Today is officially 3 years of blogging! YAY! So, I'm going to "tie up loose ends" with the Lucky Knots and Lampwork project I posted this past February for Ornament Thursday. All you early Christmas present buyers and crafters can get started on this necklace for your friends and family!
Wondering what the Ornament Thursday gals have been up to? If you have, I'm posting my Lucky project. Above, is the full picture of the
Ornament Thursday Teaser - Lucky Knots and Lampwork
Spirals. If you wonder what I'm talking about - I'm posting the Lucky Knots and Lampwork tutorial in two parts today. The Lucky Knots how to is posted here while the finishing is posted on
Art Bead Scene where I'm one of the editors. The tutorial is for a bracelet using a large bead as the center/clasp. (Shown below)
You might be wondering why "Lucky Knots." For the design I had in mind, Chinese knotting would give me a "ropey feel" with a strong punch of color. To create the satin cord rope, I used the Snake Knot. I wanted more symbolism in the design so I researched the meaning of the snake in Chinese culture. A snake is a sign of luck. Perfect - now I had alliteration to add to the design - Lucky Knots and Lampwork.
Making the Lucky Knots for a Large Bead Bracelet:
1. Wrap some tape around the ends of the satin cording. Find the middle of the 12 feet of cording.
2. String the sterling silver 6mm large holed bead to the middle of the cording. (Note: To make a necklace like the Lucky Knots and Lampwork Spirals, skip steps 2-4 and make a loop instead of stringing on a large disk bead.)
3. Grab the opposite end of the cord and string through the lampwork bead. Pull all the way through until the sterling silver bead is wedged into the hole of the lampwork bead. Pull tightly and adjust so you can see little or no cording showing through (See Figure 1).
4. Hold the lampwork bead with your non-dominant hand and the sterling bead facing up.
5. Use your dominant hand to pull both ends of the cording out straight away from the bead. You will start the knot where the cording meets the edge of the bead. This leaves you enough room later for your loop to go around the lampwork bead.
6. Figure 2 shows the first knot of the bracelet so you can see where the knot will lie in your work. The directions and figures below will show two different colored cording because it is easier to see how the knots are made. You will be working with one color cording.
Note: At this point you can pin down the cords for the bracelet on the macramé board or if you prefer hold it in your hands while you knot.
7. Holding the bead in your non-dominant hand or pinning the cording to your macramé board, take the “top” cord (blue in the picture) and loop it first under and then over the “bottom” cord (red cord in the picture) (See Figure 3).
8. Hold the loop with your non-dominant hand or pin the first loop to the macramé board.
9. Take the “bottom” cord (red) and loop it over the top cord (blue) and under and through the top cord loop(See Figure 4).
10. Pull evenly on both sides of the knot (See Figure 5).
11. When you have pulled evenly and snugly on the knot, it will look like Figure 6.
12. Continue holding the bead and knotting with your non-dominant hand or pinned down on the board. Loosen the top knot (red) by pulling on the back of the knot.
13. Pull the end of the “bottom” (blue) cording through the top (red) knot (See Figure 7). Pull evenly and snugly to get the second knot (See Figure 8).
14. Turn the knotting over (in the Figure the red cording is on the top and the blue cording is on the bottom).
15. Loosen the top (blue) knot from the back (See Figure 9).
16. Pull the bottom (red) cord through the loosened top (blue) knot. (See Figure 10).
17. Pull evenly and snugly to tighten the knot (See Figure 11).
Repeat steps 14 – 17 until the knots measure 6.5-7 inches long or the length to go around your wrist. You should have extra cording. The finished clasp will add between 3/4 to 1 inch to your bracelet. You will need at least 10 –12 inches of cording left over to make the clasp and finish the bracelet.
Congratulations on knotting this far! Now, to finish the bracelet, surf over to
Art Bead Scene
Don't forget the OT Girls Links:
Art Bead Scene
Lucky ABS! We're part 2 of Lucky Knots!
Cindy Gimbrone
Luck is knotted up in Part 1 of this tutorial!
Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie is inspired by a lucky Leprechaun to make a fairy tale, treasure filled necklace
Jennifer Heynen of Jangles
Lucky Charms Bracelet...The name says it all. This bracelet has everything to bring you good luck.
Joolz by Lisa
As Luck Would Have It...Lucky Earrings
Katie's Beading Blog
Make your own luck with these fun, swingy earrings!
Labyrinth O' Luck
Hali has created a finger labyrinth journal designed after a 4-leaf clover.
Linda Augsburg at Make It Mine magazine
Lucky doesn't begin to describe the adventure I had making this T-shirt...
Lucky
Lucky to be... based on a coin holder a friend made for me...
http://art-interrupted.blogspot.com"/>Lucky to be Me
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? Well, YOU, of course. No matter who you are when you look into this magical mirror, you'll be reminded you're lucky to be you!
Lynn Kvigne - Beading Help Web
Irish Proverb Window Ornament - step by step instructions for making this year-round ornament that may bring luck right through your window!
Melissa J. Lee - Strands of Beads
Good fortune is yours with this cookie-inspired necklace.
Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
You'll "make Jean's day " if you check out her lucky Pendant with a Clint Eastwood eighties twist
Swell Designer
Swelldesigner gets lucky this month with some super colorful, sparkly painted bangles
The Impatient Blogger
Luck starts with a wish...Margot shares an project she created for Simply Beads last August.
