I Don’t Think I’ve Shared This With You

I always try to do something craft-wise whenever I go someplace. At Origins, I took a jewelry-making class and made some earrings and at Gencon, I made a glass pendant. I showed you the pendant, but I don’t think I’ve showed you the earrings.


Here are the earrings--well, one of them--butterflies! These are made from silver wire, using a clever knotting technique around the pegs of a jig. Pretty!


I met this guy one evening, when I had stopped in to the craft room to see if anyone was knitting. (only one person!) I asked him if he knitted or crocheted and he said he made knots. (Which is what I call knitting, sometimes… whoopah!) I thought at first he meant he did macramé. But it turns out what he does, is make knots. Turk’s Head Knots.

Fascinating stuff. He showed me some bracelets made with cord and twine and some really lovely rings made from gold, silver, or platinum wire. Beautiful, intricate-looking jewelry. He said he was teaching some classes on how to do the technique.

First, it’s both easier than it looks and harder. It’s very methodical, and I basically followed a chart of unders and overs to make these butterflies. Wrapped the wire around the pegs of the jig, attached earring wires (which he made, btw, out of the same silver wire—pulled taut to make it stiffer) and polished.


But, it’s that whole weaving over and under that's difficult. You’re working in a very small area, after all. And once you start getting a few wires in the same place… well, that’s when you’re apt to think of some very creative swear words. Take my word for it.

In that way, it’s very like knitting.