Knotty Board Fun!

I'm sure you've all heard me mention how I absolutely LOVE the waxed jewelry cord Sandra over at The Knotty-Do-It-All carries (it's great for knotting gemstones and some of my large hole pearls!) and how I love both my large and small Knotty-Do-It-All boards. 

So, last year when I saw Sandra was carrying some great 'Tassel Cord', well, of course I had to place an order and try it out. 

Here's a photo of two tassels I completed with the Knotty-Do-It-All board using Sandra's instructions.

I haven't yet completed necklaces to go with these - bad me!!

 The cord feels great and it works up perfectly into tassels which have that 'swing' you want a tassel to have. (yes!)

Tassel Cord from The Knotty-Do-It-All

I got quite a few colors, but I might have to go back for more - they're all so yummy!! 

So, if you're making tassel necklaces (like, who isn't these days?!) and stocking up on supplies you'll need for the 'holiday times' then you're gonna want to grab up some of these spools of tassel cord. 

I use my Knotty-Do-It-All boards quite frequently while making knotted jewelry. It's easy, fun and the quality of these boards and the accessories which accompany them are really great.

Here's some pieces of jewelry I've created with the help of The Knotty-Do-It-All Boards.

Also, most of these designs were created using either the waxed jewelry cord or the nylon cord Sandra has over in her shop.

Oh, and here's my little 'disclaimer'.  

"I did this review of my own free will and spoke completely freely 
about my feelings regarding the product(s) I mentioned here today, because yes, I really use them
and yes, I absolutely love them!

Until Next Time,
Peace, Love and KNOTTY Beads and Pearls, Baby!
~Shel~

Being a Little Knotty!

Last week I mentioned how Pattye over at Patricia Saab Designs on Etsy was nice enough to send me some Beader's Secret Thread to try out and I managed to sneak in a little "Knotty-Time" this weekend and wanted to give you all an update.

Click here to read the post from last week where I showed you the samples she sent and the photo of all the beautiful colors of Beader's Secret thread she offers in her shop. 

Pattye sent along a couple of large eye needles for me too, since this nylon cord works best for knotting pearls when it's doubled over. 

With the exception of the three larger pearls in the front of the necklace, I went with a rather 'random' pattern here because,...well, basically because they were mostly mismatched pearls from various strands I've used through the years. Orphans, if you will. LOL!! And, the 'Shell' color of the Beader's Secret cord matched up perfectly, so I just went with it.

When I work with thread that's doubled over, I like to condition it with a product like Thread Heaven because it makes it a bit more manageable for me.

I decided to do a simple, 17 inch hand knotted necklace using my tweezers. Half way through the process I converted to knotting with out tweezers. Or tool-less. I didn't get any photos of that process, but here's a great video from 'Pearlmaven' over on You Tube that shows you exactly how I knotted the remaining strand. I actually do it 'mirrored' to the way she does it. So, holding the pearls with my right hand and letting my left hand do the other 'stuff'. You'll see what I mean when you watch the video. 

The Beader's Secret thread was easy to 'stretch' prior to stringing my pearls on the cord to be knotted and it didn't seem to kink up or twist as much as other nylon cords (SuperLon or C-Lon) I use. 

I really liked the way the Beader's Secret thread knotted, too. It was soft and very supple, just like silk, and made neat, little knots. 

I can see myself suggesting this as an alternative to silk for my clients who wish me to restring their vintage or family heirloom pearls.  

 So, overall, I'd have to say that for traditional knotting, it's a winner!

Thanks again Pattye for introducing me to Beader's Secret, I like it!

Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and New Knotty Fun!

Cheers

~Shel~

*And no, Pattye didn't pay me to write this review or anything like that. If you read the post I where I mentioned all this last week, you'll know that I convo'd her over on Etsy with about a dozen questions and she just said, "Here Shelly, let me send you a sample and you can see for yourself!" 

What a sweetie!

Great customer service, wouldn't you say?!!