Today I attended a class where I learned how to make jewelry utilizing the ancient Chinese art of knotting. There are different types of knots and many are named after what the shape resembles, such as butterfly and flower. Today’s lesson focused on a double snake knot where two coils are intertwined. Our instructor, who studied Chinese knotting at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, gave us a brief history of the art form before passing out our materials.
First we learned how to make a button knot that can be used in place of a clasp. We practiced on the thicker white cord, over and over, until we got it right. This simple knot was trickier than you might think.
Continuing with the same length of white cord, we learned how to create the double snake knot that would make up the band of the bracelet.
Once we were comfortable with the process, we set to work on our jewelry. The instructor helped me secure the decorative beads in place and then I started knotting. I was able to go pretty fast once I got the hang of it. The instructor helped again at the end by showing me how to create the loop for the button knot and how to finish off the ends using scissors and a lighter to fuse the strands. We were sent home with the raw materials to make a matching necklace. Hopefully I can recreate my design without getting myself tied up in knots!
Would you like to learn how to make Chinese knots?
Pretty! Make one for me 🙂
Knot one each week until I see you so you won’t forget how when I ask for a lesson. 😉
You got the hang of that pretty quickly. Pretty bracelet. mom
I’ve been so busy exploring neighborhoods that I haven’t practiced again. Hopefully I can still do it!