Ella says...

Ella says: "I like these rope bracelets because they don't fall apart. I have some other ones that come undone but not these!"

In the active on-the-go world of a busy pre teen having a quality rope bracelet is important. The last thing you need is for it to come undone while swimming or hanging out with friends.

All WhatKnotShop rope bracelets are made with high quality materials. Each is worked up to a finished shape (except for the DIY kits) ready for the beach. The loose ends are carefully stitched up to prevent fraying and unraveling. This sturdy kid approved construction means that you can have a summer full of fun with your favorite rope bracelet and never worry  about it coming apart.

Here are three new handmade rope bracelets from the summer collection:
Three part teal blue made with smooth texture hand dyed cord.
Five part grey herringbone made with soft twisted cable cord.
Wider nine part ecru herringbone made with un-dyed cotton blend cable cord.

A closeup of the nine part herringbone bracelet showing the distinctive "v" patterns created by the double overlapping weave. The herringbone weave makes an extra stretchy bracelet that can expand to fit over a larger hand but will shrink down to a comfortable snug fit.

"I really like to wear my bracelets all the time, like even when I'm going skiing and I have to pull a sweater on over them."

Find a favorite for your summer...

by the bay

Three of the classic white 100% cotton turks head knot rope bracelets made by hand in Jamestown photographed on location at the Dumplings.

Lighthouse red 100% hand dyed cotton turks head knot rope bracelet. In the background is Clingstone the house on the rock built by a relative of Joseph Wharton in 1905.

Two of the teal blue hand dyed cotton turks head knot rope bracelets made with smooth braided cotton cord.

design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

by the sea

 Here's a view of the lower east passage of Naragansett Bay. In the distance is Rams Head part of Aquidneck Island where the famous resort and tourist town of Newport is located. The sailboats are tacking into a moderate southerly breeze. In the foreground are some of the product inventory that I'm trying to replace for the online shops.

In order: black, white, fuchsia pink, purple, and orange.

Here's some of the all cotton three part white cotton rope bracelets that are popular with beach goers and sailing crews.

Newport RI located just across the bay is home to many day charter operations that offer visitors a chance to sail on these very picturesque boats. The weather is warm and sunny, the wind is up and the sailing is great!

Behind the scenes at WhatKnotShop - part 1

As many of my fellow crafters know the work that appears on the blog or online shop is merely the tip of the iceberg. Here's a picture of some of the prep work that goes into making rope bracelets.

Here on my dining room table the segments of colored cord have been cut to length and are grouped with the production tickets from recently sold items. Each piece of cord will have it's own card that tracks design and has a unique serial number. The next step is to actually make the bracelet.

The completed item is then stored in a bag with the numbered ticket ready for publication and sale.
This photo shows the completed bracelets (stored in serial number order). The stackable cardboard boxes are (free!) from Costco, the 3x5 cards are both labels and the key element in the inventory control  system.

As each bracelet is sold the ticket is reviewed to determine if the item will be re-made. The ticket is  then used to create the next bracelet.

design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

white star knot bracelet with blue and green beads 2106

 Here is another in the continuing series of star knot bracelets made with beads. This one is made with 2 mm braided nylon cord (actually sold as kite string) and two colors of plastic pony beads.

The blue beads are placed on the perimeter where there are two parallel bights. The green beads are placed at the center "spine" of the knot where the cord passes laterally though the loops.

The construction is a single pass of the cord making this a rather lightweight design.

 Previously published designs include this
black star knot bracelet with red beads which was also published on Pearl's blog back on June 4, 2012

rope bracelet with star knot meridian
(also executed in 2 mm white cord including a reference to the pattern author who designed this knot)

star knot meridian cotton rope bracelet 1739

The design needs a pattern, pins and some patience to lay out. This one required three "go-backs" to correct errors in the weave pattern.

Size is a "medium" measuring 7 3/4" (195 mm) inside circumference with plenty of flexibility.


design by Norbert Trupiano used with permission, photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

muted colors collection on Etsy

Here's a fun collection of goodies muted colors put up by Andy an artist designer and owner of Andys House where you can find modern antique jewelry in sterling silver, brass and 14K gold fill with a variety of finishes.

Being summer and all this Beach Inspired Small Coptic Journal is an intriguing mix of color and texture made by Kristi Baker and offered as part of larger collection of handmade journals in her shop TheNibAndQuill.

Another useful item for toting around journals is this Briefcase in Dark Shadow Gray Waxed Canvas made by Jenny N as part of her handmade bags collection offered in her Etsy shop jennyndesign. The real fun begins when you click through to see the pug Hubert. Just do it!

The featured knot in this collection is the white and sky turks head knot sailor rope bracelet made from two relaxed colors in a size to fit smaller hands. The blue cord is hand dyed in small batches then worked into a nice soft slip on rope bracelet. Larger sizes of this design are available for the asking. See  a limited edition of other blended color rope bracelets here.

pink yellow blue 2105

A three part weave with three contrasting colors: fuchsia pink, sunshine yellow, navy blue

All hand dyed in small batches using 100% cotton cable cord.

design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

Hot pink for summer

These BASIC series rope bracelets are just the thing to get your summer off to a hot start. The bracelets are made "large" but easily adjust to make perfect fit.

Hot pink is but one of many colors available. Check out the entire collection here.

Easy to follow illustrated instructions are shipped with each order and you can view the online version here.

design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

Tone new collection on Etsy

Tone is a collection of foggy things by Amelia Lynn who keeps a shop named StudioTinselVintage filled with vintage/second hand items that she finds.

I like this Sentinels in Fog - Fine Art Landscape Photo Print made by Katherine Gendreau  a landscape and fine art photographer from Bristol RI. It captures the calm cool surface of Narraganset  Bay with ever present cormorants. See more of her colorful evocative work at klgphoto.

Another animal themed print is this Otter in the Fog a fine art print made by Lumyierre part of the fascinating collection of underwater photography you can find in the shop OctopodProductions.

The featured item in this collection is this fog grey turks head knot rope bracelet which is a traditional three-part braid made is a child size with hand dyed cotton cord. This style bracelet is available in quantity for birthday parties, weddings or other special gatherings. Please convo your request (well in advance!) for pricing and delivery details.

blue and green BASIC rope bracelets 2062

BASIC bracelets are the collection of simple five part turks head knot rope bracelets that you can actually adjust to make a custom fit right on your wrist. This special order design combines two colors of hand dyed cord in a single bracelet to create a cool blue-green mix of color.

The all cotton braided cord is soft and feels relaxed against your skin. The special dye mix has been treated to prevent color wash-out.

 The size adjustment works the same way for single colors as it does for these multi-color variations. Read about how to adjust for your perfect fit here.


These bracelets are supplied in two sizes which will fit just about everyone: The "large" size comes in 8 1/2" (216 mm) and can be worked down to about a 7" size. The "medium" size comes in 6 1/2" (165 mm) and can work down to about 5" or so.

Find the entire collection of BASIC bracelets here and remember that you can order any of the colors in either large or medium sizes at no extra charge.

design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop

Rusty Denim collection on Etsy

Here's another creative collection Rusty Denim made by Holly Renee Becker. Her shop is hollytamales but there's no mexican food instead she has pillows, pockets, and towels.

Here is a Denim Flowers Necklace, Pearl, Bohemian Glass Crystal, Navi and Blue Denim made by artmirey who is a architect and an artist (winning combination!) See more shabby chic, romantic, elegant, unique jewelry and accessories in her shop TheMireyBoutique.

Who doesn't need a small bag for travel? This is a Handmade Upcycled Denim Makeup Bag but it could hold almost anything made by farrago and offered with other handmade handbags and purses, tote bags, makeup bags in her shop of the same name.

The featured item in this rusty collection is this white & denim blue turks head knot sailor rope bracelet offered her in a medium size but available in small and large sizes by special order. There are more of these all cotton hand dyed rope bracelets in the blended color bracelets section of WhatKnotShop on Etsy.

grey + color collection 1974

Four new grey + color plain weave turks head knot rope bracelets. Design is a 17x5x3 made with 3 mm hand dyed cotton cord size large

grey + denim
grey + tangerine
grey + teal
grey + violet

                      available here



design and photographs © copyright 2012 WhatKnotShop