I'm quite experienced in braiding hemp and all that fun stuff but one of my friends recently asked for a hemp ring. I'm not used to braiding with the thinner hemp and I'm not sure where to start. I know its going to be a square knot(straight and not spiral). I don't like to use glue or anything like that; I like to be all natural. Does anybody have any advice on where to start with this? I would love a picture or anything that may help! Thanks again!
I've made a hemp ring or two, it's hard to describe but I'll hopefully do alright: Spiral or square knot, start working your knot on a hemp thread as you would for a necklace or bracelet. Be sure to leave about a half inch of string out the top/beginning. When the ring gets to the length you want, 'close' it by working a few knots on the half inch of hemp you've left at the beginning. To make a 'clean' knot at the end to end it, just cut the remaining threads, and with a finer thread, sew loose ends into the inside of the ring. this part can be the 'under' (palm side) of your ring. Beads can be incorporated into your ring as you would into a bracelet. Hope that helps.
Hi I came across this post in the Google search engine when looking for tips on how to harden the rings. When I went to buy the hemp at Michael's, they only had the small ones. #20 and #48. I bought the #20 first and discovered how tiny it was so I learned to make rings... The first one broke so I had to remake it yesterday using a different technique. What I did to make it (square one) is I did left right left right.... 10 lefts and 10 rights then add bead then 5 lefts and 5 rights then I inserted the cord from the top into the mix and did a left knot then put it on my finger until it was tight then bent the top cord down then did a right knot then kept going until it was all the way to the beginning of the ring then tied off the cords and cut them at the knots. I didn't use any glue and that way seems to be holding a lot better. They do get soft from getting wet and that's why I was wondering about hardening them. I wonder if starch would work or if there was a way of hardening them with a metal maybe with my solder iron...
