Make This:

Knotted Flower Pendant

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I love projects that look impossibly complicated when they’re really just made with thoughtful repetition of simple elements. This knotted flower is a perfect example – it’s really just made of one element repeated, but by doing so in a round array the effect is much more dramatic.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Knotted Flower Pendant

Supplies:
– perle cotton #8, two colors (will be referred to as ‘light’ and ‘dark’ throughout the project)
– sharp scissors
– cork panels
– sewing pins
– ruler
– fray check or invisible fabric glue
– necklace chain (optional. I think I’m going to turn this one into a hair clip…)

 


Useful Links

 

Lark’s Head Knot
Double Half Hitch Knot


 

 

Cutting The Strands

Cutting the threads for this project is big part of it. These measurements are based on using the #8 perle cotton as I did. If you’re using something thicker (embroidery floss, yarn, etc.) you’ll need your strands to be longer. If you’re using something thinner you might be able to get away with some shorter strands.

 

Light: cut 28 pieces 24 inches long; cut 21 pieces 16 inches long
Dark: cut 21 pieces 24 inches long; cut 28 pieces 16 inches long

 

Center Ring

Start out with the long pieces. Set the shorter pieces aside for now.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Fold a light colored strand in half

Knotted Flower Pendant

Tie six other light strands in lark’s head knots over the folded strand.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Put the tails of the folded strand through the loop.
Knotted Flower Pendant

Pull up tightly. This forms the radial center of the piece.

Knotted Flower Pendant

In what you just tied move all but one pair of strands out of the way. I start knotting on the strand that you pulled through the loop so that the center doesn’t loosen up. Collect 3 of the light strands and 3 of the dark strands.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Tie the 3 light strands over the pair from the center.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Then tie the 3 dark strands. Tie them all the same way and slide them together as shown.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Make a double half hitch knot by tying the left side strand over the right side strand.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Bring the top strand on the left down.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Tie it around the left strand from the original pair using a double half hitch knot. Allow this strand to join the right hand side strands (as it will want to do.)

Knotted Flower Pendant

Now do the same with the top strand from the right side, only this time tie it over both strands on the right.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Knotted Flower Pendant

It should look like this.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Pull the top strand from the left and tie it over the left side strands.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Do the same on the right.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Continue with the same left, right, left, right system until all of the strands are tied.

Knotted Flower Pendant

This is what one completed ‘petal’ looks like.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Move it out of the way and do the same with the other 6 spokes of the center.

Knotted Flower Pendant

When all 7 petals are in place it will look like this.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Bring the far right strand from one petal over the left side strands of the next petal over.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Tie double half hitch knots over it with the left side strands.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Repeat this all the way around.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Then do the same thing going the other way – the farthest left strand from each petal goes over the right side strands of the next petal over.

Knotted Flower Pendant

It should look like this. This locks the petals together. Repeat it 3 more times until you have 4 rows of double half hitch knots all the way around.

Knotted Flower Pendant

It will probably cup or dome – that’s what it is supposed to do.

 

Outer Ring

You should have used up all of your long strands by now, in this ring we’ll add the short strands.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Starting from the tip of one of the petals, pull the center two strands down.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Bring down the next strand on the left, knot it around the center left strand.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Let it join the strands on the right.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Bring down the next right side strand and tie it over the two right hand strands below it.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Let it join the left side strands.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Keep repeating left, right, left, right, just as you did with the petals from the first row.

Knotted Flower Pendant

It should look like this, which I’m sure you’ve noticed is almost exactly the same as the first petals.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Repeat it all the way around.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Fold a dark strand in half. Bring the ends through the outer strands on the existing petals as shown.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Bring the loop down and pull the ends of the strand through to form a lark’s head knot.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Tighten it as far up as possible.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Then bring those strands down to be the pair to knot over.

Knotted Flower Pendant

With three dark and then three light strands repeat the same petal making process.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Knotted Flower Pendant

Do this in the other 6 gaps around the circle.

Knotted Flower Pendant

It should look like this with all petals filled in.

Knotted Flower Pendant

And, as before, bring the farthest right strand from one petal over the left side strands of the other and double half hitch it.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Repeat all the way around.

Knotted Flower Pendant

 

Knotted Flower Pendant

Repeat the other direction.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Continue as before, only this time I made 5 rows instead of 4.

 

Creating the Hem

Knotted Flower Pendant

Flip it over. (Want to use this side instead? Be sure to reverse the directions so the hem is on whatever you think is the back!)

Knotted Flower Pendant

You’ll be making rows of double half hitch again, but this time on the back. This shows how the strands you’ll be knotting over will be arranged at each corner.
Knotted Flower Pendant

Knot over the left side strand all the way around.
Knotted Flower Pendant

Knotted Flower Pendant

Then knot to the right all the way around.

Knotted Flower Pendant

It will look like this when everything is folded over.

Knotted Flower Pendant

This is a view of the folded edge.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Add a few more rows of double half hitch (I did 4 total) then fray check or fabric glue over the hem to lock all of those knots in place.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Trim the remaining strands.

Knotted Flower Pendant

Hang it from a necklace chain, attach it to a hairclip, sew it to a dress, or do something even more creative with it!

Knotted Flower Pendant

Knotted Flower Pendant