Stormdrane's Blog

Cobbled Solomon Bar Paracord Bracelet...

2012-01-22T06:22:00.002-05:00

JD of TIAT put up another instructional video yesterday, for tying the Cobbled Solomon Bar, as a bracelet with knot and loop closure. I gave it a try this morning with a single length of coyote brown paracord and a 5/8" contoured/curved side release buckle.

The video shows it tied with two paracord colors, 6.5 ft of each, and used a knot and loop closure. I tied mine with a single strand, starting with 16 ft to be on the safe side, and attached it to a 5/8 inch curved/contoured side release buckle, as I would at the start of a regular Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet/cobra stitch type bracelet.

I added an inch to my wrist size when I set up before I started tying, but in the end that made for a loose fit, so I would just tie it the same as my wrist size in the future. You may get different results depending on how loose/tight you tie it yourself...

I tucked/trimmed the ends to finish, using about 11.5 ft of the 16 ft that I started with. One working end was considerably shorter than the other at the finish, one 8 inch length and one 3 ft 10 inch length, so one working strand was used more than the other. Overestimating what I'd need at the start let me finish without running out of cord, but uneven ending strand lengths may still be something to figure out in the future, starting somewhere off center when first attaching the paracord to the buckle, to eliminate wasted excess cord...

With a contoured/curved buckle, you decide which side you want facing out when you start tying, since each side looks different. If you use a flat buckle, it won't matter since it will be reversible, like it is with the knot/loop version.

And a lanyard with navy blue and orange paracord with swivel clip, both sides shown...

Paracord Canteen Cover...

2012-01-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

After working on this project off and on for several days, I've finally finished. I ended up using over 200 feet of paracord for the finished cover/pouch, for the 1L Flat Pack Canteen from County Comm, tied mostly with basic square knotting/macrame type knot work.

I wasn't following any tutorial, so this was a good bit of trial and error on how much paracord I actually needed, and especially finishing up the bottom side. I tried using hitching and weaving, but just couldn't get anything to work to my satisfaction, so settled on sewing the bottom side ends together. And although the bottom side is not flat, it'll still stand upright, and the needle/thread work is secure.

I used a length of tether cord to attach the canteen cap to the canteen, with scaffold knots/loops to prevent loss.

I had no idea of how much cord I'd need at the start, so after making a loop around the canteen with a few feet of cord and holding it with a cord lock, I started cutting 10 foot lengths of paracord and cow/ring hitching them onto the loop to fill up the space all the way around. I ended up with 36 strands/72 working ends, for around 365 feet of paracord to start with. That left me with using around 6 feet of each 10 foot strand for the way I completed the cover. Other finishing methods would have used more cord.

Using alternating square knots, like I'd done with paracord belts and a guitar strap several years ago, I worked my way horizontally around the canteen. I wanted the 8 inch height of the canteen covered, but you could make it shorter, or possibly longer to close the top, maybe using velcro, fashioning a flap, or sewing in a zipper. The knot work is tight, making for a stiff but still flexible form, so the pouch could be used to carry other items besides the canteen.

My hands sometimes bother me and cramp up, so I took frequent breaks with this project, also being careful to avoid blisters that you can sometimes get with tightening a lot of paracord square knots. I have no idea how much time I actually spent on this project, but there's definitely a lot of hours in this one. I used an adjustable shoulder strap from my Spec-Ops Pack-Rat with the cover, adding about 12 feet of paracord, with a Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet/cobra stitch, for a wider shoulder pad, knotted over it.

Along with the canteen, I also got some new Pico Grappling Hooks and a Maratac Stainless Steel AAA Flashlight, that both fit neatly on a keyring. I added a few gaucho knots with 0.9mm cord on them. The knurling on the the light is great for easy one handed operation, and I'd say this is the nicest quality/built AAA LED flashlight I've owned.

The grappling hooks were made for use by soldiers in the field, to snag trip wires and IED detonation cords, but any good scout or civilian could certainly find them useful to retrieve items that might be out of reach otherwise. If you hadn't seen them before, you now know you need one your EDC key ring! I have another on a split ring and attached to a Drop-Line Rapid Line Deployment System. My deviant side can't help but imagine a cat 'o nine tails fitted with lots of the little grappling hooks, ouch...

Paracord suspenders...

2012-01-06T10:08:00.000-05:00

This is one of those projects that's been on the 'to do' list for a long time. Just a simple three point attachment version of suspenders, non-adjustable and made to fit me. I used shock cord for the core, Flat Gate Clips from County Comm for the attachments to clip to my pant's belt loops, and then knotting over the shock cord with paracord, tying the Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet/cobra stitch.

I started with about 10 feet of shock cord, looping the center of that length onto one flat gate clip, measuring about a foot down with both cord ends to tie a cross knot, splitting up the two cords and measuring about three feet down each, tying a scaffold knot to each of two more flat gate clips.

I had about a 60 ft length of black paracord that I cut in half, then used each to tie Solomon bars around each of the two single lengths of shock cord to where they meet at the Chinese crown knot. I had just enough paracord left at this point to make a couple more knots on the other side of the crown knot, tucking/pulling end strands under the knot work. I used another 12 ft length of paracord to tie a Solomon bar from the third flat gate clip up to where I ran out of cord with the other strands, then tucked the excess under the knot work to finish. If I'd had more paracord available, I would have started with a 100 ft long hank, cutting that in half, then once the two shoulder straps were covered, I would of had plenty to continue down around the single back length of shock cord.

Since these are not adjustable, I made a guesstimate with the single section from the back and the two shoulder straps down the front, with all the flat gate clips attaching to the belt loops of the pants I wear, and where the pants fit around me as I wear them. The shock cord allows the suspenders to stretch(old example video link I made with Solomon bar over shock cord) when sitting, standing, bending, and moving about. If you were to just use paracord alone, you'd likely find the suspenders uncomfortable to use without any give in them. I've found a good fit with just enough tension in the cord to keep the shoulder straps in place while standing, but not too much or you'll find the back attachment pulling your pants up to the point of giving yourself an uncomfortable wedgie...

The initial fit is good, but I'll have to see how they do over time. I have other suspenders that I occasionally wear to help keep my britches up, with a three point belt attachment Perry type suspenders, and a two point side clip type from Duluth Trading Company.

Suspender clip attachments come in a variety of styles, shapes, and sizes, but generally have wide attachments for use with elastic webbing. You may find some out there that can be cannibalized for use with making your own paracord suspenders...

You could try knotting directly over/around elastic suspenders, anchoring the paracord at the attachments at start and finish, similar to knotting over bag/pack/gear handles, but I haven't tried it with my suspenders, so I dunno if it'd work out or not. Another possibility is to make loops on the ends of the shock cord, to fit over your belt, instead of using attachments.

Some folks wear either a belt or suspenders, but when I wear suspenders, I use them along with a belt, worn over a tucked in t-shirt and underneath a button down shirt with straight hem that's meant to be worn untucked.

There's a thread on the DIY Tactical forums with some neat ideas of using side release buckles and webbing loops instead of the metal grip clips with low-profile suspenders.

A few more photos of another pair of shock cord suspenders with fixed loops instead of attachments, to use with a belt. Started with a 2" loop and cross knot, down a foot then another cross knot, and finishing with a pair of broach knots for the shoulder straps. The other couple of photos show starting the knotting from the broach knot ends and ending at the other side of the cross knot, with the end strands to be tucked under the knot work with hemostats...

When making your own suspenders, to figure out your shoulder strap length for the shock cord, put on pants and attach the back part of your shock cord suspenders(loop or attachments), then pull each of the shoulder pieces over your shoulders down to where they'll either attach to your pants or belt, and decide the strap length on the tension you want, taking into account what attachment you'll use, then add the attachment or loops on the strap ends. You're left to choose what type of paracord knot work you want to tie over it...

A hard head and a little backbone...

2011-12-14T06:56:00.001-05:00

This hefty Titan Stainless Steel Skull got a Backbone Bar added to it, using black and olive drab paracord, with a large Flat Gate Clip for attachment to a key ring or belt loop. A couple of the end strands go around the clip and are tied in a double wall knot around all four strands, then trim and tuck the ends to finish.

The skull is large enough to use as a paperweight on it's own, although I prefer it with some knot work for lanyards/fobs, and I even tried one out to top a walking staff/cane. When I get around to it, I'll add some glow-in-the-dark powder and epoxy to the eye sockets.

With a bit of epoxy in the divot on the underside of the skull and then placed over a screw that's still partially exposed above a cane/staff, it looks to work ok. Just for decorative use though, as I think if it was used to clobber someone, it might end up getting launched instead.

Someone else may know of a more secure way to mount the skulls on a walking staff/stick/cane, maybe carving the top of the staff to fit the underside of the skull along with a screw/bolt and epoxy...

I've tried a couple of knot work attachments with the skull on the staff, with paracord going though the skull and then down through the staff lanyard hole in a loop, then weaving or headhunter knots around the staff, but haven't found one I really like yet...

I used large and medium clips on a wall knot paracord lanyard(navy blue), with a few spaced out Gaucho knots tied with orange Tether Cord. This one's for clipping to a key ring, pocket knife, flashlight, etc. with the other end attached to a belt loop...

Keeping track of time...

2011-12-08T19:59:00.001-05:00

The last paracord watchband that I tied, was using JD of TIAT's 'Stitched Solomon Bar', and I liked that pattern so much, that I used it again with my Maratac Mid Pilot Automatic Watch from County Comm.

The differences in this watchband version and the previous one, are a four strand core that's paired off and knotted around, and it's made in two sections, so no strands run across the underside of the watch.

Each section of paracord was tied between the watch pins and one half of the 5/8" side release buckle. So sizing is in three measurements, of each of the two paracord sections and the space between the watch pins across the back side of the watch.

I started with a six foot length of paracord for each side of the band, and ended up using between 10 and 11 of those 12 feet of paracord in the end.

I tucked the end strands into the knot work on the underside of the band to finish, and they can be further secured with sewing needle and thread, melting, or a drop of super glue.

Walls go up, Crowns go down, Gaucho between flanked Spanish rings...

2011-12-02T13:06:00.001-05:00

Coyote brown paracord in a round crown sinnet pocket knife lanyard/fob, with a couple of wall knots down the length. A 3 pass Gaucho knot in the center and a pair of 3 pass Spanish ring knots out to the sides, using black 0.9mm cord.

I used my copy of Bruce Grant's 'Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding' as a reference for the Gaucho and Spanish ring knots.

And another with a square crown sinnet and 2 pass Gaucho knot around the center with 1.4mm cord. The unseen center paracord section has round crowns tied, that the Gaucho knot was tied over.

The pocket knives shown are my Spyderco Salt I and Camillus Heat.

Clay pipes and pineapples...

2011-11-30T22:24:00.001-05:00

A long pineapple knot tied with tan and gray 1.4mm cord, over a clay pipe, that my dad gave me years ago. I thought he might have bought it at a Civil War reenactment, historical site gift shop, museum, or such, but when asked, he said it came from a tobacco shop in the mall, probably a Tinder Box.

Besides being one of the greatest smelling places with all the tobacco and cigars, the Tinder Box shops also had(guess they still do but haven't been to one in years) display cases with lighters, pocket knives, intricately carved chess sets, and other assorted gadgets, gear, and accessories.

The cord for the pineapple knot, worked into the long 4 bight turk's head knot, is just slightly darker than the base knot, so it doesn't show so well in the photo as it does in hand...

Gaucho bead paracord lanyard...

2011-11-25T14:16:00.001-05:00

I used gaucho knot beads, made with 1.4mm cord, for this paracord lanyard. The gaucho knot starts with a 5x4 turk's head knot. I started with a 10 ft length of black paracord, from the center making a two inch loop, then tying series of two strand wall knots, adding a knotted bead, then alternating that pattern for the lanyard, finishing with a swivel snap hook.

At a total finished length of 18 inches, from snap hook to loop end, this one is for use with a key chain, flashlight, knife, multitool, or as a wallet lanyard.

Attachment options let the loop end fit over a belt and clip to an item, or clip to a belt loop, bag, pack, or other gear and loop onto a gadget...

A longer length version would make a nice neck lanyard, decorative hat band, or necklace, and a shorter version for a paracord bracelet. A custom paracord pet leash could be done for a lengthy project...

I'd tied some similar variations last year for lanyards, fobs, and zipper pulls.

74 Face Globe Knot....

2011-11-19T07:40:00.001-05:00

This was my first attempt at a globe knot with this many faces/facets, and also the first time I've used pins with a mandrel for knot work, usually doing projects that I can get by without needing them.

I was following CUrchin's tutorial, but was using a smaller diameter cord than I thought I was, and half way through the knot, realized my error. If I'd used 2.4mm diameter cord, like in the tutorial, the golf ball should be evenly covered with 3 passes, but when I started working the slack out and added the third pass with my cord, which is actually about 2mm, I could see I'd need another pass, but I was already getting uneven with tightening it up.

Since I already had so much time invested in this one, I went ahead and finished it, even with my mistakes. I'll make sure to take more time on my next attempt to hopefully get it right, although I'm already thinking of using two passes of paracord, which may throw me off as well, haha...

After tying the initial 3 lead 4 bight knot and doubling it, it was a bit awkward in adding slack in the knot to fit it over the pins in the cardboard tissue tube, so I had to start over when that got out of hand. It was easier after I figured that I needed to work the slack into the knot for each of the 4 outer bights, on each side of the knot, one at a time. From that point on, following CUrchin's video slideshow was just a matter of play/pause to make sure I had all the overs/unders correct.

CUrchin mentions retying the initial knot around the pins if working the slack into them doesn't work, but not having used pins before had me scratching my head at a loss, even with a simple 3L4B TH knot. I've learned to tie turk's head knots from loosely tied diagrams of the knot, and even to date have not used printed out grids that are meant to be placed around a mandrel and used with pins. That would surely open up much larger and complicated projects for me, but I tend to want to stick with easier fare.

The hard part with tying globe knots, for me, is in the time spent working the slack out and tightening them up. If I get in a rush, it quickly gets uneven, scrunched up and crowded in some spots and spread out on another as seen in my photos, and I've not been able to fix them any other way than to start over. That's a real bummer of a feeling for a project that can involve a few hours of work...

If I posted all the mistakes and errors I've done in learning knot work, this blog would probably have 10 times as many or more posts, lol... Hopefully showing my slip-up will help someone avoid the same blunder. ;)

Pray for fire...

2011-11-16T06:42:00.001-05:00

As mentioned in the previous post on the 'Sailor's Cross Knot', adding a small 1/8" x 2" firesteel to the vertical section of the cross is easy to do. For this project I made a Sailor's Cross Knot lanyard/fob/zipper pull, with swivel clip for attachment, jute cord inside the paracord, and a removable/replaceable firesteel in the vertical section of the cross, shown with a Wenger Evogrip 18 Swiss Army Knife. I ended up using less than 5 feet of paracord, and double that length of jute twine(Thanks for the roll of twine, Manny!). An Arms-Akimbo knot was tied with the single strand coming out the bottom of the cross.

I first replaced the paracord's inner strands with jute cord, which can be pulled apart and made into a nest to use as tinder to catch a spark from a firesteel or flint. From that you get a flame that you use to get kindling burning, then add in larger bits of sticks, branches, and logs for a sustainable fire.

I'd seen a video, done by fellow knot tying friend Ken earlier this year, showing some wax/paraffin treated jute twine being pulled from a wet section of paracord and lit with sparks from a firesteel. I didn't give the jute for this project a wax coating, but it's certainly a useful idea, giving the jute a longer burning time like a candle wick, to help in getting a fire started.

I added the jute to the paracord by tying one of the inner strand ends to the center of a length of doubled up jute, then pulling the inner strands out one end, and the jute replaces the twisted nylon core strands. Depending on your paracord's outer sheath, sometimes the inner strands don't fill up all the space inside the core, so you may be able to leave some of the core strands in with the jute, for later utility use, or you might have to pull them all out to make room for the jute, depending on it's diameter as well.

Jute has been made for centuries, and paracord has been around 70+ years, so their uses in knot work are as old as they are, but the internet has plenty of search results to explore for more recent combinations of the two, like this example from 'The Paracordist'.

If you don't have a lighter or matches, learning primitive fire making and survival techniques can help you use a firesteel to get a fire going. There are literally millions of hits Googling those topics, so if you get sidetracked, have fun but don't get burned. Fire can be dangerous, so be safe with it.

Loud Focus at Stake...

2011-11-14T07:47:00.001-05:00

Loud, as in the slim and lightweight Vargo Titanium Emergency Whistle to add to my keychain or maybe my jacket as a zipper pull. A Long 3 Bight turk's head knot is tied around it, with three passes of 0.9mm braided nylon cord.

The Focus is a 6" neck knife made by Meyerco, of a Dirk Pinkerton design, with a short gutted paracord 2 bight turk's head knot grip wrap. I may add something to the sheath, but haven't decided yet since it would affect the use of the belt/pocket clip mounted on the backside of the Kydex sheath. I probably should put some paracord over that ball chain too, since it feels cold around the neck this time of year, lol...

And the Titanium Vargo Ascent Tent Stake (ultralight) can also serve as a hollow fid for knot and rope work. I tied a lengthened two strand diamond to secure a loop of tether cord, which makes it easy to pull the stake out of the ground.

This knot is seen in 'The Ashley Book of Knots' as #782, with the diagram on the bottom of page 140....

The Drop-Line Rapid Line Deployment System

2011-11-10T13:11:00.001-05:00

County Comm now offers 'The Drop-Line RLD System'. The Delrin Drop-Line roll is a definite improvement over the PVC pipe and recycled plastic spools that I used with my projects a few months ago.

Some folks like to have readily accessible cord that's not knotted, kinked, or tangled up when they need to use it. Having one or two of these attached to your gear is just being prepared.

I wound up some cord on a couple of them, and was able to get 50 ft of 550 paracord on one, and 100 ft of 3/32" tether cord on another.

The Delrin roll has just enough give in it so that it can be removed/replaced, but it's not going to come off the carabiner until you want it to. The load rated Omega locking carabiner can also be put to use when the cord is emptied off the wheel .

*Note this is just a device meant for storage and dispensing of cord, not a life saving/support piece of equipment, so use responsibly.

The Sailor's Cross Knot...

2011-11-08T07:29:00.001-05:00

A couple of recent posts by 'skyout' on the KHWW.net forums, showing 'The Sailor's Cross Knot', had me revisiting the knottool.com page, that I've had in my links list for a few years, to see Don Burrhus' tutorial (pdf link).

I missed an over/under on my first attempt, untied it and started over, getting it right with the second and third attempts shown in my photo.

I used around 3.5 feet of orange tether cord for the smaller cross, then did another with 4.5 feet of olive drab ungutted paracord, but you may use more or less depending on how loose or tight you work the cord, or if you want a longer loop out the top, or add a bead at the bottom with a knot to finish, etc... I've used fishing swivels for past projects, so I had a few stashed away to use with these, and probably a few more in a tackle box somewhere in the garage...

I didn't have any bobby pins to use as shown in the instructions, so I just temporarily lashed together a couple of my paracord lacing needles with 0.9mm cord to knot over, and just pulled them out when required. The paracord version looks to be just the right length to insert a small firesteel in the vertical section, for survival use on a zipper pull.

Another made without a swivel, attached to my Victorinox Silver Alox Lumberjack.

And one made with two colors, for use as a bookmark and shown with 'Strength for Service'.

Paracord fingerloop retention ring...

2011-10-30T18:56:00.000-04:00

A friend sent me a video link that showed/mentioned different carry and retention methods for flashlights. One method was using a loop/ring of metal, rubber, or paracord with a flashlight's pocket clip to aid in retention of the light, that's easily removable and unobtrusive.

Roger asked me if I might have any ideas with making a paracord loop/ring like shown in the video. I first tried a split ring covered with paracord, like I've made with small dreamcatchers before, but I found the stiff metal ring uncomfortable to use with a flashlight/finger grip. The finger loops I'd done a few years ago would be too large done with paracord for this purpose, but using smaller diameter cord could work. Maybe a large rubber/silicone o-ring would be more flexible and might still work with a little gutted paracord or knotwork wrapped around it...

For a couple of examples, I tucked one end of a length of paracord(not gutted) back into the other end and used a drop of super glue to secure it, but sewing or melting would also work. Also shown in my photo is a loop of paracord with a double fisherman's bend. Other bends could also be used for the same effect. Roger also mentioned maybe making a smaller loop to fit around the pocket clip, and I think a small split ring would work for that too, and either would keep the paracord loop/ring better in place/attached on a pocket clip...

I show an example with a small split ring that is just big enough to slide over the pocket with a paracord ring run through it, and another with a small split ring through the pocket clip's built in lanyard attachment point, which this model flashlight just happened to have. The other paracord finger loop bends that I tied were sized around a tube vault(baby soda bottle), around 1.5" diameter, but you may make them larger or smaller depending on your own flashlight/pocket clip/finger size variables for your own custom fit.

The flashlight in the photo is my six year old Nuwai Q3. It only gets about an hour and a half of good output off a single 123 lithium battery before getting dimmer, but I'd found a custom made aluminum adapter(ebay) to convert it to use a single AA battery, and although much dimmer output, I get longer runtime, so it's still a useful flashlight. Using rechargeable batteries also keeps it inexpensive to operate. ;)

Some useful knots and bends...

2011-10-25T00:32:00.000-04:00

I tied these knots with paracord, following diagrams from John Shaw's 'The Directory of Knots: A Step-by-Step Guide to Tying Knots [Spiral -bound]'.

I had a little deja vu when tying the 'Arms-Akimbo' lanyard knot, remembering trying one of JD's(TIAT) videos a couple of years ago, for the 'Eternity Knot', just a slightly different knot, some might even not notice the difference.

The 'Gibbet' and 'Ichabod' knots are both sliding loop type knots, and the author mentions the 'Ichabod' knot as having been used as hangman's noose in the last century at an American penitentiary, and a 'gibbet' is a gallows type structure so it too served the same purpose, but both knots certainly work just fine as attachment loops with paracord lanyards. The 'Broach Loop' is a fixed type loop like the bowline.

I also tied a few 'bends', knots used to join two ropes/cords together, from the book's diagrams. The Broach Bend, Tucked Broach Bend, Symmetric Hawser Bend I, and Symmetric Hawser Bend II.

Reinforced Ring Hitch...

2011-10-23T14:41:00.000-04:00

I uploaded a short video for tying a 'reinforced ring hitch'. This hitch is #1863 in 'The Ashley Book of Knots', and is also shown in 'The Directory of Knots' by John Shaw.

When using paracord with a lanyard, I've found this hitch makes for a slightly more secure grip on a key ring compared with the common ring hitch, also known as a cow hitch, lark's head, lanyard hitch, bale sling hitch, etc...

Knot Tying Challenges...

2011-10-16T20:31:00.000-04:00

The 'Chief Knot Head' on the Knot Heads World Wide website(Brian), has put up a few knot tying challenges with diagrams from an Argentine knot book. I gave the third one a try today and manged to work it out.

You can see the diagrams for the first and second challenges from the links, and I just noticed a fourth was added to the forums this afternoon, so I'll be certain to give it a try when I get a chance.

They can make for an interesting bit of time spent puzzling them out, and looking for ways to apply the decorative patterns to some useful knot work...

I made an ID badge lanyard from the knot work of the second challenge, and a paracord bracelet for my mom with the third.

I had four strands coming from the third pattern, so I modified a single strand sack knot/bracelet binding knot, that I found in 'The Directory of Knots', to use as a closure on the bracelet, shown before I trimmed the ends close to the knot...

Bonobo Bar Paracord Bracelet with Side Release Buckle...

2011-10-13T18:44:00.001-04:00

JD (TyingItAllTogether) put up a YouTube video tutorial for tying the 'Bonobo Bar Bracelet'. I used a 1/2" side release buckle instead of a knot/loop closure as shown in the video, and used dark olive drab and black paracord for mine.

The bracelet is done with making a couple of half knots, as you would to start when making a twisted cobra stitch/Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet, but alternating with each color for the knots and core.

I looped the the two 6 ft long paracord strands(more than was needed) onto one buckle end, making the knots until I had enough for my wrist size, then ran the strands though the other buckle end, tucking two strands back under the bracelet's inside knot work, using the remaining two strands to tie a square knot around all the other strands, and also tucking them under a couple of knots on the inside of the bracelet, trimming the ends to finish.

Cord Ends...

2011-10-11T10:53:00.000-04:00

I recently received some new 'cord ends' from County Comm. They come in handy to use with zipper pulls, lanyards, and fobs, clipping onto the end strands of cord. You can use them with simple loops of paracord to quickly make zipper pulls, or add them after knot work to cover and finish the ends. Examples shown with some gaucho knot beads over paracord. The pocket knife is an Opinel #6 with carbon steel blade.

I also got a couple of rolls of Extreme Tape, but haven't put them to use yet. I've used this type of grippy wrap under turks head knots in the past, to keep the knots from sliding off of smooth bodied flashlights

The cord ends can provide added grip to open/close zippers when wearing gloves, and are available in a variety of colors and even a glow-in-the-dark version.

They can be used to identify the contents of your bag/pack/pouch, perhaps using the glow-in-the-dark version on a zippered pouch/compartment for flashlights, orange for pocket knives, green for tools, etc... Just tell a friend, family member, or stranger to look for the 'red' cord end zippered pouch to quickly find the first aid kit if needed, etc...

I tested the glow-in-the-dark cord end on the nightstand, and 8 hours after turning out the lights, I was still able to see the dim glow of the cord end with my dark adjusted eyes.

Gaucho Knots...

2011-09-24T11:28:00.000-04:00

Both of these knotted beads are the same Gaucho Knot(3 pass) made with tan 1.4mm nylon cord. One tied then tightened over a wooden bead, and the other tied then tightened over an old insulin syringe, which was a similar diameter to the wooden bead's hole size, allowing loops of ungutted paracord to fit both.

These knots start with a 5 lead 4 bight turks head knot, which is then made into a 'Gaucho Knot', and after than into a '3 pass Gaucho Knot'. I gave the knots a brushed on coating of Krazy Glue after working the slack out and tightening them up.

I think I got lost trying a Gaucho knot from a long 4 bight turks head knot, guessing at the overs/unders from tying the shorter versions, making this one with orange tether cord over navy blue paracord, but it still looks good to me...

Headhunters Knot...

2011-09-22T21:29:00.000-04:00

I tied this 'Headhunters Knot' with a length of gutted paracord, just making a single pass around the center section of an AA Tactical Maratac Flashlight. I'd much rather of used some nice leather for this knot, but did not have any on hand. Variations of this knot have some interesting looking patterns.

A couple more headhunter knots shown tied with 1.4mm cord over wooden beads, for use with paracord wrist lanyards. One is a two pass knot(doubled) and the other has 3 passes(tripled).

The number of 'passes' can get confusing with knot terminology and can mean different things with certain types of knots, but in these examples I tied the same knot each time, just following the original path around the knot to make it into '2' and '3' pass knots.

Paracord Garbage Can Lid Tether...

2011-09-14T12:24:00.005-04:00

I put up an instructable for this simple paracord project with a garbage can and lid. I did this for our garbage cans several years ago, to keep from having to go and search for the lids on windy days after they'd blown away.

The current paracord retention strap/tether has been in use for 3 or 4 years now and although the color has faded, it still does the job. If the weather really gets windy and blows the cans away after they've been emptied by the sanitation engineers, at least the can and lid don't get separated.

If I hear a loud scraping sound on windy garbage days, I don't even have to look out the window to recognize it as one of the neighbor's garbage lids moving down the street. Hopefully someone grabs it before it's gone down a storm drain, lol...

*If you don't use a strap, write your street address on the inside of your garbage lid with a Sharpie/marker so a good neighbor can return it if found. :)

Fenix E15 with a Spanish ring knot...

2011-09-12T19:35:00.000-04:00

I follow Fenix Outfitters on Twitter, and they recently had a contest for a Fenix E15 Mini LED Light by simply retweeting a Twitter post, and I won.

The cool little flashlight arrived in the mail today and I added a Spanish ring knot to it with 0.9mm braided nylon string. The string was white, but an orange Sharpie made quick work of changing the cord color. It's been a while since I'd tied this knot so I had to look in my copy of Bruce Grant's 'Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding' to refresh my memory.

The light came with a split ring and a spare o-ring, and I added a small gate clip to the split ring to make it easy to get on/off my key ring.

The knurling on the light gives enough grip to hold it in one hand, and use thumb and index finger to twist the head for on/off, and doing that quickly also changes the output from medium to low then high settings.

I found that the pocket clip from my Gerber Infinity flashlight fits well over the Fenix E15 body, so that I can clip it to the brim of a ball cap or boonie hat, for hands free use.

Getting a new flashlight always seems to lead to wishing for the Sun to hurry up and set, to properly test the light out in the dark. :)

Pineapple Knot...

2011-09-10T15:05:00.006-04:00

I followed Bud Brewer's tutorial on KHWW.net, for tying 'The Long Pineapple', a turks head knot variation, over a Zebra F-301 Compact Pen. The knot starts with tying a long 4 bight knot, then a second strand is interwoven creating the pineapple knot.

I made the initial knot longer with an extra turn at the start, to cover more of the pen, and figuring out the overs/unders from Bud's tutorial and applying it to the longer knot was easy enough to figure out.

I used 3/32" orange tether cord from County Comm to tie the 4 bight knot, then used 2mm blue nylon cord to interweave the pineapple knot. I tied this one while watching the Auburn vs Mississippi football game, War Eagle!

And a paracord pineapple knot on an EOD Robotics Breacher Bar.

Zigzag Spooling Paracord...

2011-08-27T11:25:00.006-04:00

I finally got around to putting up a video showing how I zigzag spooled the paracord for my Carabiner Paracord Spool project.

Pocket Organizer spare paracord carry, Pocket Grappling Hook, Tube-A-Ton, & Industrial Strength Survival Food Grade Tin...

2011-08-25T16:42:00.021-04:00

The straps on the back of my County Comm Pocket Organizer have snaps on them, allowing easy on/off with a belt/PALS/MOLLE webbing attachments. I had a 10 ft length of paracord and just tied onto one strap with a simple loop/overhand knot, and did a figure 8 storage method with the cord, weaving around the straps, finishing with another loop/overhand to secure it.

For quick removal and use of the paracord, you just unsnap the straps and pull the cord right off the straps. You can easily store double that amount, maybe more, by doubling up the cord around the straps, I just used what I had handy to try it out...

Blackhawk and Spec-Ops have made similar pocket organizers, links going to short reviews I made on EDC Forums in 2006, but the straps on the those two were sewn in place, so this wouldn't work with those unless you modified them by adding your own button snaps. At the time I reviewed them, I ended keeping the County Comm pouch for myself, giving the Blackhawk(I think) to my dad, and selling the other.

*Added a photo of the contents of my Pocket Organizer, some items listed in the 'Comments' section. Not shown are a handkerchief, that's usually kept tucked into the front mesh pocket of the organizer, spare paracord, micro screwdriver pen, and a book of postage stamps. I'd add more, like spare AA, AAA, and coin cell batteries for flashlights that I carry, but there's just no more room in this one.

The XL EOD Utility Bag has four similar button/snap straps on one side and those could be utilized in a similar manner with storing cord/rope...

Without a strap setup, you could still rig up some cord or spare nylon webbing to figure 8 around, and still attach it to PALS/MOLLE webbing, or have a clip/carabiner to hang it onto other gear, or a point to deploy the cord from. The ends would just need to be able to come apart/separate so the cord can be pulled off. Lots of possibilities there...

The Pocket Grappling Hook pegs the needle on the cool meter. They're not made for scaling walls or buildings, but have lots of other uses described on the County Comm link along with a video.

The Tube-A-Ton has several grooves along it's length for grip, and I added some 3 lead 11 bight turks head knots with 0.9mm nylon cord. I may color the white cord with blue and orange Sharpies for Auburn team colors. I've already put a spare AA battery for my flashlight in one end of the tube and some toothpicks in the other.

The Industrial Strength Survival Food Grade Tin will be used to make a small survival kit. A lot of folks have used old Altoid tins to make survival kits and this one is about the same size only built much sturdier.

Another 'Stitched Solomon Bar' bracelet...

2011-08-22T16:58:00.007-04:00

With football season starting up it's time to show the team colors. I made a smaller/thinner version of the 'Stitched Solomon Bar' with orange 3/32" tether cord from County Comm for the core strands, attached to a 3/8" side release buckle, and went over that with 2mm blue braided nylon cord from ebay. War Eagle!

The finished size is about half the thickness/width of the paracord bracelet version.

And a 'Stitched Solomon Bar' paracord watchband...

Some new stuff to play around with...

2011-08-08T09:19:00.050-04:00

UPS dropped off a package from County Comm the other day. They carry some neat and unique gadgets, gear, and gizmos. I still use the Pocket Organizer that I bought from them five or six years ago.

I have more photos of my County Comm stuff stored on Xanga.

I used a small stainless steel Gate Clip on one end of a 'Stitched Solomon Bar' paracord key chain lanyard, with a large Yacht Clip on the other end. I know someone will ask what my vehicle key is attached to, it's an Amflo Coupler key ring.

The Improved (XL) Sat-Com Bag makes a great day-pack, even has a velcro space for name-tapes(1800nametape.com) or patches to personalize it, along with MOLLE/PALS webbing all around and on the padded shoulder strap too, for hanging some carabiners or an ITW Tac Link.

I got some polished stainless steel skulls/beads, that are different than the pewter, brass, and acrylic type that I've used with knot work before. There's the 'Yorick', the 'Ponderer', and the larger hefty 'Goliath'.

The Goliath skull is a larger than average sized bead, being around one and a half inches at it's widest, and the weight is just over 3 ounces. Instead of a horizontal or vertical drilled hole, like other beads, the Goliath has cord attachment points/holes along the jaw of the skull.

I tied a black and olive drab paracord crown sinnet and wall knot for the lanyard, with a 1.5" split ring on the opposite end. I imagine a swing with this thing at someone's noggin' would crack a real skull. It's a nice alternative to a weighted monkey's fist on the end of a lanyard.

I tied up a couple of the Yorick skulls with paracord to use as zipper pulls, and used some of County Comm's orange tether cord with the Ponderer for a key fob. Each of the skulls looks good for modding with some glow-in-the-dark epoxy in the eye sockets too...

The GT3 'Gear Ties' are great alternatives to simple twist ties and rubber bands for keeping a grip on bundled cords and wires.

The Bl azer Gas Burner is like a Zippo on steroids for hands free use when melting cord ends. I think the Spyderco Ladybug is the perfect sized key chain knife, and the H1 steel means it ain't never gonna rust.

Items with my new XL EOD Utility Bag are:

~A couple of Titanium Widgy Pry Bars with kydex sheaths
~Pocket Straight Razor Survival Tool
~Titanium Embassy Pen
~Titanium Peanut Ligher
~AA Tactical Maratac Flashlight
~A&P Cable Key Ring
~Premium EMT/Combat Shears
~And an EOD Robotics Breacher Bar with kydex sheath and Tek Lok
~YouTube video of a custom modified EOD Breacher Bar, very cool, & a Cutlerylover review.
~Spectra Thread
~Micro Fiber Cloth
~Tube Vault
~Tan Spyderco Ladybug Salt H1

The twisted paracord wrap/grip used on the Ti Widgy Bars and EOD Breacher Bar were done with gutted paracord. I'd seen Swissbianco use the method on some of his neck knives at the Blade Show back in June, and wanted to give it a try.

The ACU SO-LED lights have a multiple position clip that makes them great for clipping to gear, MOLLE/PALS webbing, a car/truck sun visor, or the brim of a cap or boonie hat.

The Traveler RFID Wallet comes with a black cord zipper pull. The Tether Tip that came on the pull can be opened up, so I reused it when I replaced the black cord with some of County Comm's orange tether cord, then went over that with some 0.9mm braided nylon cord in a cobra stitch/Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet. The smaller cord I used was actually white, but a blue Sharpie helped with making the zipper pull into Auburn University colors. War Eagle!

The Mini Utility Scissors have worked out great for trimming paracord, fishing line, and thread.

Paracord Carabiner Spool Part II...

2011-08-08T04:34:00.014-04:00

Digging through the closet, I found an empty spool, that previously held 50 feet of Wellington 1/8" Braided Poly-Pro Sportsman's Cord, along with a partially used spool of orange cord and unopened black. The label on them even says, 'Reusable Spool'. I believe I bought them at Walmart, several years ago, and don't know if they even still carry it, after a quick search on Google didn't bring anything up.

I cut the empty spool down one side with a utility knife and was able to work it onto a Blackhawk carabiner. I just used some package tape to cover up the cut along the spool, since I had it right in front of me, but will go back and use gaffer's/duct tape later. Even though the spool is shorter in length than the PVC pipe, that I used in the previous blog post project, I still managed to put 40 feet of paracord onto the this spool, wrapping it in the common side-to-side method.

The hole through the center of the spool is a few millimeters larger than the carabiner diameter, so it does rattle around a little bit, but I think tucking a short piece of scrap paracord in between the spool and the carabiner will quiet it down and keep it from moving until needed...

In case someone wants to search for the Wellington cord spools, the part number on the label is: 11120 and the UPC code is: 79085 11120. Or just keep an eye out for similar sized plastic spools with cordage to re-purpose the spools after the cord is removed. I think solder and wire may come on the same shape/size type spools. I'll have to remember to look for them the next time I get to a craft or hardware store.

*Note that the other spools, that still have cord on them, turned out to be made of a different plastic than the first. I had to cut the stiffer material spool all the way in half, then tape it back together around the carabiner, after which it worked like the first.

Paracord Carabiner Spool

2011-08-02T23:16:00.020-04:00

This was a project I'd tried a couple of years ago that wasn't working like I wanted at the time, so it's been on the unfinished 'to do' list too long. This time I ended up with a much better working model. The paracord is zigzag spooled(like you may find with cordage you buy from store that comes on a spool) onto the PVC pipe over the carabiner. With the carabiner held in hand or secured to gear, the cord can be pulled off and quickly deployed from the free spinning spool. If the ends of the spool were flared/capped, keeping the cord from spilling off the spool, it would be easier to coil cord onto the spool...

The biner I used is an Omega Locking D Carabiner that I've had for almost 20 years, that has a tubular formed body compared to some that have odd shaped cross sections. The oval and D shaped carabiners will have the most room for carrying more paracord, so that's what I used. The diameter of the carabiner tubing was slightly smaller than the interior spool diameter, that I intended to put over it, which is just what you need to measure for.

I had some leftover 1/2" diameter PVC pipe, to use for the spool, stored in the garage from a light tent project several years ago. I used a hacksaw to cut a 3" long length to fit the carabiner. Of course you can't just slide the PVC onto the carabiner, so I cut it again down the center of the length of the pipe, making two halves.

I fit the two parts around the carabiner and used gaffer/duct tape to wrap around them and secure them back together. The pipe then spins freely around the carabiner. I wrapped as much paracord on the spool as I could, which was about 40 feet worth, and still be able to open the carabiner gate just enough to slip it over nylon webbing/PALS/MOLLE attachment points on a bag, backpack, strap, or vest.

The PVC pipe makes for a firm spool where my previous tries with softer rubber and plastic tubing would give/warp too much when adding the paracord, creating too much friction and the spool wouldn't freely spin around the carabiner. I may eventually add a short tutorial for making this project later.

A similar product, that might could be used/converted to dispense paracord, is a cave reel /diver's spool. They come loaded with string, but it may be possible to put some paracord on them instead, although I don't know how much would fit...

Earlier in the year, a friend made me some smaller bead sized metal tubular spools with flared ends. I'd tried finding similar and making my own but was unsuccessful. My intended purpose was to add thread, fishing line, or some 0.9mm braided nylon line onto the smaller bead spools and them add them to a survival type paracord lanyard. My photo shows the beads next to a penny for scale, and the paracord lanyard is a 'Bug Belly Bar' tied by Manny, who also made the beads.

Stitched Solomon Bar Paracord Bracelet with Side Release Buckle...

2011-07-31T18:18:00.013-04:00

JD of Tying It All Together put up a YouTube video tutorial for tying the 'Stitched Solomon Bar' bracelet. It's a simple(why didn't I think of that) variation of the basic cobra stitch/Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet/square knotting macrame type paracord bracelet, with the knots alternating around the two core strands of the bracelet.

I added a 5/8" curved/contoured side release buckle and used a single length of paracord instead of the two colors with a knot and loop closure method shown in the video. The difference from the knot/loop method is attaching the cord to the buckle ends like a regular paracord bracelet, adjust for wrist length(I added 1" to my wrist size), then follow JD's tutorial for knotting around the core strands. With the 5/8" sized buckle the paracord was looped around the buckle ends twice before knotting to fill up the space, but using smaller 1/2" or 3/8" sized side release buckles would also work.

I tucked/pulled the working ends, using hemostats/forceps, under a few knots on the underside of the bracelet, then trimmed to finish. I ended up using just a little over one foot of paracord per one inch of bracelet length. Using side release buckles also makes this project useful for tying dog/cat pet collars. You can try using more core strands(4/6) between the buckle ends before knotting, to carry more usable cord in the bracelet should it be needed, but this will also make for a thicker/wider bracelet...

Paracord Chain Sinnet Quick Deployment Boonie Hatband

2011-07-08T12:45:00.014-04:00

Just another integration of paracord and a boonie hat that some may find useful, this time using a chain sinnet(ABoK #2868)...

I think the video should be easy enough to follow. I've also added a photo collage for those that want something to print out.

New Pewter Skull Bead...

2011-06-30T03:41:00.014-04:00

I received a couple of Green Girl Studios pewter skull beads from BladeOps.com.

For one skull, I used a two foot length of gutted paracord, making two-strand wall knots(ABoK knot #775)in a series. I think it gives the lanyard/fob a look of vertebrae coming down from the skull...

For the other skull, I used some 1.4mm nylon cord to make a four strand round braid, added the skull bead, then finished with a Matthew Walker knot, shown used as a zipper pull on my backpack.

The hole on the skull bead is 1/8" diameter, so it can fit up to a single strand of ungutted 550 paracord. To be able to pull a loop of gutted paracord through the hole, it needed to be slightly enlarged. I used a 9/64" drill bit, manually screwing the skull down over the bit, so that it cut out a small amount of the pewter material. I used a diamond file/sharpener to smooth out any sharp edges, and that was just what was needed to snugly fit a couple of gutted paracord strands through the bead.

The skull's eye holes also look good for adding some glow-in-the-dark powder and epoxy mix, and then they'll be ready for lanyard/fob/zipper pull/pendant duty...

Paracord Guitar Pick Holder...

2011-06-18T12:57:00.016-04:00

One of my blog readers asked me to make something for holding a guitar pick with paracord. I did have one guitar pick handy, once having a guitar, but gave it away years ago because I couldn't play it to save my life.

I used a basic three lead turks head knot that's commonly used for sailor bracelets, and in smaller cord or wire with jewelry for holding stones, coins, etc... I have tried this in the past with holding challenge coins, but didn't like how it covered up too much of the coin, but it works well enough to hold guitar picks. YMMV

Using a 6 foot length of paracord, starting the knot around 18" from one end of the cord, I tied it around a wine cork making the knot into eight bights and following it around again for a second pass, careful that it's not too tight around the cork, being somewhat loose so a pick will fit. The start and end strands can be equaled out by working slack through the knot in either direction. The neck cords can be trimmed to make the necklace to a shorter length, or worked down into lanyard or key chain fob...

The knot is slid off the cork and the triangular shaped guitar pick is worked into the center of the knot, placing the top side of the pick in where the neck cords come out, shape the knot down around the bottom of the pick as you work it into the knot.

A safety break-away was added for necklace use, since we all know that rabid fans and groupies will grab and rip at your clothes. You don't want to get strangled coming off the stage after your band rocks the house, lol...

The guitar pick is a snug fit in the center of the knot and will not accidentally fall out. The knot is actually thick/wide enough with two passes, to hold several guitar picks at once, so you can toss a few into the crowd as souvenirs while your band is playing a set...

Other knots that have been suggested to try as a holder, are the Spanish ring knot and the single strand star knot.

Guitar Pick Punch - $24.99

Guitar Pick Punch

Blade Show booty...

2011-06-17T09:18:00.019-04:00

The 30th Anniversary Blade Show & International Cutlery Fair was in Atlanta last week, at the Cobb Galleria Centre. I spent all day Friday looking at the vast array of assorted handmade and production versions of sharpened items(knives, daggers, swords, hatchets, tomahawks, etc...) and chatting with some of the folks I know from various online forums that were also there. Some I've known for several years and others I met for the first time. It was a good thing the show ended on Sunday, as zombies showed up nearby the following Monday morning, lol...

I didn't come home from the show empty handed this year. I bought a new olive drab Tru-Spec boonie hat from Advanced Outfitters, got a Numyth Vulcan Fire Piston from Going Gear, and received a Victorinox Green Alox Minichamp from Swissbianco.

I've yet to add some paracord to the boonie hat, but will eventually put some on it after I wash the hat a few times to shrink it up first, with it being 100% ripstop cotton.

I added a four bight turks head knot to the Vulcan fire piston, and you can see how the fire piston works from Going Gear's YouTube video demonstration. Fire pistons, also called fire syringes, have been around a long time as a fire starting method, and the Vulcan is a pretty neat modernized engineering feat of a tool.

And I made a two bight turks head knot paracord firesteel pendant/fob/lanyard/zipper pull, shown attached to the Minichamp. A 1/8" x 2" firesteel fits right inside gutted paracord, as shown in a previous blog post from last year. The small sized firesteels can also be found at Going Gear.

I was given some spare lanyard hardware, snap hooks and clips, and a nice discontinued production model pocket knife made in Seki-Japan with decent ATS-34 knife steel, from friend and knifemaker Paul Granger, that shared a table at the Blade Show with Tom Stratton, who does some great fileworking on knives. Tom also does filework on some of the knife blades for Victorinox Swiss Army knives available from Swissbianco.

I took a laptop bag full of some knot work, that I've tied up over the past few months, with me to the show, thinking I might sell some, but I'm just not much of a salesman, refusing any payment as I ended up giving away 35 to 40 assorted lanyards and fobs, I lost count, to friends and new acquaintances. :)

The Izula...

2011-05-28T19:00:00.018-04:00

Today was a good mail day, receiving a package from the folks at BladeOps. I got an IZULA fixed blade survival knife, in desert tan with kit.

The Izula has a skeletonized handle design that's just right for some knot work, and the optional 'kit' also includes several feet of paracord among the contents, which is just enough to make a lanyard, do a variety of handle wraps, or to coil some around the sheath. You can find many different paracord wrapping tutorials on YouTube, and there are lots of photos online, where you can get an idea of how different paracord color combinations look with the knife.

I tried a few of the common type wraps/weaves, putting them on, then taking them off to try another, and know that I'll have to experiment some more to find one that I'll leave on it. I even played around with adding a dreamcatcher with some bonded thread, and a four bight turks head knot with about 14 feet of 1.4mm cord. I'll add more photos to this post as I continue trying out various options including wrapping the sheath...

Cross Knot Paracord Cross Pendant...

2011-05-25T08:23:00.015-04:00

In keeping with the recent 'cross knot' posts, here's a small cross knot paracord cross pendant/fob/zipper pull/lanyard, made with a couple of short leftover paracord strands.

I tied four knots for the vertical section, then tied one for the horizontal, pulled those strands through the back of one of the vertical section knots, and tied another knot. The end strands were trimmed and melted to finish, but sewing them in place with a needle and thread or using a drop of superglue would also work to secure the ends...

And another done with gutted paracord and shown on bead chain with dog tags. I used an 18" piece of paracord for the vertical section with four knots, and a 12" piece for the horizontal section with two knots. Those lengths allowed enough slack to tie the knots before tightening them and trimming the excess. Using some brush on superglue/krazy glue, that dries clear, to finish is optional...

Cross Knot Paracord Bracelet and Watchband...

2011-05-24T03:09:00.017-04:00

A couple of variations of tying a paracord bracelet and watchband, with using the cross knot, also known as knot #808 in The Ashley Book of Knots.

I doubled two pairs of strands for the bracelet, and alternated tying the knots with two pairs for the watchband...

Since both sides of the knot look different, you choose which you want facing out as you tie the knots. You could alternate them, or make them all the same on each side, as shown...

I used around 11 or 12 feet of paracord for tying each, with a 5/8" curved/contoured side release buckles, to fit my 8.5" wrist.

Instructable for a Cross Knot Paracord Lanyard

2011-05-22T08:05:00.005-04:00

I made an 'instructable', since I hadn't done one in a while, for tying this lanyard, and also added a video slideshow with the photos on YouTube.

Adjustable Paracord Wrist Lanyard...

2011-05-18T16:21:00.023-04:00

This is an example of an adjustable paracord wrist lanyard, using a couple of Celtic Button Knots and a Scaffold Knot/Multiple O verhand Sliding Kno t.

I tied this lanyard last year, with a leftover scrap of neon pink paracord, thus the black and white photos, lol, and stuck it in a drawer. At the time, I thought no one would be interested in it, but digging it back out, someone may find it useful and be able modify it to their own use. Perhaps running their belt though the loop, keeping the lanyard shortened for pocket carry, then extend the lanyard while still attached to the belt for use, with the swivel clip/snap hook allowing quick release of an item if preferred, etc...

I may add a tutorial/walk through for making this particular lanyard later. But for a brief description: this one was made with about 4 feet of paracord, tying one Celtic Button Knot, making a loop, tying another Celtic Button Knot around the loop strand, then running the cord through the first Celtic Button Knot, tighten them up, and tying a Scaffold Knot(Multiple Overhand Sliding Knot) at the end of the cord to finish, where it can be attached directly to an item, or swivel clip, key ring, carabiner, and so on.

It may sound a little confusing, and hard for me to explain, but the Celtic Button Knots are tied on opposite sides of the loop, before the cords go through the center of them.

Here's a YouTube video link for a short demonstration of the lanyard.

Shown attached to the lanyard is a Victorinox Farmer Swiss Army Knife.

You can use other single strand knots, like the multiple overhand knot(example comes from Peter Owen's 'The Book of Decorative Knots'), tied loosely at one end of a length of cord, make a loop, tie another knot around the cord back toward the first knot, taking the cord through the first knot, tighten them up, finish with a scaffold knot, slip knot, etc.. to complete.

The one shown with the flashlight was done with about 4 feet of foliage green paracord, and the only problem with this knot, is that it's tightened around the sliding cord when pulled in either direction, so it can be harder to adjust compared with the Celtic Button knot.

*A photo walk-through for tying this type of lanyard can be seen with photos I have stored on xanga.

Once you know how to tie the Celtic Button Knot and the Scaffold/Multiple Overhand Sliding Knot, you can follow this sequence of photos to tie the lanyard. I used a four foot length of paracord, but you can use more or less to make one to your own preferred longer or shorter length lanyard.

When in the shortened length, the Celtic Button Knot on the loop side can be moved along the length of cord that it's tied on, by moving slack from either side of the knot through it, and that will change the wrist loop size. Of course the simple design is open to variation, modification, and improvement, so experiment with it. I hope folks find it useful.

*The way I sometimes tie a lanyard knot to finish at an attachment/swivel clip, also can slide, but I just haven't used them that way. With the cord looped around the attachment and then tying the lanyard knot with the cord in the center, the knot can be moved up/down the cord to the last knot tied, example seen here at the swivel clip. I just found the double loops of slack to be in the way, but someone might pursue trying something out with it...

Two bight sheath wrap for Sub-Q Tanto...

2011-05-09T13:37:00.013-04:00

The Horan Knives Sub-Q Tanto, mentioned in the previous blog post, got a sheath wrap with about 15 feet of some 2mm cord, in a two bight turks head knot(13L2B) with three passes.

The crossings of the knot show on both sides and I worked the cord where it's lined up down the edges of the sheath. It's worked tight, so it's not gonna slip.

The sheathed knife is about 7.25" long, so it's a good size for pocket carry. With the contours of the sheath, I may be able to tuck a small firesteel up under the wrap...

*Note: I added a short video of the knife and sheath wrap, and also was able to fit a small firesteel under the knot work, where it's a snug fit and won't come out on it's own.

Future knotting projects...

2011-05-03T16:00:00.027-04:00

I stopped by one of the local Army/Navy stores, that I hadn't been to in a while, and they've got lots of paracord choices than what they had before. At my last visit, over a year ago, I bought a couple of 100 ft hanks of paracord from their small selection of standard colors: black, tan, olive drab, white.

Now they offer many different colors in neons/camos/solids and have multiple brands to choose from: Atlanco, Atwood Rope Mfg, Rothco, all commercial type 550 paracord with 7 inner strands, and had a couple of larger 1000+ ft. sized spools. They had paracord bracelet kits, with about 10 ft of paracord and a 3/8" side release buckle with included instructions, various colors of 3/8" buckles in multi-packs, and some 5/8" black buckles, and handmade paracord duck call neck lanyards as well. The DIY paracord using crowd has certainly gained in popularity over the last several years. It may be worth a trip to check your local Army/Navy store to see what they have in stock, if they're not too far away. The cost of gasoline is getting close to being higher than the shipping and handling charges when ordering online...

A few future knotting projects I have on the mental 'to do' list:

Add some paracord to a kydex sheath of the Horan Knives Sub-Q Tanto knife. Tim did a nice Japanese style wrap over nylon cord on the handle.

A blog reader, Ronnie H., sent me a large stone arrowhead that he made himself. An amazing piece of skilled craftsmanship(knapping) with very sharp edges. I was thinking of trying to mount it to a short section of 'arrow shaft' for display, in a small frame. I need to find a suitable sized piece of wood to use and maybe trying traditional arrow making tying methods, with artificial sinew or leather, or even playing around with using a turks head knot with small diameter nylon for attachment with some type of hitching over the shaft.

I've had an unused pool cue for several years, and have tried a few different knotted grips/hitchings for the handle, but haven't been satisfied with anything yet. I've left some green flat nylon cord wrapped around it, that I've tried a couple of open turks head knot patterns over, but have removed those and put it on a back burner until I get in a good knotting mood to get it just right...

I found a neat 'First Aid Aluminun Bottle' at Big Lots, which has a screw on compartment/mug with a small first aid kit included. It will eventually get some type of paracord knotted or hitched pouch/wrap to carry it. The only online source I could find for this bottle was on Amazon.

*Note: A white cross on a red field is recognized as the Flag of Switzerland, and a red cross on a white field is recognized as the symbol of the Red Cross. The International Organization of Standardization (ISO) sets a standard for the first aid symbol of being marked with a white cross on a green background, so that anyone requiring first aid would recognize the sign.

Two bight turks head knot paracord hat band...

2011-04-19T09:38:00.013-04:00

This paracord boonie hat band has a single pass of a two bight turks head knot(2 bight 49 lead), with a doubled up 30 foot long length of paracord. It still looks similar to the last hat band project I tied, but with more crossings facing outward. There was just enough cord left, after one pass of the knot, to work the remaining paracord under the knots, around the hat one time. Any more cord, and it might get a bit bulky.

I like the knot with the open pattern as it is for a hat band. This also keeps the paracord more easily removable, if it's needed for something else, where a tightly worked knot may have a lot of kinks in the cord, and take considerably longer to unravel.

Tying this is a bit awkward with the branch loops of the hat being sewn in place every inch or two, especially since you can't see the back side of the knot as you do the overs and unders to finish the knot.

It helps to imagine tying the knot around a long cylinder, and once the knot is tied, then bring the ends together at the back of the hat, except with the boonie hat branch loops, you're tying it directly onto the hat. Of course if you want to tie a two bight turks head hat band for a hat that doesn't have branch loops like a boonie hat, just tie one around a long cylinder first, so you have something like this paracord bracelet I tied a couple of years ago. That method would need the knot secured to the hat, and a couple of safety pins would probably work well. If tied on a boonie, the hat band would sit outside the branch loops, like this example...

This was the knot that I'd intended to tie last summer with a previous paracord hat band. At that time, I started making a two bight turks head knot, but after making the first couple of crossings, with the knot being done halfway, I finished with coiling the paracord around the hat, under the knots.

Neck Knife Sheath Wrap...

2011-02-27T11:56:00.018-05:00

This is a smaller version of a previous project, this time wrapping a small neck knife sheath with paracord. I used a 2 bight turks head knot(9 lead 2 bight with 3 passes).

I used a 10 foot length of foliage green paracord, and after making the knot, worked the slack back to the starting end, so that I could use the remaining few inches of cord to make a retention loop over the knife guard. I just worked it over the guard, then tucked it down under the tightened up knot to finish.

The knife can still be removed one handed, using a thumb or finger to slide the loop out of the way to pull the knife out of the sheath. The sheath holds the knife well enough on it's own, but since it's worn upside down, the loop of cord just makes it a little more secure.

If the paracord is needed for other tasks, it's easily untied and removed from the sheath.

Here's another neck knife sheath with a 4 bight turks head knot(17 lead 4 bight 2 passes), and used around 16 feet of paracord. This neck knife is a The Syphon.

And a Swissbianco M-Sharp knife sharpener, with some knotted paracord for added grip when sharpening a knife. Knife shown is a Victorniox Tinker with camo scales, that I've had for about 20 years.

Miniature Wine Cork Fender...

2011-02-17T13:14:00.027-05:00

I followed a tutorial by André van der Salm, on KHWW.net, for tying the miniature wine cork fender. Anyone not familiar with what fenders are and their function, they protect boats/ships from banging into docks and each other.

My knot tying friend, Manny, sent me the wine bottle cork, that was just like the one in the tutorial. I had a couple of corks from the local hardware store, but they were more tapered shaped. I'd figured on putting off tying a small key chain sized fender until I acquired a proper shaped wine bottle cork.

I used 0.9mm nylon braided string, which was slightly smaller than what is used in the tutorial. The half hitched pattern I tied is also open, where the spaces ended up the same size as the small Perma-lok needle I used. The attachment loop was done a little different too, in making a three strand braid about 5 inches long, then pulled through the cork, and the base was melted as shown in the instructions.

I wasn't sure how much of the smaller string I needed to use, so I worked with a 24 foot length, instead of the 18 ft mentioned in the instructions. I ended up only using about 16 ft for the finished hitching, and around 3 ft for attachment loop.

I also received a package in the mail yesterday, with a Victorinox Silver Alox Minichamp, and a Timberline Knives production model of the SwissKey Tool by SwissBianco, both shown on the keyring.

Although the cork fender does float, any more than a small key or two and whatever is attached is going to sink like a rock, so I wouldn't recommend testing bouancy in deep or moving water, lol...

I did try using one of the tapered corks, working with black 0.9mm string, and I prefer the wine bottle shaped corks even though they're a little larger and require a bit more time/work. About 14 feet of string used to cover the tapered cork and a couple more for the braided attachment loop.

There's a nice example of a globe knot over a wine cork, by Curt(Wooly Whiskers), on the PK forums.

If you want something capable of actually floating a loaded keyring/keychain, try the Waterbuoy Miniature Flotation Device.

Double wall knots...

2011-02-10T13:02:00.009-05:00

A few double wall knots for lanyard use, tied with 1.4mm nylon cord.

This is knot #779 in 'The Ashley Book of Knots', and diagrams are also shown in Peter Owen's 'The Book of Decorative Knots'.

The diagrams from Peter Owen's book can be seen in a Google book preview linked here, and a few process photos of the knot are posted in the Hammock Forums.

Here's a tripled wall knot, tied with paracord:

Anchor shackle turks head knots...

2011-02-03T20:20:00.020-05:00

I bought a few(3/16" & 1/4") stainless steel screw pin anchor shackles(bow shackle/clevis) at Home Depot, to use with a few key chain carry items: Leatherman Squirt S4, Howler Whistle, ITP A3 EOS LED flashlight. I tied a long two bight turks head knot(21 lead 2 bight) on it with some black and white 0.9mm nylon string.

I had tried ringbolt hitching first, but the stainless steel seemed too slippery for the cord, in keeping the hitching lined up and staying in place, so I untied that and tried again with the turks head knot. With the covering knot work, the shackles resemble miniature beckets, which are the decorative knotted handles on a sailor's sea chest...

Paracord wrist lanyards with sliding leather turks head knots...

2011-01-20T18:00:00.009-05:00

I had a couple of feet of leftover leather lace, and used them to tie these single pass, five lead four bight(5L4B) turks head knots, tightened over wooden beads, which can slide along the loop for adjustment.

The wrist lanyards were made with about 30 inches of foliage green paracord, forming a wrist loop, tying a lanyard knot, running one strand around the swivel snap hook, then working it back into the lanyard knot, so no ends are visible.

And a few more made with some various colors of suede cord/lace from wallyworld...

Pile of lanyards...

2011-01-18T17:32:00.007-05:00

An accumulation of recent knot tyings...

Five strand flat sinnet...

2011-01-15T20:31:00.009-05:00

Here's another flat sinnet from Stuart Grainger's Creative Ropecraft. It's just one of many shown to be made with up to six strands in the book, like a previous one I blogged about a few years ago.

I've started this paracord belt version, using the buckle from an old leather belt. I've treated the pair of tan paracord lines as one cord. The tan and one of the foliage green paracord cords are strictly core strands for the sinnet to be woven around, and would only need to be as long at the belt would be, where the working strands(3 of them) would need to be much longer. I haven't figured out a needed length, feet of cord per inch of sinnet, because there are variables that would depend on how tight/loose the sinnet is made, size/number of core strands woven around, etc... The sinnet would also work well for a bracelet, pet collar, or strap.

Cord Lock Knot Work...

2011-01-14T07:15:00.011-05:00

I used some black and white 0.9mm braided nylon cord/mini blind string, to tie a 5 lead 4 bight (page 46) turks head knot onto this ITW Nexus cord lock.

This particular model has lanyard tie down slots that looked just right for adding the TH knot, so I gave it a try and liked the result. There was just enough room in the slots to use a small Perma Lok lacing needle in making the knot.

And a few more with different sizes and colors of cord...

Cross Knot Lanyard...

2011-01-12T09:38:00.012-05:00

I've blogged on this knot before, as the Chinese Crown Knot. I bring it back up since it's one of the knots shown in Decorative Fusion Knots by JD of Tying It All Together. It's one of those knots that works well for a lanyard/fob/bracelet, when tied in a series, and a longer length of them has the look of a chain.

The knots have a square pattern on one side and a cross pattern on the other, which I think goes well with the Victorinox and Wenger Swiss cross shields.

I used about 6 feet of 2.4mm braided nylon cord to make this lanyard with a finished length of around 1.5 feet, adding a snap hook. I started from the center of the length of cord and made each knot about 3/4" to 1" apart, just doing it by eye instead of using a ruler. I finished by wrapping both ends around a swivel snap hook, loosely tying a lanyard knot, pulling the whole length of the lanyard through the center of the lanyard knot, then tightened it up to finish, trimmed and tucked the ends.

A Victorinox Blue Alox Farmer shown attached to the lanyard.

And shown done with two different types/sizes/colors of cord with the knot doubled, and used with paracord for a wallet chain/lanyard.

Modified #2206 from ABoK...

2011-01-09T14:32:00.013-05:00

I tied this one with paracord, first tying the knot pattern flat, then forming it around a foam ball to work the slack out and tighten it up.

I followed instructions from The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots by Lindsey Philpott, for the Double Monkey Fist/Modified #2206, a knot from ABoK(The Ashley Book of Knots).

There's an online tutorial for the Double Monkey Fist/#2206 on the KHWW.net site.

New Knot Books for the New Year...

2011-01-04T15:03:00.003-05:00

I received a late Christmas gift card from an Aunt and Uncle, and was able to order a couple of new knot books with it. Both books arrived in today's mail and just flipping through the pages, I can see that both are worthy additions to any knotting library. The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots by Lindsey Philpott, and Decorative Fusion Knots by JD of Tying It All Together.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-21T13:39:00.002-05:00

Flat Braided Lanyard...

2010-12-13T01:45:00.012-05:00

I used the last of my dark brown leather cord for this one, cutting 3 six foot lengths of the 2mm round leather cord, the centers of the cords looped onto a snap hook, tying a lanyard knot with two pairs of the cord ends, pulling the third pair through the center of the knot before tightening.

I tied a 3 strand flat braid with the three pairs(6 ends) for about 18 inches(also shown in 'The Book of Decorative Knots' by Peter Owen), looping one pair around the Niteize S-Biner, and tying a lanyard knot with the other two pairs with the pair from the S-Biner up through the middle of that knot before tightening.

Then taking the pair from the S-Biner and one of the other pairs to tie a second lanyard knot, which secured the loop pair, with the remaining pair through the center of that knot. And finally tying a third lanyard knot with two pairs, then the remaining pair through the center of that knot, and trimmed/tucked all the ends.

This one may work for use as a wallet lanyard, or for a pocket knife, flashlight, multitool, or maybe a pocket watch...

Another flat braided lanyard tied with 2.4mm nylon cord, and used some doubled up snake knots on one end. The nifty little Victorinox Swiss Army Knife is an Orange Alox Rambler.

Braided Leather Lanyard...

2010-12-10T00:58:00.004-05:00

I started with two 5 foot lengths of 2mm dark brown round leather cord, centers of the cords looped over the snap hook/swivel clip, tied a lanyard knot with two strands and the other two through the center of it.

Tied a 4 strand round braid for about 14 inches, made a single crown sinnet at the end of the round braid, putting the Niteize S-Biner through the crown sinnet.

Then continued the crown sinnet back up around the round braid for about 1.5 inches and finished with a crown and wall knot, tucking the ends back down into the knot before trimming off the excess.

The Swiss Army knife is a Wenger Evogrip 18.

I'd done another with paracord last year, but figured one in leather would be a little different...

Paracord and Leather Turks Head Knot Firesteel Fob/Lanyard...

2010-12-04T22:56:00.012-05:00

For this pocket knife fob/lanyard, I used a length of gutted camo green paracord and tucked a 1/8" by 2" long misch metal firesteel into the paracord sheath.

I tied a Cel tic button knot on one end and worked the firesteel down against it.

I then tied a 17 lead 4 bight turks head knot of a single pass, with round 2mm dark brown leather over the paracord covered firesteel. Added a copper colored bead(from Hobby Lobby) and tied a scaffold/multiple overhand sliding knot to finish.

The pocket knife is a Victorinox Tinker. My previous post with with firesteel fobs/lanyards is linked here.

Here's a couple of the firesteels with a single strand of paracord in a two bight turks head knot, using less than 2 feet of paracord. To be worn as a pendant on a chain, a zipper pull, or added to a key ring.

And one using 3 feet of paracord as a lanyard for a Swiss Army knife...

Leather globe knot key fobs...

2010-10-26T17:53:00.014-04:00

I used a couple of different types of leather lace, dark brown 2mm round and tan 1/8" lace, for these 45 face and 18 face globe knot key fobs tied over 3/4" wood ball cores.

And a long 4 bight turks head knot bracelet, made with the 2mm leather cord over paracord, with a side release buckle.

Long turks head knot lanyard...

2010-10-18T11:40:00.018-04:00

This is the single longest knotting project, as far as time invested, that I've worked on. Around 9+ hours, most of which in tying the 109 lead 4 bight turks head knot, with a little over 60 feet of black and tan 1.4mm nylon cord. Well, I was watching TV at the same time, so there was some distraction involved...

I started with a doubled up 50 foot length of the 1.4mm tan, although I don't know if running it like that saved me any time, compared to running two passes with a singled line. It was constantly getting twisted as I worked, and had to be dealt with after crossings and each over/under. Either way, that's a lot of cord to feed through, keep straight, and neat, before adding the 20+ foot length of black 1.4mm cord between the tan...

I tied the long 4 bight turks head around a rifle cleaning rod, which was about 30 inches long, and after tightening, straightening, and working the slack out, got the knot down to about 24 inches long. I then slid it off the cleaning rod and pulled a doubled up 6 foot length of paracord through, with lanyard knot and loop on one end, and finished with a swivel clip/snap hook, and lanyard knot on the other end. A little bit of needle and thread was worked around both ends of the turks head knot, to keep it in place on the lanyard. The look/feel of the finished turks head knot/lanyard is rope like, in a somewhat oval shape, around the two strands of paracord, about 3/8" to 1/2" height/width from front and side angles.

I may use this as a wallet lanyard, but it would work well with a knife, multitool, flashlight, cell phone, or some other gear or gadget... I think it came out fairly nice, but I don't see myself spending that much time on a single project again anytime soon. A longer turks head knot like that, takes a lot of care in keeping it neat while tying.

I did make one error, missing an over on a crossing, but decided to leave it instead of untying for a fix, to remind me to pay more attention in the future...

The 'Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding' by Bruce Grant, has listed in the contents, 'Two-Bight Turk's-head of Any Length'. There's all kinds of knot work shown within the book, with plenty of information pictures and diagrams to learn from. Bud Brewer's tutorial, is a good online resource to learn a 2 bight turks head knot, and then increase it to a 4 bight knot. For longer lengths, just take the cord around your mandrel(whatever object you're tying around) as many times as you want, and make all the same crossings and overs/unders, as shown in the tutorial.

A long 4 bight turks head knot over paracord...

2010-10-10T22:41:00.012-04:00

I used about 15 feet of tan 1.4mm braided nylon cord, to tie a long 4 bight turks head knot(45L4B), over a doubled up 3 foot length of coyote tan paracord. The paracord is attached to a swivel clip with a cat's paw knot at one end, and a small split ring secured by snake knots at the other end.

The stainless steel rigging knife has a marlin spike, blade, screwdriver, lanyard loop/bail,and shackle key.

Tying the knot around a drinking straw as a mandrel first, is easier than tying it around the paracord. I doubled up the 1.4mm cord when tying the knot to only make one pass.

The bracelet version is a 61 lead 4 bight turks head knot, using less than 20 feet of 1.4mm tan/gray nylon cord, with paracord for the core and a 3/8" side release buckle. You can just see where I've used the hemostats to pull the paracord ends back through some of the knot work to secure them, and I'll trim and tuck those to finish.

Here's the finished long 4 bight turks head knot bracelet shown next to a regular paracord bracelet. And a couple more that I made with a some different colors I have of the 1.4mm nylon cord, with the knots spaced out a bit to see the paracord underneath, black paracord under the darker tan, and coyote tan under the off white.

Another larger one was made with a 4 strand paracord core and a 5/8" side release buckle. I put two drinking straws side-by-side, with rubber bands on the ends to hold them together, when tying the long 4 bight knot around them, before pulling the paracord through. I was hoping to get the 4 strands to lay flat in a row with the turks head knot over them, but they end up getting bunched up. I was thinking of a possible watchband version, but done with separated turks head knots on both sides of the watch, between the buckle ends, with the paracord running underneath the watch. Maybe tying the knots around nylon webbing, or just over an existing watchband would work better...

Here's a link to a blog post from September 2009, of a 2 bight lanyard tutorial and a 2 bight paracord bracelet that I made last year. The 4 bight knots start off as 2 bight knots. ;)

Blue over orange pocket knife fob...

2010-09-26T00:27:00.005-04:00

I tied this one while watching the Auburn vs South Carolina football game. War Eagle!

First a length of orange utility cord with a two strand Matthew Walker knot was added to the CRKT Hammond Cruiser pocket knife, a gift from a fellow knot tying friend, Manny.

I then tied a long 4 bight turks head knot, with 2mm blue trot line/mini blind type string/cord, in a single pass, so that the underlying orange cord showed through.

I finished with four successive lanyard knots, and a bit of needle and thread at the top of the turks head to hold it in place.

Here's a couple of Auburn University color themed turks head bracelets, that I tied using the same type cordage last week...

Genoese Zipper Sinnet Paracord Bracelet...

2010-09-24T12:02:00.011-04:00

The Genoese Zipper Sinnet is a fusion knot by JD of TIAT(TyingItAllTogether), combining the Single Genoese Bar and the Zipper Sinnet.

I used about 9 feet of cord, 4.5 feet each of tan and black paracord, in the finished bracelet(9" long to comfortably fit an 8.5" wrist), adding a 5/8" curved/contoured side release buckle.

A similar chain sinnet type knotting pattern is seen at this link, a Chinese knot called the 'Big Phoenix Tail Sinnet'.

Some folks have said they have trouble with adding the knot work to a side release buckle, so here's a rough photo collage of starting and finishing with a side release buckle, once you're familiar with the knot work from TIAT's video.

I had been asked if this knot can be done with a single strand of paracord, and the answer is, 'almost'. You have to simulate a second pair of working strands, since the Genoese Zipper Sinnet has four working strands. To do this, I start with the the two strands and a zipper sinnet(chain sinnet), then to simulate the second pair of working ends, each cord will go down through the previous knot, then back up to make the sinnet, which creates the outer loop effect. It's not identical, but looks similar.

Snake Belly Bar Paracord Bracelet with a Side Release Buckle

2010-09-15T15:27:00.006-04:00

JD of TIAT's most recent video tutorial on YouTube, is for the 'Snake Belly Bar'.

I added a side release buckle to make one as a paracord bracelet, using about 9 feet of paracord, 4.5' each of black and tan, with a 5/8" curved/contoured side release buckle. A finished 9.25" length made a comfortable fit for my 8.5" wrist.

After looping both lengths of paracord onto one end of the buckle, follow the tutorial to tie the knot for the desired length, then run the paracord strands around the other buckle end, tucking the center strands into the under side of the knotwork with hemostats, and make a square knot with the outer strands around the cords, also tucking the ends into the under side knot work to finish.

I tried switching up the pattern a bit, with the different colors on either side, instead of one centered and the other outside, and hitching the inside cords around the outer instead of the opposite, as shown in the video. The result is a wider and flatter pattern...

Also suitable as a watchband or dog/cat pet collar...

Globe Knot Bookmark...

2010-09-06T15:52:00.009-04:00

I used 1.4mm cord for the 45 face globe knot bookmark, tied over a 1/2" marble, and added a Celtic button knot on the other end. There's about 10.5 inches of cord in between them, to fit books up to the average hardback size.

Shown with Strength for Service To God and Country. A book of "Daily Devotional Messages for Those in the Service of Others".

A Woven and Half-hitched Paracord Pouch...

2010-08-27T11:16:00.011-04:00

A woven and half hitched paracord pouch, that I made to hold the 1/2 inch marbles I use for small monkey's fists and turks head knots. It also serves as a slingshot ammo pouch. About 30 feet of paracord was used, including the cinch cord/drawstring with cord lock.

*Photo collage instruction sheet added. A Perma-Lok Lacing Needle and hemostats/forceps(or thin needle nosed pliers) can come in handy with making this project.

*Added a video slide show for this project on YouTube.

Adding Paracord to Water Bottles and another Paracord Can Koozie...

2010-08-25T05:43:00.010-04:00

Here are a couple of examples of adding paracord to water bottles.

A 25 foot length was used for the one in a 'whipping' pattern on the aluminum water bottle. And a 40 foot length was used in a woven pattern on the white stainless steel water bottle.

Both started of with coiling the cord around the bottles, with the starting end just held in place with a rubber band and later tucked to finish.

The 'whipping'(snaking) version, an example is seen in Geoffrey Budworth's 'The Complete Book of Knots', is easily zigzagged and looped around a couple of coils on each end of the paracord coiled wraps, and tucked to finish.

The woven version resembles 'grafting' type knot work, as seen in Stuart Grainger's 'Creative Ropecraft', but is instead a single length of cord. After coiling the cord around the bottle, one end is then worked in an over/under pattern, back up then down, all the way around the bottle. For this pattern, I went under three coils, over three coils, but like 'grafting', you can vary the pattern to your own tastes.

I used a Perma-Lok Jumbo Lacing Needle to feed the paracord over/under as I worked, as well as a pair of hemostats/forceps.

Here's a woven paracord can koozie, done with a 25 foot length of cord. The weaving is just like that done on the water bottle, but with the vertical over/under part done closer together for a tighter weave before changing to half hitching on the bottom.

I didn't have much paracord on hand to work with, so I reused some from the previous project. I would have made the can koozie a little bit taller and fully closed up the bottom, if I'd started with a 30 foot length, and a couple more feet for a cinch cord/drawstring with a cord lock for alternate use as a pouch. It still works alright as it is for holding a soda/beer can...

Another paracord hatband on a boonie...

2010-08-12T10:21:00.019-04:00

I've seen a few other boonie hats with cord in a crossing effect around the hat, but I don't think they started out with trying a two bight turks head knot, as I was intending, worked around the branch loops, on this tiger stripe camo boonie hat.

After tying/untying about a half dozen times, I ended up with just using the first couple of spiraling wraps around the hat, first in one direction, then the other, for the crossing effect. The remainder of the cord was worked around the hat a couple of times, underneath the crossings to finish.

I middled the 22 foot length of paracord when I started, to reduce the work of wrapping the cord, and so I only had to go around the hat about 4 times. If the cord is needed for some reason, it's not hard or time consuming to remove it, and it won't be all kinked up, like some other methods of tying.

The over hand knot, tucked through the hat's leather chin strap toggle, is where I started the hat band, and the center looped end of the cord, was tucked under the crossings, a little past the back center of the hat.

I added a YouTube video for this method of adding some paracord to a boonie hat, shown using a longer 30 foot length.

'Dragon's Tongue' paracord bracelet...

2010-08-05T07:22:00.014-04:00

JD of TIAT recently made a YouTube video tutorial on 'How to tie a Dragon's Tongue'. I followed the tying method, but instead of two separate paracord strands, I used a single 12 foot long strand of paracord with a 5/8 inch curved side release buckle, to make a 9.5 inch long paracord bracelet.

Once I looped the center of the paracord onto one end of the buckle, measured for wrist length and looped onto the other buckle end, I had two working ends and two core strands to weave around, like shown in the video. The ends of the paracord were tucked into the weave on the underside of the bracelet with hemostats to finish. The video tutorial has the paracord stretched out, after weaving, for the 'lashing' tongue effect, but I left the cord bunched up to use more cord in the bracelet, and I prefer the wider effect of the weave.

The 9.5 inch finished length was actually a loose fit for my 8.5 inch wrist, so I'll probably untie it and adjust it to my wrist size instead of adding length, which is sometimes required with other paracord bracelet methods. A watch could be added midway through weaving for a wide watchband, or add something else like a compass, skull bead, etc... And it also works as a pet collar or you can adapt it for use as a lanyard or fob.

If you want to increase the amount of paracord used and don't mind a thicker sized paracord bracelet, you can run extra cord back and forth between the buckle ends a time or two more, for a four or six strand core which can be paired off and woven around, like the examples in this previous blog post.

*After untying/retying the bracelet to 8.5 inches long for a better fit, I still used all 12 feet of paracord that I started with, and tucked the excess under the weave along the inside of the bracelet.

A two-toned version for a family member that's an LSU fan, and has been undergoing cancer treatment.

45 face globe knot...

2010-07-29T08:44:00.014-04:00

I followed this tutorial to try tying a 45 face globe knot, with 1.4mm nylon cord. I first tied it around a magic marker, making 3 passes, then slid it off and gradually tightened it around a 3/4" wooden ball. It's attached to my Victorinox Tinker with a multiple overhand sliding knot/scaffold knot, for use as a lanyard/fob.

The few globe knots(variations of turks head knots) that I've tried tying, can be tied in hand with a bit of patience. For those with some knot experience that want to try more elaborate globe knots, you might check out the Globe Knot Cookbook Kit at knottool.com.

And another one tied with paracord, with a 1.25" foam ball core, used as a key ring fob...

And a YouTube video showing how to tie the multiple overhand sliding knot/scaffold knot, for attachment.

Pale Horse Fighters Model 13...

2010-07-27T09:18:00.010-04:00

I recently received this Pale Horse Fighters Model 13 knife from knifemaker Paul Granger.

*Blade 4.6" x 0.156"440C @ 57RC
*G-10 handles
*Overall length 9.6"
*Camo kydex belt sheath with Tek-Lok

I made a wrist lanyard for it, that would fit through the knife's hollow handle pins, with some black 1.4mm nylon cord, in a 3 strand braid with Matthew Walker knots on each end, adding a sliding wooden bead with a turks head knot(globe knot) over it. The '18 face' knot was linked by demuredeamonor in the previous blog post's comments. I believe I'd also seen them linked on KHWW.net or IGKT.net forums too.

Planet Earth Globe Knot, ABoK #2216...

2010-07-22T06:48:00.008-04:00

This knot, found in 'The Ashley Book of Knots' as knot #2216, forms the shape of an oblate spheroid. Geoffrey Budworth calls it the 'Planet Earth' knot in 'The Complete Book of Decorative Knots', because of it's shape. The diagrams for the knot, from both books, can be found linked online here(ABoK #2216) and here(TCBoDK). There's another tutorial for this knot on the KHWW.net website.

I used 3/32" diameter CoolGlowStuff cord(similar in size to paracord) to tie the knot on a flat surface, making 4 passes, then shaping it around a 1.25 inch diameter foam ball, and tightening/working the slack out. There's about 9 feet of cord used in the tightened knot with the core size I used. This one'll make for a large key chain fob or maybe a pull for a ceiling fan...

The Oblong Knot...

2010-06-27T08:46:00.008-04:00

The Oblong Knot is a rectangular variation of the Chinese Cloverleaf Knot. I followed the instructions from 'The Complete Book of Decorative Knots' by Geoffrey Budworth, using some olive drab paracord to tie the knot.

You have to gradually tighten it up, working the slack out, to help it keep it's shape in the finished form.

I pulled one paracord strand end back through the center of the tightened oblong knot, using hemotstats to create a loop on one end, and added a Spartan Helmet bead. Finished by adding a cord lock and lanyard knot with the ends for wrist lanyard use...

Ginfer knot...

2010-06-18T11:24:00.006-04:00

I used a few feet of black paracord to tie a Ginfer knot, following the tutorial on KHWW.net, although I didn't need to use pins or a grid. I then put a 1/2" diameter ball bearing in the center, before tightening the knot up, and tying it onto a pocket knife.

Another pic of a few more examples that I tied, two with 3/4" wooden balls in the center with the sides left exposed, and another with a 1/2" ball bearing and a smaller cord used for a second pass of the knot.

The directional pattern of the knot has a similar look to the Spanish ring/Woven ring knot.

Vertical half hitching paracord pouch/can koozie...

2010-06-13T07:20:00.011-04:00

I used a 30 foot length of orange paracord, with a couple of feet of black reflective paracord for the cinch cord with a cord lock, to make this paracord pouch/can koozie with vertical half hitching.

The vertical half hitching is almost the same as regular half hitching, but you hitch around the previous hitch instead of the cord between the hitches, which makes the vertical columns with the cord stretched between them. It makes a snug fit around a soda/beer can as a koozie, and also is a good fit as a pouch for my LED lantern. This was another example of various hitching techniques, shown in 'Creative Ropecraft' by Stuart Grainger.

My friend, Manny, emailed me about checking page 108 of 'The Marlinspike Sailor' by Hervey Garrett Smith, for a reference of the hitching. I checked my copy and sure enough there's a drawing of a water jug covered with the same type of hitching and a description of the process, but Smith calls it 'French Hitching' in his book, where I'm more familiar with that name applied to a spiraling/twist type of hitching knot work.

In an older Smith book, 'The Arts of the Sailor', it's referred to as fender hitching, because of its use in making boat fenders. Another example of knot work going by different names, which can get a bit confusing sometimes.

Cow hitched paracord water bottle sleeve...

2010-06-11T20:14:00.007-04:00

I used about 45 feet of orange paracord, from Going Gear, to make this cow hitched paracord sleeve, to cover/carry/protect a 750ml(26oz) aluminum water bottle.

A couple of feet of paracord were used for the cinch cord with a lanyard knot and a cord lock, and about 43 feet of cord for the hitching to cover the bottle. A needle and some thread were used to further secure the cord at the start and finish of the knot work. More or less paracord may be used, depending on how tight/loose/close together the hitches are done. The cow hitching used a bit more cord than the half hitching did with another water bottle sleeve I tied.

A previous blog post has a photo collage, that I made, showing how to start the cow hitching. The last couple of photos in the collage show two different starting methods, one with the cord tied to itself to start for a permanent covering, and the other with a separate cinch cord and cord lock for a removable sleeve.

Long 2 bight turks head knot on a cane...

2010-06-03T22:54:00.005-04:00

I used about 20 feet each of black, olive drab, and tan paracord, to tie this long 2 bight turks head knot, with 59 leads, on a cane my dad got from the VA hospital. It's an early Father's Day present. I left the knot work spread out a bit since it's an adjustable height cane, and the button/slots are still accessible.

The 2 bight turks head knot is not hard to tie, but a long one can take a couple of hours or more to make the additional passes, keeping it straight, and working the slack out. The link shows a 2 bight turks head and how to increase it to a 4 bight knot.

A smaller turks head knot was tied over the start/finish of the 2 bight knot, at the cane handle, to help cover the trimmed ends of the spaced out knot.