black and white herringbone rope bracelet 1415

This is a herringbone weave design that has been doubled using a black dyed cord. The color contrast emphasizes the "V" pattern created by the over two-under two weave. This example shows the single overlap edge weave or "locked" edge as it is sometimes called. 


Doubling the weave creates a dark edge on the left where the black cord reverses direction (bight) and also on the right where the white cord is exposed.


design and photographs copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Soft Tones collection speaking quietly on Etsy

Sometimes powerful messages are delivered in Soft Tones... such as in this collection by ohzie. See more soft recycled Tees and Sweats in her shop and follow her on twitter.

Speaking of soft here is a very touchable item Apple Green Ribbon Poncho Cape made by iLE AiYE from London. See more handsome contemporary designs in her shop.

Not sure why a print titled Live Out Loud - A whimsical travel photograph got into this soft collection but the color and composition capture the spirit of southern France, um well, NICEly. See more of Irene Suchocki's work in her Etsy shop.

The featured item in this collection is a soft blue-green turks head knot sailor bracelet part of the blended colors collection in my Etsy shop.

red white and blue 1399

It's coming up on that time of year again when we all get to celebrate this experiment with democracy that began with a bunch of guys (yeah old white men...deal with it) who got together to try and figure out how to have a country organized by laws instead of fallible human beings. A radical concept that we are still trying to figure out how to operate. Yeah we got liars, cheaters, malcontents, criminals, good people, entrepreneurs, yeoman farmers, businessmen, students, stay-at-home moms, solid citizens, and everyone else too.


Happy fourth of July! Eat a brat, buy a patriotic bracelet, visit my shop.
design and photographs copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Very Lovely collection now dressing up Etsy

This Very Lovely collection was made by sparkletribe who lives right next door in Yamba, AU. Find out about Becca then visit her shop for organic cotton scarves, craft sew make supply, and vintage items.

My picks from this collection is the Patterned Notebook in Triangles. See more of Kelly's well designed cards, notebooks, and paper goodies in her shop inkwhimsy.
Back down under to Perth we go to find whitesquare and a whimsical Paper plane Brooch perfect for the irreverent day at the office. Fly we must but how? More cool stuff here...

The featured item in this collection is the red slimline rope bracelet made in a herringbone weave but so slender it can go anywhere. More colors and sizes in this design available by special request. Visit the Etsy Shop and click on "contact" to make your request.

Tribal Geometric Bib Necklace

I have finally finished the necklace I told you about in my previous post and named it Tribal Geometric Bib Necklace. I love how it eventually turned out, so the many trials and errors were worth it! ;) A tutorial for this necklace is already available.

I also made a smaller version of the beadwork and used it as a fan shaped pendant. I might make matching earrings, too, but that could happen only after I will work on somethings else - I just can't see the same beads on my working table for any longer!... ;D

special order for fun - teen size rope bracelets in bright colors

 These fun colored rope bracelets were made in a special order for some  kids who were going to summer camp. These are made smaller than the adult sizes and all are fully adjustable so that each can be made to fit comfortably.


Left to right: Red, bright pink, green, blue-green, and blue. The material is a 100% braided cotton cord hand dyed in small batches.


Find more of these designs in the BASIC section of the Etsy Shop. If you want to special order for your group please use the conversation utility in Etsy to let me know what you need. (Click on the "contact" link on the left margin.) Special orders can take up to a week to create and ship depending on the quantity and colors ordered.
design and photographs copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Smell of the Sea collection on Etsy

You can just about taste the salt air in this Smell of the Sea collection arranged by SabiKrabi now washed up on shore at Etsy. Visit Sabina Gadzhieva's shop to find a collection of fairy-tale fantasy jewelry. Just perfect for princesses everywhere!

The Sea Glass Rock...Scottish Sea Glass Necklace reminds me of the sea glass we would find on the beaches of Rhode Island. See more of Laura's beach glass work in her shop Sophiasparkles.

Even though this item Coral Collection - Aqua Bowl - 0461 is sold you should click through to see more of Lisa Mueller's evocative and beautiful work in her shop: SassyGlassStudio. Her coral bowls and other objects all created out of glass.

The featured item in this collection is the blue-green turks head knot sailor bracelet one of several popular color combinations available in the Etsy shop. 

yellow, orange and gold cotton fiber Möbius bracelet 1400

This is another in an occasional series of experiments with creating fiber wrapped pieces. This one is made from braided cotton clothesline wrapped with cotton floss. The colors are bright canary yellow, gold, and bright tangerine orange. The clothesline is stitched together with nylon thread before wrapping to provide stability. It's three strands and they are constructed in a Möbius strip geometry out of a single piece of cord.


Size is extra large measuring 9 1/4" (234 mm) inside circumference.


design and photographs copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Four mountain pattern inside ancient woven basket

This is a photo of one of hundreds of baskets that are on display in the Hubble Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona. Now a National Historic Site this trading post was purchased by John Lorenzo Hubble ten years after the Navajos returned from Bosque Redondo, NM in an event now known as the long walk.


This huge collection of baskets is located in the main room in the residence and in the trading post as well. Originally mounted on the walls by John Hubble then later moved to the ceiling by his daughters to save room on the walls for the numerous drawings and paintings which remain on display.


This basket depicts four symmetrical stepped shapes perhaps representing the four sacred mountains in Navajo cosmology. The optical illusion created by the pattern shows the black center core as the floor of a valley (and the deepest part of the basket) surrounded by mesas with vertical sides. This landform is a powerful and defining part of the southwest creating a strong sense of place for the descendants of the ancient people of this region.


Photographed in extremely low light with an iPhone camera. Copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Turquoise Mist collection on ArtFire

Turquoise is a natural color much favored by natives of the southwest United States. Morrigan has put together a nice collection of craft items in this Turquoise Mist collection. See her marvelous photography in her ArtFire studio including Haunted Forest Path and Roaring Point.

My favorites from this collection are these awsome Crochet Earrings made by WildChildDzigns in a way cool extra large size. See more bold designs on Facebook.

At first I thought this Strings in D Minor painting was a closeup of an a blue american football but this is a sample of Elis Cooke's original art. See more of her abstract paintings in her ArtFire Shop.

The featured item in this collection is this turquoise blue herringbone turks head knot rope bracelet which is one of a series of the "double weave" designs available in the ArtFire Shop.

Rosette Embroidered Cuff

I had been working on a new necklace project last week, but it didn't go as good as I thought. So after the 10th time I had to unpick the beadwork and try different "engineering", I thought it would be better to take a break, relax and work on something else for a while. Nervousness doesn't go well with a needle and thread... ;)
I bead embroidered this cuff, using one of Lisa Peters Art beautiful cabochons as a focal and used the cabochon itself as my source of inspiration for colors and shape. I especially like the the gentle sparkle Lisa added to the center of the cabochon - a beautiful white opal Swarovski stone.

It was a good decision to take a break, and by now I have managed to finish the beadweaving project I was working on... :) Photos coming soon, and maybe even a tutorial.

White House ruins in Canyon de Chelly Arizona

Regular readers may have detected a recent hiatus in posts to this blog. The reason is shown in this photo. I was in northeast Arizona for a week exploring ancient ruins and working on service projects.

At left is a view of the so called"white house" ruins in Canyon de Chelly national monument. This is the only site that can be accessed in this canyon without a paid guide. Read the Wikipedia info to find out more details.

For a guided tour you may want to ride with Ben, Adam, and Harris Teller who are the guides that operate Antelope House Tours. This family has lived in the canyon for generations and can provide both legends and facts about the canyon and the inhabitants.

BAO Color Challenge

This is my entry for the Bead Art Originals June Color Challenge. Our source of inspiration was "A Gentle Notion" - a beautiful illustration by Jeannie L Paske of Obsolet World on Etsy. Check out the BAO blog and see other entries for this challenge.

The bracelet is made with tiny 1.8 mm Miyuki cube beads in gorgeous color of metallic green patina iris (#2008) and a beaded Swarovski crystal navette stone as the button clasp. I love how soft this bracelet came out, thanks to the small size of the cubes.
At first I wasn't sure if I had enough beads to finish it, but eventually the bracelet was completed and 3 (!!!) beads were left out of 30 grams... I always thought that it's better to have a little more beads than you think is needed. Missing just a few beads to finish a project would be a disaster!... ;))

A Gentle Notion by Jeannie L Paske 
of Obsolet World on Etsy 

Grey Day collection on Etsy

Grey Day collection by firfairy has many grey items and a touch of orange too. See if you can pick out the orange one! (just kidding)
OK so there's a lot to choose from here including the Set of 3 Yarn Wrapped Stacking Bangles  from mysticfibers where you can find lots more soft bangles in a bright array of colors.
Four pears - Black and White Photography by honeytree captures the texture of the fruit. See more dreamy subtle color work in her shop.
Ramonawest offers a super comfortable Grey Cashmere V Neck Sweater among other vintage fare for modern wear.

The featured item in this grey series is the white & grey turks head knot sailor bracelet shown here in the narrow three part braid. See other designs like this in the blended colors section of the Etsy shop.

ecru and teal two button cuff 1393

 This design )strata( cotton cuff is made entirely out of natural and hand dyed cotton cable cord. The colors selected are white, off white, teal, and grey-green.  A pair of green plastic buttons and loops hold this cuff closed. As you can see the loops are positioned more than half way around the cuff creating a diagonal seam. The fabric is made by binding the cord strands together with strong but elastic nylon thread. This compresses the cords as the thread is tensioned which stiffens the material enabling the distinctive organic shape to appear. The twisted cords create the ribbed appearance of the fabric. 

This piece measures about 8" (203 mm) inside circumference when closed and about 2" (52 mm) wide. This cuff will change shape when you put it on and if you get it wet it will shrink somewhat as it is made from cotton. 


See this unique cuff and a collection of similar designs in the design section of the Etsy shop. See a much larger collection in the design section of the Zibbet shop.


design and photographs copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

tied the knot collection on Etsy

Here's a fun summer collection tied the knot assembled by Valerie. You can visit her shop ValValVoom for jewelry and floral accessories perfect for summer.

My favorites from this collection are the  Off-White Rope 28" diameter Throw Rug one of many made by Anita Shane and sold along with more rope crafts through her shop RAGGIN2RUGGIN based in Kodiak Island Alaska.

Kelly Wilcox offers a cool collection of real knotted accessories represented in this collection by Nautical Silver Gray White Rope Chain Knot Necklace. Knotted rope with a bit of sparkle. More goodies in her shop knottysailor including this Cream Sailor Knot Bracelet .

The featured item in this collection is the white & grey turks head knot sailor bracelet one of a series of designs made with custom hand dyed cotton cord that can be found in the blended colors section of WhatKnotShop on Etsy.

New Set of Jewelry and a WIP (and some other things...)

In the last couple of weeks I have been having some issues with my eye sight. I don't see very clearly and there were times that no matter how hard I tried to focus, everything looked blurry. So I thought I should go see a doctor and check if new glasses are called for. The doctor took some tests and she found out that besides the new glasses I do need, there's a start of cataract (at my age?! I though that only elderly people have that, and I'm not even 47 y/o yet!) and there's also a small scar on my right eye retina that needs to be further checked... Of course I set up an appointment with a specialist in the hospital, but what a nightmare! - the earliest available appointment in for next month! Now I get a whole month waiting and thinking whatever this scar is, would I be able to work and bead like before?! :( But I really try to chase away the horrible thoughts and stay positive...I keep reminding myself that it could be a minor thing after all, and except for the new glasses, maybe I won't have to do anything, just live with it... I just hope that time would fly faster this month!....

Okay...on a happier note - this is my newest finished project - a jewelry set of a necklace, earrings and a bracelet, made with seed beads (of course ;), fire polished beads and with Swarovski crystal bicones and drops. A tutorial is available, both for Personal and Personal & Commercial use.

And below is my current work in progress - I'm making a necklace with an embroidered pendant with a Lisa Peters Art beautiful cabochon as the focal. Inspired by the gorgeous artwork of Bead Quilling Queen, Kathy King, I combined a little bead quilling for the first time in this work (it's a fun technique!). I hope I will be able to finish the necklace on time for the next Bead Art Originals color challenge. I still haven't decided on which kind of a necklace to attach the pendant to. BTW, Lisa Peters is attending the Bead&Button show (booth #1213) and she's offering some great deals at the show and in her Etsy shop. You can read all about it here.

Today is Shavuot holiday, the Jewish holiday I like most, especially because we eat many kinds of cheese and other yummy dairy food. I spent a great time yesterday afternoon preparing a nice holiday eve dinner, and I even got some help from my boy, who made us tasty pasta with cheese and vegetable sauce. The cold cheese cake is the only thing that is left from what I made, but I promise you it won't stay in the fridge for a lot longer... ;)

Happy Shavuot Holiday! !חג שמח

pick a pair of ocean & sky rope bracelets 1381

A pair of turks head knot rope bracelets made in the traditional three part plain weave out of 3 mm cotton cord. The colors are teal and blue. These bracelets are matched for color and size which is a "small" 6 1/2" (165 mm) inside circumference. This size will be a comfortable fit for teens and smaller adults. 


See more blended color rope bracelets here.


Check your "slip-on" size here to understand the special way in which these types of bracelets can be made to fit.


design and photographs copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

beachy keen collection on Etsy

Summer arrived in Minneapolis yesterday with 97 deg temps. Definitely beach weather. If you can't get away from the office you can check out barefootnrags collection beachy keen now up on Etsy. Find out more about Kara Young's personal mission on her blog. Then check out her shop filled with fabric bows, headbands, and headwraps. Now on to the beach!

Jennifer Steen Booher has a crisp collection of high resolution photographs including Beachcombing series (No.6) which makes treasure out of the scraps thrown down by the tide. See more work in her shop quercusdesign and on her Flickr site or on her blog.

I'm drawn to the Wooden Wave Stacker- Waldorf Toy- Ocean- Earth Day. The color and form are a treat for kids and their adults too. Check out Erin's other beautiful toys in her shop Imaginationkids

The featured item in this beachy bundle is once again the BASIC turks head knot bracelet deep ocean blue part of the BASIC series of do-it-yourself rope bracelets. These are made large to slip on everyone's hand then you adjust them to make a perfect fit. See the entire collection here.

dark blue-green turks head knot bracelet 1168

Dark blue-green hand dyed cord is used to make this turks head knot rope bracelet:
The 100% cotton cord is sourced from Darice a supplier of craft materials. The color is a custom blend of RIT dye cooked on the stovetop. The weave design is a double diamond pattern which creates a naturally symmetrical shape during the process of working up the knot to it's competed shape. Find this and other patterns in the Ashley Book of Knots.


Find this bracelet and other hand dyed solid color rope bracelets in the solid colors section of my Zibbet shop.
design and photographs copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop 

somewhere beyond the sea collection somewhere on Etsy

Florida is not so far from the sea and Stacey M's collection somewhere beyond the sea captures the blue and white beauty of the nearby ocean. Visit BellaGemms shop to see her imaginative hand made silver rings and gemstones.

My favorites in this group are the Tattoo Style Mermaid Ladies cotton crew neck tee made by Erica V  from (of all places) Albuquerque NM. More fab tees and tank tops are all over her shop CausticThreads. Further adventures in eclectic goodness can be found in Erica's other shop AcrylicAndSteel where she collaborates with husband Adam. Follow their blog.

I've been to Lubec Maine and the Lobster Boat 5"x7" Glossy Fine Art Photograph offered by Alecia from Boston perfectly captures the atmosphere of Passamaquoddy Bay on a summer afternoon. Alecia's shop has more great photographs as well as other craft items.

The first place (thank you!) featured item  in this collection is a BASIC turks head knot bracelet deep ocean blue which is one of the many colors available in this versatile design. Each BASIC bracelet comes to you ready to slip on and work up to your perfect comfortable fit. See the entire collection here and look over the easy to follow work up instructions here. 

Double toggle beaded cuff bracelet 915

 Hand dyed blue, grey, purple  and white cotton cord and a collection of blue glass beads are combined in a  wrap around cuff bracelet. The toggle closure is a pair of green glass beads and loops.


This is one of the design )strata( series of pieces that is available exclusively from WhatKnotShop. Each piece is a unique expression created from up cycled scraps of material.

This item is available here. See other similar bracelets in the design section of the Zibbet shop.






design and photographs copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

A nautical PEEP now showing on Etsy

FillegreeCreations treats us all to A nautical PEEP (show) collection filled with romantic souvenirs and forward fashion. Visit her shop of the same name to see original lamps and lampshades many of which will fit Ikea wiring kits.

Ok so I just have to like the Stripey with rear peep hole knickers the signature item in this collection. Kinckerocker (from LA not New York) has a bunch more awesome lingerie in colors not seen in department stores.

Souvenirs from the sea - 5x7 fine art still life photo of a sea shell in progressive focus by AmandaRaeK fills the romantic bill nicely. See more of Amanda's sensuous still life photography of farmside and natural subjects.

The featured item in this show is grey green turks head knot rope bracelet one of a series made from cotton cord that is hand dyed in softer more subtle colors. See more like these in the solid colors section of the Etsy shop.

macrame bracelet w money fist knot toggle 1176

Square knot single row pattern macrame toggle bracelet made with bright white nylon cord. A traditional look with a small monkey fist knot which serves as a toggle to hold the bracelet closed. This bracelet is made from a single piece of 2.3 mm nylon cord using a square knot pattern.

Size is 7 7/8" (201 mm) inside circumference about 5/8" (15 mm) wide.

See this bracelet and similar designs in the square knot bracelets section of my Zibbet shop.

design and photographs copyright 2011 WhatKnotShop

Ahoy! universal greeting for shipmates shout out now on Etsy

Greetings shipmates from Sugarcookielady and a new collection of nautical goodies from around the horn. Visit her shop to see vintage home clothing accessories and sweets gathered from the 'burbs around Chicago and elsewhere.

Even thought his Vintage Compass has been sold it is an iconic directional antique from becaruns one of many vintage items from her shop. Find books at her bookshop becareads too.

Fresh design and color come to us from bathstyle in their Turkish BATH Towel Peshtemal - Lilac See the other bold colors in the Turkish Bath Accessories Collection and fill your favorite bath with warm color.

The featured item in this collection is the small blue grey herringbone sailor bracelet made from a loosely woven cord that is soft and relaxed against the skin. See more herringbone weave grey bracelets in this mini collection or visit my Zibbet shop to see a variety of herringbone weave bracelets in other colors and sizes.