Hemp Jewelry Designs

This, in my opinion, is the most tricky part of making hemp jewelry. Figuring out how much cord do I need to make my hemp jewelry! At first it was a guessing game for me, but the more I had worked with lengths and such, it became more easy.

There are a few factors you must decide on to help with this process. Ask yourself these questions:

• What type of jewelry am I going to make? Necklace, bracelet, anklet, etc..
• What is the finished length do I need? (I always measure in inches, it is just easier for me)
• Will I be using knot bearing cords as knotters as well? (for example: the switch knot)
• What kind of closure am I going to use.

I am going to use a for example to walk you through how I determine how much cord I am going to need for a project, using these factors as guidelines.

What type of jewelry am I going to make?

This is an easy one. I am going to decide to make an hemp anklet.

What is the finished length?

If the anklet is for me, I can just measure my size and go from there. Let’s say the finished size needs to be 7 inches.

What knots am I going to use?

I must decide the style that I want. Do I want just square knots, half knots, switch knots? For this example I am going to decide on just square knots. The knot bearers will not be used for knotters. Which is important to note.

What closure do I want?

I am going to use tie ends for my closure.

Deciding how much cord

With all these factors decided on, I can figure out how much cord I need. I know I will need 4 cords cut. 2 for the knot bearers and 2 for the knotting cords. I will cut the knot bearers first, well because it is the easiest.

Knot Bearers:

So my finished length will be 7 inches, and I know that with tie ends I need extra length on each end. For me, I like to leave at least 3 inches. So my knot bearers will be cut at about 14 inches, because I always like to leave a little extra room.

Knotters:

The knotters are somewhat more difficult. Well maybe not more difficult, but more of a pain in the butt.

As a rule of thumb, you will need about 4 times the amount of cord of your finished length.

So, if our length is 7 inches, I need about 4 times that: 28 inches of knotting cord.

There are a few more factors to consider as well.

1. The type of knot you are using: Some knots take more cord and some take less. Half knots will take little more cord than square knots would. Switch knots will take less cord than square knots.
2. The thickness of your cord: If you are using #20 weight, you will need more cord. If you are using #48 weight, you will need less cord.

I know this is somewhat of a long post. But it is important to understand it.

Is there anything I missed? Can you add to this post? If so, leave me a comment!

Happy Knotting

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Cowry shells, a popular item for hemp jewelry. It seems to me that they are awkward to work with when using with hemp jewelry.

The only way I have found to use them is to put craft (or even crazy glue) on the knot bearer cord and on the back of the cowrie shell to hold it in place.

You can also just thread your cord threw the split at the top of the shell, to make a hanging pendant sort of speak. I have one hemp necklace that I used that way.

I hope that helps answer any questions. Good Luck and happy hemping!!

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I learned to do macrame online and from books. Some things I learned on my own, that the books or online instructions didn’t tell me. So I thought of some things that I had not written in my other posts about making hemp jewelry that I thought I would write here in one post. Some tips on how to make your hemp jewelry great!! Of course it is a matter of trial and error, but doesn’t hurt to learn from others’ mistakes or findings either!

First of all, realize that your first knots are not going to be perfect! It takes practice.

Ok, on to some tips:

• One of the most important things I have found is to anchor your cords! I use T-pins or push pins to hold down my knots that I have already have made. I use tape to hold down the knot bearer cords. These need to be tight, or taunt and secured. That is the only way to get uniform knots…well that I have found!! Some people use their feet to hold the cords, but I have NO idea how they do that!
• Make sure that when making a half knot (and more importantly a square knot) that you begin the knot on the same side! That will keep the knots uniform. FOR EXAMPLE: I always start on the right hand side of my piece of jewelry. SO, if I am making a square knot, I start with the knotting cord in my right hand, make the half knot, then use the cord in my left hand and make the half knot…one square knot done. NEXT square knot, I start with the knotting cord in my right hand again. If I do not, then the knots are not going to look right!!!
• Don’t worry at first if you have enough cord or not, learn the knots and then when you are satisfied with your knowledge and go to make your jewelry you can concentrate on cord length.
• It is better to have too much cord than not enough cord!!! Hemp is cheap, I even sell hemp twine, natural or colored.
• Make sure your knots are pulled tight. But not too tight that is squishes the knot bearers in a weird position. I know, that one is hard to picture, but I have done it.

That is about all I can think of now. I am sure I will come up with more soon.

Please, if you have any questions, contact me, I will be happy to help if I can!

Good Luck

Peace!!

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