DIY : Sailor's Knot Bracelet
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 5:05PM Thanks to the wonderfully crafty team over at Etsy- we can now make our very own sailor's knot bracelets! I've always wanted to know how to do this- but as it was, my Mom signed me up for Brownies rather than Boy Scouts- thus I honed in on sewing patches rather than tying knots. But now with this easy tutorial, you too can be a master-knotter. Imagine the possiblilities! Hairbands, scarves, earrings- your creativity is the limit!
- 3.5 yards of twine
- 14 ounce can for a smaller bracelet or a 20 ounce can for a larger bracelet. Any other round object that has the appropriate circumference for your wrist will do.
1. Wrap one end of the twine around the can to shape an X. Leave about a 4" tail. You will need this tail at the end to finish the bracelet.
2. Wrap the long end of the twine around the can again and bring it up to the middle of the X. Then pass the long end of the twine under the right, upper leg of the X and pull the long end all the way through.
3. Next, move the upper left leg of the X over the right leg of the X to create an oval shape.
4. Pull the long end of the twine through the oval shaped opening you just set up.
5. Turn the can a bit and you will see that the oval shape has created another X shape. Again, pass the long end of the twine under the right upper leg of the X and pull the end through. Repeat steps 3 through 5 until you get to the beginning of your project.
6. You will now find a three-stranded braid. Follow the twine you initially laid out and create a parallel second line.
7/8. Continue around the can. If you find that it's getting too tight to pass the twine through the openings, you may want to take the bracelet off the can and continue with the knotting in your hand. If you take it off, be careful not to pull the twine too tight, otherwise your bracelet will shrink on your wrist.
9. Continue knotting the rope around the bracelet until each strand of the braid has one parallel line — a total of three passes. At this point you can stop or add another three passes to create the traditional pattern of three parallel lines, like the bracelet in the third picture in this step.
10-11. To finish, just knot the ends together and weave them into the inside of the bracelet.
A few cute nautical finds from Renee Loughlin
Accesories, DIY
Reader Comments (15)
Hard to find Box to enter author or other info in the comment post info fields(Change the Color or something! Using the latest version of firefox btw). As for the knot used, I believe it is called a "Turks Head" knot.
Thanks, very much appreciated
WOW! This is hard. My BFF, daughter, and I have been trying to make this work for an hour - FAIL! You are VERY talented!!! We obviously are not so much.
Hello! I found this post via Pinterest and made a couple bracelets using your tutorial. I love them! I linked this post and posted pictures of my bracelets on my blog yesterday. Thank you for sharing. http://www.johannainman.blogspot.com/
I really like the idea of making something on your own. I love making thing with my hand. I am a jewelry designer, if you have time, please come stop by my blog and website. tell me what you think. Thank you.
website:alzerina.com
blog: alzerinablog.com
I am having a really hard time understanding around Step 6 with creating a parallel line. Any other advice or images or tutorials you've got would be so so helpful, thanks!
I am also having a difficult time trying to figure out the parallel line. Any tutorial or advice would be wonderful and helpful. Thank you.
By parallel line she means to just follow along the path your twine has already taken. Just lay the twine alongside the first pass, going over and under exactly as it was previously. You see how in the final picture there are three strands laying side by side? That is what you are doing.
Just wanted to let you know that I featured your cute bracelet on my blog!
www.sweet-raisins.blogspot.com
Wow, you make it look so easy. I'm thinking mine would definitely not look that nice!! :)
ty this helped a lot once i got the hang of it
Think I might try this later...looks good
This is a really good Tutorial, it gave me a very good idea for Young Woman's night for my Church.
Hello, Love your tutorial. Though I didn't use it to make my bracelet, I think it's very informative so I've included a link to your blog on my blog post today. Thanks so much for sharing your creativity with the world!
Warm Regards,
Alexandra
Love this. Thanks for the tut but sure wish you had a print button......