Sunday, February 01, 2009

Square knotted crosses...

A couple of variations of knotted crosses, done with the cobra stitch/Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet, using 1.4mm cord.

You first tie a complete vertical section, leaving a little bit of space/slack where arm section will go, then tie the second section with the cords going thru the space left in the first part.

The larger one is about 4.5 inches tall by 3 inches wide(not counting the loop at the top). The smaller is about 2 inches tall by 1.5 inches wide. You could use fabric glue or super glue to stiffen it up if desired.

I've seen at least a couple similar examples of these online, made with rope/twine and paracord. I'll add the links if I can find them again, or if someone has the links, maybe they can add them in the comments section. Found one here, though it's not one of the previous one's I've seen before, similar nonetheless.

They can also be tied like the round/square sinnets, by working two separate sinnets towards each other. Either the top and bottom first and outward to do the arms or arms first, then top and bottom sections. I have tried it this way and it was decidedly more complicated than I thought it needed to be, so I just went with the easier method of two separated sections. YMMV

13 comments:

Wildcat said...

Neat, i'm gonna have to learn that one.

Wildcat

brianb127 said...

Nice job SD.

tdean said...

Wow! they look great...The large one looks like a King Cobra stitch. Did you go back and wrap again when done? I was gonna try one of the square versions but these look nicer. More info on how to connect the two sides would be greatly appreciated :)

Stormdrane said...

Yes, the larger one is done with the king cobra stitch. I tied the vertical king cobra section first, leaving enough space/slack for the arm section, as I tied the cobra and again going back with the king cobra.

There needs to be just enough room/space there for the total of six strands(king cobra) cross arms to be made in that space.

When making the arms section, you take the center of that length of cord, and take it thru the vertical section between the six strands where you left that space/slack.

You just eyeball the length you want the arm on the loop side, then start knotting at about the same length on the opposite working end side. Keep track of how many knots you make on the working end side, so you'll know how many to make on the other side. When you get to the center section, just run the cords thru the center again, between the vertical section cords, and make the knots on the other side. And work your way back with the king cobra stitches.

The space I left was a tight fit for all the cords(to keep a strong/firm cross section), so I used hemostats to work the working ends through, or a threaded lacing needle could also be used to get them through the center section if needed.

Stormdrane said...

I forgot to add, that it's been a long time since I've seen the previous versions I mentioned, and I couldn't tell how they were started/finished from the photos when I saw them. I'd just made a mental note to give it a try some time.

I've also seen a few crosses done with turks head knots, both flat and cylinder shaped in books and online. I believe there may be a couple posted in the KHWW.net site gallery or linked to in one of the forum threads.

It's easy to get lost following the links from one page to another sometimes while surfing and get sidetracked. But that's also a good way to find some neat stuff. :)

Anonymous said...

Another great looking set. I keep meaning to ask, where do you get your sub 2mm cord from? As much as I love knotting paracord, some things I'd like to put knot work on paracord is just way too big to look right.

Thanks!

Stormdrane said...

I bought the smaller cord off ebay from the seller 'mowfugger'. He sells large spools(hundreds of feet or more on a spool) of the smaller diameter cord, but there's not a lot of choices color wise. There's a link in my 'links list' for him.

For smaller amounts of cord and more colors, you can try R&W Rope Warehouse, link also on my 'links list'. They're not set up to sell online, but you can call them and mention that you're interested in their 'Handy Hundred' cord(from the 'Decorative knots' section of the site). They have a few sub 2mm sizes and colors.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info!

Unknown said...

Hi Stormdrane,
I love the new crosses. I've been experimenting with some different stuff too so i love it when you show off your stuff. Anyway, I have another question for you. Have you ever used cord from Vermont's Barre Army Navy Store? I've been gettiing their 450 parachute cord (that's what they call it) from them for the decorative stuff I do, but I need some more 550. Their 450 cord has only 4 strands in the center it doesn't look to me like it's all that useful, it actually looks like cotton. I was wondering if you had any experience with them and their 550 cord, specifically whether or not their 550 cord inner strands are nylon like the cord from Supply Captain.
Thanks,
Gray

Stormdrane said...

I have bought cord from Barre Army/Navy before and still get occasional emails from them. The last time I bought paracord from them was a few years ago though, and I don't remember if it was 450 or 550 cord that I got from them.

I think the cord may actually come from the same manufacturer as I had noticed that the outer sheath on some 450 cord was identical/indistinguishable to the 550 cord outer sheath. The 450 just having the loose fibrous polyester core instead of the stronger 7 inner twisted strands of the 550 cord.

Ubraidit.com also sells the 450 cord and mentions that it does shrink where I've read that 550 cord isn't supposed to shrink noticeably if at all.

I've stuck with the Supply Captain because they're usually consistant with the cord and colors, where when I've bought elsewhere, there's sometimes a variation in the actual size of the outer sheath and noticeable shade of color differences when getting a particular color from one purchase to another. The Supply Captain also mentions that colors can vary from one shipment to the next, so if you want to get a specific color, it's best to get the 1000 ft spool size instead of the 100ft hanks, since they might not match when you order more.

Anonymous said...

SD.
I recently saw a knife handle wrapped in what was being called a, "Basket Weave Stitch". I really liked the look but can't find any how to's on it. Are you familiar with this weave and maybe where I can see how it's done ? Thanks a bunch...

Stormdrane said...

The 'basket weave' was most likely a reference to a method that looks similar to a turks head knot(where 1 strand of cord is used) but is actually tied with several strands covering the object like a bottle, knife handle, etc...

'Creative Ropecraft' by Stuart Grainger has an example of that type knot work in it. If you look at the Amazon.com link for that book, 'Look Inside' at the table of contents and there's a ship's eyeglass/telescope at the bottom of the page with the 'basket weave' type knotting and turks head knots over the ends of the knot work.

Anonymous said...

Now that's service. Thank's...