Nautical Knot Necklace

Nautical Knot Necklace
I made this chunky rope necklace out of shoelaces! This necklace was the last bit of the insanity that was Andrew's Nautical birthday party. Of course Mommy has to match the theme of the party, does she knot? get it, knot? eh eh eh... Don't be intimidated, after a practice run, I got this knot neatly tied up. You can do this!

My Inspirations
This ribbon knot from elfinadesign has a bright pop of color. I love the contrast between the yellow and black! Visit Cristina's Etsy shop and check out her other amazing knot designs :).

This design from diytrix is fabulous. I especially love the large chunky metal pieces she used.

I tried to figure out what this type of knot was called. I believe it's based on the Carrick Bend Knot. According to Wikipedia, it also goes by some other names, 

1. Double Carrick Bend, 
2. Double Coin Knot, 
3. Ten Accord Knot, 
4. Bosun's Knot, 
5. Basketweave Knot, 
6. Chinese Knot, 
7. Josephine Knot, 
8. Whistle Lanyard, 
9. Sailor's Breastplate Knot, 
10. Sailors knot, 
11. Pretzel Knot, 
12. Wake Knot

Whatever you call it, a knot's a knot, is it not?

eh eh eh... :)

Here's what you'll need to put this fabulous necklace together! Buying all the supplies like I did will cost you about $10.

DIY Nautical Knot Necklace

Supplies:

• 2x  "5-8 hole" Round Shoelaces
• 2x Large Crimps
• 60 in. of 1mm Silver Beading Wire
• 2 Jewelry Clasps
• 4yds. of 1mm Hemp Cord

Tools:

• Plyers with wire cutter
• Hot Glue Gun
• Scissors

Step 1. Weave It Alone!
To start, cut off the plastic ends of the shoelaces and hot glue the ends together. I pinned my laces to cardboard to they'd be easier to work with.

I won't even attempt to describe how I made this in words, pictures work way better! I highlighted in yellow what to do at each step.

Don't be intimidated. I know it can be a little confusing. It took me a few attempts staring at the picture on my phone to get it right.

Tighten and adjust the knot so it's nice and symmetrical. Leaving about 1 1/2" of laces above each side of teh knot, cut and hot glue the ends together.

Step 3. Crimping My Style
Cut fourteen 8" lengths of the hemp cord, to get 7 lengths on each side of the necklace. Feel free to use as many or few as you like.

 Use pliers to secure 7 lengths in a jewelry crimp. Do this for the other bunch as well.

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Use a bit of tape to wrap the other end of the bunch, then use a dab of hot glue to join the hemp cord to shoelace knot. Don't worry about being too neat, the wrapped wire will cover this section.

Google's Got Nothin' On This
I loved the chunky metal pieces used in Diy Trix's necklace! Sadly I looked for them everywhere- Joann, Michael's, Hobby Lobby. None of them had anything even close : (. DIY Trix calls them "metal blushings", but when I Google the term, nothing remotely close comes up...

Anybody know what they're called???

As a Plan B I picked up some 1mm silver beading wire. I like the way it looks, although if I ever come across those big metal pieces, I may just pop them on instead. A bit of ribbon or more hemp cord could also work to cover the joint, depending on the look you want.

Step 4. Getting Wired
I used the wire cutter on my pliers to snip off 30 in. of wire. I laid a flat piece down over the joint, then started from one end wrapping the wire around.

After winding about 3/4" and completely covering the joint between the pieces, I snipped off the wire and tucked it down into the wrapping. The stiffness of the wire should keep it in place.

Step 5. You're Knot Done
Eh eh eh... I know, I know, I've been rather knotty with the puns today. Wait! Oh, another one! Better cut it off now, before I get all tangled up. Oh snap! ok, ok, wrap it up, Alyssa, wrap it up.

We're at the finish line with this piece. I added a jewelry clasp to the ends, and it's done!

This is me wearing my new creation at Andrew's party.

What are you up to this weekend? Going out, staying in? making Mama some jewelry? ;)

<3 Alyssa

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Too Much Time On My Hands, Young and Crafty, Brassy Apple, Craft-O-Maniac, Destination: Craft, The Gunny Sack, Ginger Snap Crafts

UPDATE: Thanks Wanessa for featuring this at True Charisma!