How to Make a Hemp Necklace With Beads

Hemp necklaces with beads come in many styles.

You could string beads on a piece of hemp the same as you would with any other stringing material (thread or wire) to create a necklace. However, incorporating macramé knots into your design will make your beaded hemp necklace much more interesting. The half knot and square knot work well with beads and can be used to make a 16- to 17-inch choker-style necklace that sits at the base of the neck.

Things You'll Need

• Hemp string
• Scissors
• Sheet of thick cardboard
• T-pin or large sewing pin
• Large binder clip or clip-on weight
• Large-hole beads
• 2 cord ends/tips
• Needle nose or flat nose pliers
• 2 jump rings
• Necklace lobster or spring clasp

Instructions

Knotting and Beading

1. 

   Cut two 100- to 150-inch lengths of hemp string for the outside strands and one 25-inch length of hemp for the center strand. The rule of thumb is for the outside (knotting) strands to be approximately five times as long as the middle (filler) strand so you don't run out of string. The middle strand should be a few inches longer than the length of necklace you want to make.

2. 

   Hold the three hemp strands together and tie an overhand knot at the top to hold them together.

3. 

   Push your pin through the knot and pin the knot to the top of the cardboard. The cardboard will hold your work in place while you tie the knots to make the necklace.

4. Spread the strands so that the two longer strands are on the outside and the shorter one is in the middle.

5. 

   Attach a binder clip or other type of clip-on weight (a large clothes pin would work) to the end of the middle strand and let it dangle off the side of your table or lap. You want the middle strand kept taut so you can tie knots around it without it bunching up. You could also use a binder clip to clip the middle strand to the cardboard and hold it taut that way.

6. 

   Tie the first half of a square knot (a half knot) by bringing the RIGHT strand UNDER the middle, then up and over the left strand. Follow this by bringing the LEFT strand OVER the middle strand and down and under the right strand. Pull tight. See Resources for an illustrated tutorial on how to create the half knot if this is new for you.

7. Tie the second half of the square knot (a half knot in reverse). This is done by reversing what you did for the first half. The RIGHT strand now comes OVER the middle and the LEFT strand goes under, before passing through the loop of the opposite strand on the other side.

8. 

   Repeat the square knot for approximately one inch, then string a bead on the middle strand and push it up to the knots. If you want your beads evenly spaced on the necklace, count how many knots you made and repeat that between each bead.

9. 

   Continue making more square knots, making sure to pull the outside strands tightly for that first knot after the bead to hold it securely.

10. 

    Repeat steps 8 and 9 until your necklace is 16 to 17 inches long. Try it on your neck to check fit as you near the end.

Finishing

1. Cut the strands approximately one inch from the last knot when your necklace is the length you want it.

2. 

   Twist the strands at the end to form a single cord and insert it into a squeezable cord end. Use needle nose or flat nose pliers to squeeze the cord end closed on the strands.

3. Untie the overhand knot on the starting end and trim the loose strands so they're even. Then twist and insert the ends into the second cord end. Squeeze the cord end closed with pliers as before.

4. 

   Trim the loose ends sticking out the top of the cord ends.

5. 

   Twist open two jump rings and attach one to each cord end. On the second end, add the necklace clasp before closing the jump ring.

Tips & Warnings

• Since you are working with very long strands of hemp, you may find it easier to wrap the excess string around your fingers and secure it into a bundle with a small elastic so it's easier to pass the string over and under the middle strand. If you would like to had a focal bead to the center of your necklace, calculate where the center of the necklace is by dividing the length of necklace you want to make by two. Measure your necklace as you are working and when you get to the center, add the focal bead instead of a regular bead and continue knotting as before. If you accidentally make your necklace too long, before you add the cord ends, undo an equal number of knots on each end until it is the length you want it. If you use just the half knot (first part of the square knot) throughout your necklace, instead of reversing to complete the second half of the square knot, the knots will form a spiral instead of a flat pattern. You can add more filler (middle) strands to your necklace to make it a little wider. Two strands instead of one is used in many hemp necklace patterns.

References

• Macramé Information
• The Half Knot and Square Knot
• Hemp Happy Jewelry, Janie Ray & Vicki Montgomery, Design Originals by Suzanne McNeil, 1997.

Resources

• Square Knot Tutorial
• Hemp Jewelry Tutorial
• Learn Macramé