Time for a Schmuckatelli Co. Giveaway! *Entry period now closed.

Mike at Schmuckatelli Co. sent me a package of Made in the U.S.A. goodies (skull lanyard beads!) from his packed desk drawers, with some prototype finishes, including a cool proto totem (all one piece) of stacked Tiki beads (Kiko, Ona, and Ku) and a selection of other beads from their lineup.

This giveaway is sponsored by Schmuckatelli Co., and Stormdrane.  I've split the skull beads up for three winners: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes with a lanyard that I tied for each prize package, so the winners can have a lanyard to add a bead to, or add them to ones they tie themselves.

 Don't know how to tie a lanyard?  I encourage folks to get some cord, learn some knots, and have some fun maybe trying/tying something out of their wheelhouse and dress it up with some cool skull beads.

There are examples of uses for the spool knit lanyards throughout my blog pages, like using them as a lanyard to attach to a wallet, keychain, flashlight, pocket knife, multi-tool, cell phone, gadget, gear, gizmo, zipper pulls, molle straps on bags/pouches/backpacks, etc...

The 1st prize includes a 425 paracord spool knit lanyard, in licorice (black/red combo) with a 4 bight Turk's head knot on the Grimloc carabiner.  The beads include the proto pewter Tiki totem, 18 karat gold plated Mind skull, proto finish rhodium and 18 karat gold plated Aquilo Sugar Skull Bead, 18 karat gold, rose gold, and rhodium plated One-Eyed Jack, blue powder coated Grins, pewter Brous bead with logo, pewter Vinnie Garoon Cowboy Bead, and pewter Classic skull bead.


The 2nd prize includes a 325 paracord (I think that's what the size/diameter is, wasn't labeled, lol) spool knit lanyard, charcoal gray, with 1.4mm cord gaucho interweave knots on the Grimloc.  The beads include a proto finish 18 karat gold and rhodium plated Aquilo Sugar Skull Bead, blue powder coat Grins, pewter Jumbo Emerson, pewter Vinnie Garoon Cowboy Bead, pewter Classic skull bead, pewter Brous no logo, and Kiko Tiki bead.

The 3rd prize includes a Type I/95 paracord spool knit lanyard in olive drab, and the Grimloc has a 1.4mm cord pineapple knot tied on it.  The beads include pewter Kiko, Ku, Grins, Mind, Cyber, Joe mini bead, and Green Man.

Giveaway entry period is from 6 November 2017 through 12 November 2017.  To enter, leave a comment with your name and location AND the title of the last book you read on this blog post (first/last name, your city/state/country location AND book title), which helps tell one entrant from another if they have the same name. Example:  David Hopper, McDonough GA, The Directory of Knots.

One entry per person, and I'll open this giveaway to U.S. residents and international entrants also, but if someone outside the U.S. wins a prize package, they agree to be responsible for any taxes or customs duties and accept the risk of packages disappearing in the mail, which can happen in the states at times as well, but luckily I've had no problems with packages I've mailed out at home or abroad not ending up where they were supposed to.

At the end of the giveaway entry period, names from the pool of entrants will be drawn and the winners names will be posted, and they will have one week to reply/respond, or alternate winners will be chosen, so be sure to check back after the giveaway ends to see if you've won. Spam links in the comments will be deleted.  After contact with the winners has been established, their prize package will be mailed out to them from my location here in McDonough, Georgia.  Good luck to all and happy knotting!


'Like' and following the Schmuckatelli Co. Facebook page is appreciated, but not required to enter and does not affect the chances of winning. Actually running giveaways can be quite time consuming and and tricky nowadays keeping up with following rules, policies and guidelines, but I know I enjoy entering them and have been lucky to win a few here and there out of the countless ones I've entered over the years. :)

I encourage my friends, followers, blog readers and subscribers to enter, but my family members are not eligible to enter and will just have to be satisfied with knot work I've already sent ya'll for birthdays, Christmas, or other holidays and whatnot or wait for possible future stocking stuffers. ;)

Some of these beads are one offs, so there are no replacements.  Monetary value is hard to determine as well, but you can get an idea if you look at similar finishes with the different beads that are currently offered on the Schmuckatelli Co. website.  My best guesstimate on value for each prize package, based on similar beads on the site and cost of materials for the lanyards I tied (not counting the time/ hours spent tying them) is approximately:  $80 value for 1st prize, $65 value for 2nd, and $50 value for 3rd prize.  No substitutions for prize packages.

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook.

And a few simple photos showing how to  get those lanyard beads on to the lanyard loop, and sometimes fit the lanyard loop through a knife/flashlight/multitool lanyard hole, size permitting, as not everyone may know how.

Take a thin piece of string, fishing line, or dental floss through the lanyard loop, bring the ends together, then run them through the lanyard bead, and pull the loop up through the lanyard bead with one hand and push down on the bead with the other.

A loop of paracord can be a tight fit for some beads depending on the thickness of the cord and the diameter of the lanyard bead's hole.

Not all paracord is the same.  Sometimes the paracord may need to be gutted (inner strands removed) to make it thin enough to fit beads and lanyard holes, experiences can vary when buying cord from one vendor/distributor/manufacturer compared to another.  Cheapest is not always best, shop around.

Here I sit, contemplating what to eat, pizza or tacos, sporting a Made in the U.S.A. t-shirt that Schmuckatelli Co. sent me.  Even had one in my size, a 'Put the fork down!' size, one of those with lots of X's, lol.

New 'How-to' two-peg spool paracord lanyard video...

After getting lots of questions about spool knitting after my last blog post with the new Schmuckatelli Co. Day of the Dead 'Aquilo' sugar skull beads, I uploaded a video on making a two-peg spool knit paracord lanyard.  I have posts on spool knitting dating back to 2007, but not everyone knows to look for them and the blogger search function isn't the best at digging up older posts.

The two-peg spool knit can be found in 'The Ashley Book of Knots' as #2878 a Square Loop Sinnet, along with other variations.

 

The improvised spool I'm using is made with a PVC coupler, marked 1 1/4", is actually about 2" in diameter, which was just right to set three pegs/cotter pins at about 1 3/4" apart from each other.  You can use something smaller for a tighter pattern, but I wouldn't go larger because the wider knit would be more likely to catch or snag on something. ;)

 I used a rubber band to hold three cotter pins in place, then applied epoxy all over and around each one where it made contact with the PVC, then wrapped with electrical tape to cover and further secure everything.  You shouldn't have to pull hard on the cord when working with it, if you do you might break the pegs loose from their mounting.  

I originally had some small nails on the spool, but after several projects, one of them broke loose and would lean to the side as I worked, changing the spacing, so I replaced them with the cotter pins.

For quick deployment of the cord, should you need to re-purpose it, cut off one end below the lanyard knot, unlock the knit by pulling the end strand out of the loop,  and start pulling to unravel the length of cord.

I still had a couple of pewter Schmuckatelli 'Classic' skull beads that I bought a several years ago & found in a gadget drawer, to add to one of the lanyards, shown with my Leatherman Wave multitool.

And one with three pass Gaucho knots over wood beads, attached to my Nitecore P25 SMILODON LED flashlight, in a Maxpedition sheath.

Spanish ring knot beads

I made several Spanish ring knot beads with some 1.4mm cord to go on a three-peg spool knit lanyard with a couple of Schmuckatelli Co black oxide finish Kiko Tiki beads.

The beads are a snug fit around the lanyard, so they stay in place where I slid them on.  The beads have a brushed on coat of Krazy glue around their inside diameter, that I let dry before using them.

The total length of the lanyard is about 25 inches, and about 20 inches without the attachments at the ends.

The edc lanyard is shown with a Victorinox Belt Hanger that I attached to a bow shackle that just fit it.  The lanyard split ring is slipped on the shackle and a small flat gate clip is used for an attachment on the other end. 

The knife is a black alox Pioneer SAK and the flashlight a 1AA stainless steel Maratac from County Comm, alongside the Leatherman Brewzer multitool with a Maratac titanium gateclip.

A locking evolution...

The Swiss Army pocket knife shown with the lanyard is the Wenger Evo EDC Knife (Evolution S13) that I received from County Comm.  This model is unusual for a SAK of this size, with having a locking 2.5 inch main blade using a push button release mechanism.  Anyone that's ever had a slip joint type pocket knife blade accidentally close up on 'em while cutting will appreciate the added security of a locking blade.

A recent YouTube video from JD of TyingItAllTogether(TIAT) mentions what he's been up to lately, along with the gift of a link to instructions for the Back-to-Back Bar, a selection from his next book,  'Paracord Fusion Ties (Vol.I)' which is due out this summer.


I followed the tutorial to learn the knotting pattern, a variation of the cobra stitch/Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet, but added a snap hook and started off with 10 feet each of olive drab and black paracord.  The finished length of the completed lanyard with attachment is one foot, where the loop core was about 10 inches from where the knot work was started.

The bar is about a 1/2 inch thick when viewed from the side, still flexible, but probably overly substantial for most folks, to be made and worn as a paracord bracelet.

I also finished with a lanyard knot/diamond knot/boatswain's whistle knot, tied by pairing off the four working strands at the loop attachment end.  With a clip on one end and loop on the other, the lanyard can have a belt run through the loop end with an item at the clip end, or clipped to a belt loop and having an item attached on the loop end.

I ended up using about seven feet of black paracord and around nine feet of the olive drab in the finished lanyard.

I used a leftover four foot length of paracord to tie a 'Spring sinnet', another tie from JD(TIAT), used as a pocket knife fob for the Wenger S13.  I started with a loop and lanyard knot then tied the sinnet, tucking the end back up into the knot with hemostats to finish.

And I made a spool knit neck lanyard with about 36 feet of olive drab 'Type I' paracord/accessory/dummy cord, with a glow-in-the-dark Gaucho knot, and another smaller three pass Gaucho tied with white 0.9mm cord on the black powder coated snap hook.

Back to spool knitting...

It's been a while since I'd made a spool knit lanyard, using type I/#95 paracord (navy blue). 

It was more difficult than it used to be, especially finishing the ends with the smaller diameter cord and my vision problems (legally blind)..

I did the lanyard knot and loop at one end, and still had cord left, so went over that with a doubled 5 lead 4 night Turk's head knot which didn't look right to me after tightening, so I continued over that with a herringbone knot.

Most of that was done under my magnifying floor lamp and my patience was wearing thin, lol, so the other end of the lanyard got a simpler treatment attaching to the swivel snap hook... 

Knife shown is a Victorinox Mountaineer with orange g10 scales that I bought from Swissbianco.  The edc flashlight is a JetBeam Jet-1 MK.  Timex Expeditition watch on a black nylon zulu band with a luminous Suunto Clipper compass (because even though I'm legally blind I still have some ocd need to know which direction I'm facing as I sit in a doctor's office waiting room, lol)...

Type I paracord/accessory cord spool knit neck lanyard...

I just finished making this OD Green 'Type I' paracord spool knit neck lanyard with a swivel clip. I made this one for my dad and he said he'd use it with his cell phone when he's out and about.

*The swivel clip on the lanyard in my photo was purchased from Lighthound, which is no longer in business, but might be found from other vendors somewhere in the interwebs.... ;)

Recent projects...

As far as knot projects over the last few weeks, I've just done a few with items received in care packages from both Schmuckatelli Co. and County Comm.

Using spool knitting, I made a wallet lanyard with my favorite Kiko beads. It was a snug fit for the beads with 1.4mm cord worked on a three peg spool.  Loops/lanyard knots tied at each end for attachment points.  Spanish ring knots were added on each side of the beads to further secure them in place along the length of the lanyard, examples tied with 0.9mm cord.

I tied a spool knit bracelet with a Premium Black Titanium Ona Bead, and a pair of Gaucho knots.

I made a long 4 bight Turk's head knot with 0.9mm cord around the stainless steel pocket clip on the limited edition Brass Embassy Pen that County Comm sent me, which arrived inside a tube vault/baby soda bottle.  I also received a nice new international orange Weather Warrior Beenie.  I've worn a black one during the last couple of fall/winters.  

I haven't decided yet what I'll store in the tube vault, maybe a mini survival kit, or a couple of ounces of high octane tasty beverage.  I may coil some spare tether cord around the outside or perhaps add something more decorative with paracord...

Followers on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Flickr, and Google+ may have already seen these photos, as I sometimes post elsewhere first and don't always do a blog post...

SAK lanyard edc pocket dump on a May Saturday afternoon...

A right front pocket dump on this Saturday afternoon, with a rumble of thunder outside.  A two-peg spool knit lanyard, done with 1.4mm cord/string (tan color), about two foot long finished length, shown attached to one of my Wenger Swiss Army Knives (Traveler, I think).

I used a leftover scrap of string to tie a Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet/cobra stitch over the single strand loop end, to run a belt through, or fit a finger or two if the lanyard is being used in hand, for retention.

Grilling EDC...

I used a leftover strand of gutted neon green paracord to tie a two-peg spool knit lanyard to use for today's edc/everyday carry.  

A diamond/lanyard knot and loop tied and ring hitched to a swivel snap hook at one end and bull hitched to a locking S-Biner at the other, with a Schmuckatelli Co. Classic Skull bead.

~ Victorinox Spartan

~ Maratac AAA Led flashlight

~ True Utility FIXR multitool

Patio lizard made an appearance this afternoon, wondering what's cooking on the grill. The bits of debris around it look like little bones to me, lol... 

Mustard makes the cut...

I had some 'mustard' yellow paracord left over from a recent project, and used a single twenty foot continuous length strand in this two-peg spool knit 'pray for fire' lanyard.

There's a 2" x 1/8" firesteel tucked down the center of the cross, alongside the couple of other strands in the core of the cross (loop end strands ~ cow/ring/girth hitched onto the snap hook).

The finished length is about 27" long, from snap hook/sailor's cross knot end to the other loop and lanyard/diamond knot end.

And another paracord wallet lanyard, shown attached to a wallyworld test trifold biker/trucker wallet from the gadget drawer collection, and I used some 'licorice' 425 paracord for the sailor's cross knot.

Lacing Needles and Case...

My lacing needle case. A paracord guacho knot interweave from a different project just happened to fit the 'baby soda bottle/preform' that I keep my lacing needles in, so I've kept that on it.

I didn't want to completely cover the case with knot work because I like being able to see the needles inside...

Took out a small lacing needle to use with the spool knit lanyard, for tying a single strand star knot at one end.  

The lacing needles are also called stitching fids, in case you're searching for more info on them.  They certainly make some knot projects easier, especially with Turk's head knots and variations, monkey's fists, and where ever there's over/under weaving of the cord to be done.

 

As an Amazon affiliate I earn a small percentage of sales when folks go to amazon through my links and shop, and that helps pay the bills, so, 'Thanks!'.

VENOM and VENOM RED mochi drawstring backpacks with Stormdrane logo and stitched paracord handle.  I receive a percentage from the sale of each of those versions from Mochibrand.

Some recent SAK lanyards...

I tied several SAK (Swiss Army Knife) lanyards with 1.4mm cord over gutted paracord, and finally bought a jig with some of my birthday money to try out as an extra pair of hands to help in tying them.

The finished length of the lanyards, with clip/loop ends is around nineteen or so inches, which is about the jig's longest setting, slightly shorter than the spool knit lanyards that I usually make at around two foot long, but still long enough for me to use as a knife, flashlight, multitool, or wallet lanyard for edc (everyday carry) use.

I haven't been tying very much lately because of vision problems (Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy ~ macular edema) in one of my eyes.  I've gone back to trying simpler knot work where I can see what I'm doing, although it's difficult with depth perception problems and everything is blurry/dark/distorted and color is off too now out of one eye.

I can't see the cord's overs/unders with the recent eye going bad, and trying to focus just gives me headaches, beyond the migraines that already plague me.  Even trying to read the computer screen or watch television is problematic (trying to read the closed caption text because of my hearing loss/tinnitus), as my face is about 10 inches away from the monitor with my eyeglasses off.

I'll keep tying as long as I can, and trying to take decent photos too, although that's a challenge beyond what it was before as well.  I added one of those magnifying glass floor lamps to my amazon wish list in case I sell some things from the gadget drawer collection to eventually be able to put it in the budget.  I don't know if it would help me see better when tying or not though...

Knives shown in the photos with the lanyards are my Victorinox Spartan, Tinker, and silver alox and black alox Pioneers, and a blue alox Farmer. Lanyard and bracelet in the last photo are made with orange 1.8mm reflective guyline and blue Handy Hundred cord and paracord core for the knife lanyard.

TEC Accessories Python Clip

1.8mm Reflective Guyline

Gadget drawer toolbox