Making Hemp Jewelry can be a rewarding experience. After a bit of practice you can easily make your own hemp necklaces, hemp bracelets, hemp anklets, hemp chokers, hemp lanyards, and hemp key chains.

First of all, use good quality hemp. Some of the best and worst comes from China. Most of what is on the market comes from Hungary and it can be pretty rough. I prefer to use Romanian and the better Chinese stuff. (Quality Chinese hemp appears to have longer fibers with less fuzz) It’s stiff enough to keep the knots looking good, doesn’t have a lot of “bung” (parts of fiber that get stuck into the cord during the winding process), and wears well.

Almost all hemp cord will itch for a day or two when new. Usually the more “frizzier” the hemp, the more itchier. Tightly spun hemp doesn’t have much frizz and doesn’t itch much. Polished or waxed hemp usually itches the least.

And then find some beads that appeal to you. There’s a LOT of different kinds of beads out there.

For making a simple necklace:
1: Measure out a length you want the piece of jewelry to be 6 inches…this will be your bead carrier, and cut.
2: Measure out about 2 lengths of 12 feet (for a 22 inch necklace or less) and cut.
3: Match up one end of each cord and tie an Overhand Knot leaving about 3 inches loose on the end. This is to tie to a safety pin or later to a clasp.
4: Find someway to secure the 3 inch end. You have to keep the bead carrier tight while tying to make good looking knots.
5: Next Figure out where you want to go with it. Either tie Half Knots to make a spiral or Square Knots to make it flat.
6: Thread beads on the bead carrier where you want them.
7: Once you get to the middle of your jewelry, make sure you reverse the pattern.
8: When you get to the end, tie another Overhand Knot. This will prevent the last couple knots from coming loose. Make sure you tie it as close as possible to your last knot.
9: Tie on clasps or tie the ends together to finish the piece. There’s also a way to tie a slide loop clasp, or loop one end of the piece to catch on knots tied to the other end.

For videos, click Instructions on how to be Knotty This link shows how to tie Overhand Knots, Left Half Knots, Right Half Knots, and Square Knots. Or for written instructions click Knots.

Please click if this helped you or knot…er…not.