How to Make Silk Knot Cufflinks
Silk knot cuff links are much in demand by cuff link connoisseurs. Their advantages are that they can be found in many colors, and secondly, they do not scratch surfaces, nor hurt your wrist when working on a laptop. If you rest your arm on your table or desk, you won't have a cuff link indentation later. And unlike gold or silver cuff links they won't get scratched and dinged. Silk knot cuff links are available online, but you can also make your own own if you are very patient. Silk knot links are simply silk cord made into monkey fist knots, one on each end of a short length of thread.
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Instructions
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Wind the cord, make the knots, wear the cuff links
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Spread the tines on an old fork, such as a serving fork.You won't be using more than the top two tines. Find a way to anchor the fork, such as putting it in a press or having someone hold it for you. That way you'll have both hands free, one to hold the tail of the thread, and one to use the needle.
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Thread the needle with the silk cord, with the needle in the center of a 3 foot length. Remember you will be making a monkey's fist knot on each end of the thread.
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Begin making the first monkey fist knot by looping the thread vertically over the top of the top fork tine and the bottom of the second one, leaving a 2 foot tail. Wind the thread over the top three times.
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Bring the threaded needle through the right side of the wound thread and out.
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Take the thread you just brought out and cross it over to the left in front of the wound thread horizontally.
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Put the needle through the back of the wound thread and wrap it around three times, in front and in back of the first "fingers" of the monkey's fist. You want the second three wraps to be crossing horizontally in the middle of the first three, so adjust them with your tweezers.
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Bring the needle out through the center under the first vertical "fingers", and above the three horizontal ones. Loop it back through the center under the three horizontal fingers vertically. Wind it three times. You have actually wrapped three ways, vertically, horizontally and vertically again.
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Bring the threaded needle out through the top for the last wrap, and then tighten the knot.
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9
Tuck the needle through the back of the knot and leave about 1/4 inch length of thread before starting the second monkey's fist knot.(You need about the same length as cuff link studs are from each other) When the second knot is completed, bring the thread through the back of the center of that knot and wrap it around the straight thread, connecting it again to the back of the first knot.
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Tips & Warnings
It may take plenty of practice to get the length of the thread right so you end up with the right length between the two knots. Remember if you decide this is too difficult you can order silk knot cuff links on line in packs of three or more. If you want thicker knots, wrap four or more times on each turn of the knot.
The principle of the fork tines is the same as if you spread two fingers and looped thread around them, but that would give you too big a knot. The fork tines should be as far apart as the width of the knot you want. You may need to buy a cheap meat fork that it is easy to bend.
Resources
- Photo Credit www.cufflinks.com
