Learn how to tie a barrel sliding knot. The barrel sliding knot is the chunkier big brother to the simple sliding knot.
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Barrel Sliding Knot
knotting
Knotted Tassel Earrings DIY
These lightweight and colourful tassel earrings, with added knot detail, are perfect for summer! They use a knotting technique that you might be familiar with. The box knot or crown knot as it is known in Chinese knotting, was one of the main knot used in making Scoubidou! I was in my early twenties when the craze came back into fashion in the 2000’s so I never actually made any myself. Although its the same knot, the method I’m using is the traditional Chinese variation, which I actually find easier to understand! Read more
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Yarn Covered Clothes Hanger DIY
Update plain wire coat hangers with some pretty yarn and a simple half hitch knot.
My Nana used to have a lovely collection of coat hangers with crochet covers- the material used was totally some totally hideous nylon stuff. But they did brighten up the wardrobe and helped to stop clothes from falling off. So when my knitwear kept sliding off and landing in a heap, I remembered these crochet covers and wanted to create something along the same lines, but a bit more contemporary. Enter some yarn and the good old half hitch knot; otherwise known as the friendship bracelet knot! I just used some plain steel wire coat hangers, but I have since seen some very lovely pastel covered ones in Tiger that might just find their way into my life. Or you even combining my Cloud Shaped Hanger DIY with this one. The possibilities! The yarn I’m using is a delightful recycled aran weight cotton from King Cole, it has a wonderful texture and slight flecked look, but any cotton yarn or even cord would do nicely. Read more
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Josephine Knot Bookmark/Bracelet
This tutorial uses a knot known by many names; Josephine, Double Coin/Prosperity and Carrick Bend. It creates a decorative strip that can be easily finished into a bracelet or bookmark depending on your fancy.
Its takes a couple of goes before the knot makes sense and its one that while not complicated, takes patience to get right. Although you can use any cord to do this, I would recommend a minimum of 2mm the first time you try as it makes it simpler to learn.
Still with me? Ok, lets try doing another, this time starting on the right side (which creates a flatter form that doesn’t want to twist
PS, I’m using a piece of foamboard as a base, with pins to hold the top (and other parts of the knot if needed) in place, but you can use a foam macrame board, clipboard or just tape it down on your work surface.
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Square Sliding Knot
My first blog tutorial, how exciting! Loads of people have been asking about these knots, as seen on the already ubiquitous Shamballa bracelets, and how to do them. Whilst nothing beats having someone showing you in person, I did feel there was a lack of clear step by step instructions out there, so decided to do my own.
This tutorial is purely about creating the sliding knot itself, so the actual bracelet design isn’t very exciting, but you get the idea! It does seem a bit long, but I wanted to include an image for each step so it was fairly self explanatory.
First thing to realise is that this knot uses one piece of cord for the bracelet and another to create the knot itself. I have used black for the main bracelet and for the knot I have tied a blue and red cord together, so there is a different colour for each side to make it easier to see, but normally this is just one piece of cord. Written steps are at the end of the images.
1. Lay out the bracelet, making sure you have knotted the ends – this both stops the finished knots from sliding off completely and helps you identify which are the main cords.
2.Tie your knot cord on using either a overhand or reef knot around the bracelet cord. Then take the right hand (in this case blue) cord and lay it across the bracelet, leaving a loop.
3.Take the left hand (in this case red) cord and bring it down crossing over the right cord
4. Take the left cord under the main bracelet cords (make sure you go under both bits).
5. Then bring the left cord up through the loop you left in the right hand cord
6. Pull both ends together, checking it looks like the picture.
7. This is now one half of a square knot done.
8. We now repeat steps 2-5 on the other side. So bring lay the left hand cord across the bracelet, leaving a loop.
9.Bring the right hand cord over the left
10.Take the right hand cord under the main bracelet cords and up through the loop in the left hand cord.
11. Pull to tighten. This is now one complete square knot!
12.Repeat steps 2-11 to make four more complete square knots
13.Tie an overhand knot or reef knot. Try to do this on the same side as the one you did at the beginning making it your ‘working’ side.
14.To hide the ends, take then back under the last couple of square knots(if too tight, take a bradawl, knitting needle or even a kebab skewer to loosen) and cut off the excess.
15.Dab superglue on the ends and the reef/overhand knot. Be careful not to get any on the main bracelet, but if you do, keep pulling the main ends to free them.
16.Turn it round do the working side is on the inside touching your wrist. And that’s it!
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