How to Tie Hemp Jewelry Knots
Hemp jewelry, or macrame, has been around for ages. According to HempSister.com, women used to wear clothing made from hemp in 8,000 B.C. Hemp was also popular as paper: The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp; Van Gogh's canvases were made of hemp; and even "Alice in Wonderland" was originally printed on hemp paper. Today, a popular use of this material is necklaces and bracelets. Making the actual bracelet is not difficult, but tying a traditional hemp knot is a little tricky. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Cut the hemp string with a pair of scissors, producing two strings that are 3 feet long for an adult or 2 feet long for a child.
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2
Fold bold strings together in half (long ways) to make a loop.
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3
Hold the string about 2 inches down from the top of the loop. Fold the loop around and over the strings to create hole for a knot.
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4
Pull the loop under and through the hole. Pull on the loop and the string to tighten the knot.
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5
Attach the loop under the clip on a clipboard to hold it steady.
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6
Move the far left string and the far right string over to separate them from the middle strings. The middle strings will be the "anchor" strings.
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7
Keep the anchor strings attached to the board by clipping them to the clipboard with a binder clip.
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8
Bring the left string over the anchor strings (so the strings resemble a "4" shape).
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9
Bring the right string on top of the end of the left string.
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10
Pass the right string under both anchor strings, then up through the hole on the left (the right string will now be facing the left, the left now facing the right, and both are crisscrossed in the middle).
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11
Grab both ends of the strings. Tighten the ends while pulling up. This is your first hemp-patterned knot.
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12
Repeat these steps (Steps 8 to 11) until the entire bracelet or necklace is knotted in this pattern (about 6 to 8 inches long is good for a bracelet; 14 to 16 inches long is good for a necklace).
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13
Tie the ends so it doesn't unravel.
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14
Separate the hemp strings once the design is complete so that two strings are on the right and two strings are on the left.
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15
Pull the left strings underneath the right strings to crisscross.
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16
Pull the right strings through the middle of the crisscross to tie a knot.
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17
Lay your wrist flat onto the bracelet to tie it on.
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18
Pull two strings from the knot (from Step 8) through the loop (made in Steps 2 to 4).
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19
Tie a knot from the two string pulled through the loop with the two strings left out of the loop.
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