
one to share




                   available here


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

pick a pair of rope bracelets 3121

fog grey and cockatiel green
hand dyed cotton cable cord
size small

keep one give one
keep both
give both




                        available here


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

walnut taupe seasonal color collection 3061

 Fall season refers to the action of black walnut trees in my neighborhood. The ripe walnuts drop from the branches and I have to compete with the grey squirrels to gather them up.

Read more about this annual ritual in this posting.

Find out how the dye process works in this posting.

This collection is made from genuine organic locally harvested black walnuts that have been processed into a colorfast dye then used to make this handsome cotton cord.

Here's three three-part traditional sailor bracelets made in sizes large, medium, and small.

Above is a wider five part weave size small.

DIY kits are also available and for a limited time larger quantities of hand dyed cord are also available by special order.

Check my Etsy shop for these and other seasonal designs.


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

nylon cuff bracelet aluminum bracelets grommet bracelets

 Extra wide cuff with a set of grommet bracelets.

Cuff 13 x 19 x 2 made with 1/8" nylon

grommets made from various types of cotton cord, stretch over hand and shrink when wet

                   cuff bracelet available here


                   grommet bracelets available here

 Extra wide cuff with three metal bracelets

cuff 13 x 19x 2 made with 1/8" nylon

metal bracelets 3/8" aluminum shape to fit in place

 seams of aluminum bracelets are precision ground and aligned then compressed together for a custom fit











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

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

grey sennet braid cotton bracelet 2613

 Holiday hiatus is now over but there has been a good deal of cold weather which encourages a high level of indoor crafting activities.

This is an experimental design that combines a simple sennet braid with the edge binding technique used in the design )strata( work. The overlapping weave is an eight strand braid built on a core mold. (8x8x1)  The cords are laid parallel in between the two areas of braid then bound together with four ply nylon thread.

 This sennet is very similar to a turks head knot hence he similarity in appearance of the woven sections. If the parallel cords were left loose the whole thing would lose it's shape and become a tangle (quite a common outcome familiar to knot-tyers everywhere.)

The edge binding causes the bound cords to assume a stiffer form which in turn creates the rectangular shape once this knot is released  from the circular form of the mold.

The material is a hand dyed grey cotton cable cord. This was made on an 8" core mold so the relaxed size is about 7" inside circumference.

Size is easily adjusted by substituting a different core mold size.

Find this in my Etsy shop here.


design and photographs © copyright 2013 WhatKnotShop

decoding the knot: bights x parts x strands knot 2467

  To count the parts on a turks head knot follow one part as it crosses the face of the knot and count the number of "over" and "under" crossings. In this example you can count five crossings and add the one you are following for a total of six.

This design is a "diamond pattern" shown in the Ashley Book of Knots on p. 241, pattern #1350

Homework: why does Ashley call this a diamond pattern? Leave a comment with your answer below.

 To count the bights on a turks head knot count the number of places where the cord changes direction on the rim. In this example there are 17 bights.


This design is described as being between a "square" and a "narrow" turks head. It was made to be 7 5/8" (194 mm) inside circumference a comfortable size for a stylish nautical bracelet.

The number of strands or passes is three. The design can be described as a 17 x 6 x 3 corresponding to the number of bights x number of parts x number of strands.






design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop