frayed work in progress part II 551

Another run at putting fiber together in a bundle. This time the cords run "up and down" with the nylon thread going "round and round" (that's technical language)

On the mold there were loops where the colored cord reversed direction. These have been cut to enable the natural softness of the cord to express through the fray. Some core color plus the dyed sheath color come through.

The ends are loosened up and bushed out to thicken and soften the edges. Looks like more fray is a good thing.

Technical challenges include consistent threading of the nylon thread through all the cords, shrinkage of the cords as they are compressed creating gaps in the surface, and routing of the nylon thread.

The nylon thread makes for zero stretch or pretty close to it. This one is made on a 7 5/8" mold so it's a "medium" size for someone with skinny hands.

Like all the other design )strata( series this is made from up cycled materials. Also, it's green. no really look closely!




design and photos copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop

work in progress, cotton fiber bracelet 546

Here's the finished bracelet with the colored loops interwoven with the substrate core. Size is 7 3/8" inside circumference and there is a bit of flexibility so someone with larger paws could squeeze it on.

available now on Zibbet

http://www.zibbet.com/WhatKnotShop/artwork?artworkId=41579






Process photo: New direction in bracelet design using a single strand 9 x 22 base stuffed with loops of colored cotton cord.

Nylon thread holds the loops in place. Ends are knotted and left untrimmed. Frayed ends of the cord loops are further loosened to build up texture.

Here's a close up of one of the loop sets worked through the weave of the turks head.


The "hair" is ends of the nylon floss.




design and photos copyright 2010 by WhatKnotShop

The Hack Factory TCmaker's new home

check out this great new place in the twin cities, ok well actually it is in Minneapolis but everyone is invited to visit:

http://www.tcmaker.org/blog/

Wide white herringbone turks head bracelet 480

White nylon material comes in a variety of sizes and finishes. This material is a soft core with a braided outer shell. It's a bit more than 1/8" in diameter but rather soft to the touch which makes for a nice smooth texture.

Here's a 41 bight double weave herringbone design that has not been doubled. The cord is substantial enough to hold a flexible but firm shape. Size is "huge" at 9 1/4" (230 mm) inside circumference and 2 1/4" (58 mm) wide.

fiber design and traditional rope bracelets are available in these online shops:
WhatKnotShop on Etsy
WhatKnotShop on Zibbet

Department of shameless promotion

Hey all you handmade artisans out there, here's a friendly venue for setting up an online shop: Click on this link (don't worry it's safe) to get a seven day free trial of a premium account on Zibbet:

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beaded ankle bracelets with toggles 489 & 490

Casual summer sandal ankle bracelets for your next trip to the beach. These are toggle closure anklet/bracelet pieces that have embedded rows of glass beads.

This is the blue-green one showing the embedded blue beads in the center.

This is the pink/red one. Here you can see the loop detail containing the shiny beads with the matte finish beads adjacent.

The toggle bead is a nice irregular red piece that almost looks line a button.

These are both about 8 3/4" (223 mm) just right for a smaller foot or a larger wrist

The outer cord forms the toggle loop.

In this one you can see how the big glass bead toggle works.

Both of them are constructed with 4 ply waxed nylon worked across the strands securing the beads in the center.

similar designs and more traditional rope bracelets in these online shops:
WhatKnotShop on Etsy
WhatKnotShop on Zibbet
design and photographs © copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop

Quite a pair! 466

Here is a pair of custom made herringbone weave bracelets made from the heavy cotton cable cord dyed a dark chocolate brown and worked up to a finished shape.

This customer specified size, color, and weave design. The work required about a week including dying the cord, weaving the bracelets, working them up to finished shape, and re-dying to make the finished color consistent.

Here you can see the cord plies or slubs that were exposed during the workup. As the cotton cord is tensioned some of the plies can get twisted exposing the inner un-dyed color. The bracelets were made then re-immersed in the dye bath to darken the color and take care of the slubs.


Custom orders like this one are welcomed.
Etsy: "Request Custom Item" button (on right)
ArtFire :"Contact Artisan" button (on left)
or simply send me an email:  ghutch@isd.net

Modern nautical rope bracelet, how to adjust for your perfect fit - illustrated guide

This article describes how to "work up" the modern nautical rope bracelet from a large size to a smaller size for a custom fit.

1. Place the relaxed bracelet in place around your wrist. Rotate it around so you can see the center.

Info: The center is the location where three strands are parallel.

2. Use a chop stick or other smooth pointed instrument to pull a small loop from the center of the knot to the right. Take only a small amount of slack! The effects will multiply as you work around.

Caution: Avoid injury! Don't use sharp metal tools or anything with a knife edge.

3. Move to the next overlap and pull the loop through. Keep the knot oriented the same way. Rotate the knot downwards  as you work around.

4. Move to the outside overlap and pull the loop through. Each time you pull the slack through be sure to take just a wee bit of extra tension. This will gradually reduce the size of the knot as you work it around.

Caution: Don't over-tighten! Leave a finger thickness between your wrist and the inside of the bracelet.

5. Keep pulling the loop through the next overlap as you work your way around the knot. Keep going in one direction.

Info: You will have 5 circuits around the knot from the center to the loose end.

6. When you reach the loose end gently pull the accumulated slack through the last overlap. Congratulations you have done 1/2 the workup!

7. Now reverse the direction and pull a small loop to the left and down. Proceed as before taking the extra slack out. Go easy and don't take too much out!

8. When you have completed removing the slack you may snip off the loose ends.
Info: It's a good idea to leave a small stub of cord to prevent it from coming undone. You may also secure the ends by sewing them up.You may also want to turn the bracelet inside-out to hide the cut off ends
Caution: use care with scissors! 

Visit WhatKnotShop on Etsy to see a colorful selection of these modern classics

A process to dye for - how color comes to cotton cord

Step one: assemble the chemicals

I use RIT dye which is commonly available at many stores. I like the stovetop method which involves a large stainless pot, water, salt, detergent and of course the dye pack. Get rock salt from the hardware store in the huge bags, rob the laundry for a squirt of detergent.

Step two: prepare the cord

This involves unspooling the cotton cord and laying it out (flaking) in a large loose coil. I always pre-wet the cord in the sink with warm water. I also will do a series of materials to get a range of colors and diameters from #18 all the way up to #60.

The picture shows a single hank of 3 mm cotton cord.

Step three: into the bath

Once the dye bath is mixed and cooking at a simmer the hanks of cord go in for various lengths of time. The darker the desired color the longer it must boil.

A light or pastel color gets a quick dip. Black or brown needs 20 minutes or more.

Step four: rinse out excess color

The dyed cords come out of the pot hot, wet, and dripping color that stains everything. I use stainless frying pans to transport the freshly dyed cord hanks to the basement where they go into the laundry sink for the rinse out.

This can take awhile as the excess dye works out of the cord. You need lots of water...

Step five: hang it all!

After the rinse the cord hanks are hung up to dry out. As you can see the cord usually has tried to revert to to it's natural tangled state. The moisture swells the plies of the cord causing it expand and twist.

After drying out the hanks must be untangled and re stretched. Then they are coiled back up an added to the inventory for use in making the turks head bracelets.

Here's some of the recently dyed cords draped over the back of a couch. There are a lot of other colors too.

I'll leave it for a future entry to discuss the variables of cord type, color, and material and the impact on the final color of the materials. Suffice it to say that all these things affect the results.

soft bangle bracelet design )strata( 277

Edge detail showing the reverse loops. This piece is about 1" wide at the widest point.

Lavender edge cords with yellow and white accents.

Size adult "large" 8 3/8" inside circumference or 2 7/8" diameter

construction is cotton cords with nylon thread has some flexibility to slip over a larger hand.





design and photos copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop

something small 345

Something small made with the braided cover cotton cord. A 12 x 5 x 2 double diamond braid that can work as a child's bracelet or maybe a napkin ring?

Part of the BASIC series this is a mere 5 1/2" inside which makes it right for kids of adults with small hands.

Loose ends make this one easily adjustable.

cotton fiber bracelet red & orange with beads 468

Large size soft bangle in orange & red with embedded beads. Goddess colors to brighten up your grey winter day.

Yellow and purple accents bring out the color. Small glass beads red, yellow, and orange arranged in a single row add some sparkle.

8 5/8" circumference about 1/2" wide lightweight & flexible.









design and photos copyright 2010 WhatKnotShop