This year the "small-things" season started early, with - surprise - bracelets.I mixed three types of cords. Polyamide (Nylon) satin multifilament has vivid colours and a soft finish. Twisted cotton carries a plain, natural look. Hemp twine gives strength and helps secure knotting.
Four strands are braided into a "Portuguese" sinnet - a simple knotting pattern that results in a flat closely-wooven ribbon-like braid.
To finish the braiding, I turn the end of one or two of the cords in and weave them on the underside (inner face) of the sinnet. The remaining cords are brought over to the starting end of the sinnet and then threaded trought the underside weave too. Before tying their free ends together, I give them some extra length to make the loop adjustable, so the braceletcan slip on and off the hand.
The knotting pattern creates, on the edges of the braid, a series of nested loops that can hold additional ornaments. In the two bracelets shown here, I strung glass (red, black and blue) and metal beads.
