Forum - Bracelet tying - Slow knotting

violasrule

Bracelet King

1 year, 2 months ago by violasrule

I've been deeply bothered by my knotting speed, and I'm sure someone's asked this before. But I've been making bracelets for over a year now and I have friends who have just started and, while they can't read patterns as I can, and can only make candystripes and chevrons and the like, when I make them I still take longer than they do to make them? I just can't seem to actually make the shape of my knots as fast, I guess, so does anyone have any tips on how to do that? Like how do you guys normally make your knots, what fingers do you use, anything will help, especially since a lot of the time I NEED to knot fast. Most of the things I make are for birthdays and I have a lot going on in my life additionally. How can I speed up my creation of things?

halokiwi

Super Moderator

1 year, 2 months ago by halokiwi

You are asking really good questions. I hope you'll receive some good answers that will be helpful to you 🙂

This is how I do it
- I try to segment-knot whenever possible
- sometimes it is useful to print the pattern or take a screenshot and then draw the segments into it, this way I don't have to figure it out over and over again

- when segment-knotting I keep the "base strings" (I know this is more of a term for alphas) in the closed fist of my left hand and the "leading string" pinched between thumb and index finger of my right hand (my right hand is my dominant hand)
- I separate the "base string" I want to knot onto from the other "base strings" by pinching it between my thumb and index finger and holding it up a little

- Forwards knot:
I lay the "leading string" over the "base string" in the shape of a 4
I use the index finger of the right hand to hold the hole of the 4 open
I push the end of the "leading string" towards the left with the thumb of my right hand so it is beneath the hole of the 4
I pull the end of the "leading string" through the hole of the 4 by pinching it between the thumb and the index finger of the right hand

- Backwards knot:
I lay the leading string over the base string in the shape of a backwards 4
I use the index finger of my left hand to hold the hole of the backwards 4 open
I push the end of the leading string towards the right with the thumb of my right hand so it is beneath the hole of the backwards 4
I pull the end of the "leading string" through the hole of the backwards 4 by pinching it between the thumb and the middle finger of the right hand

violasrule

Bracelet King

1 year, 2 months ago by violasrule

@halokiwi thank you! I will try that hand kinesthetic sequence (how else to describe it lol) when I start my next project 🙂 the tips are very helpful 🙂

Odanak1811

Moderator

1 year, 2 months ago by Odanak1811

It's a bit hard to explain but I use my fingers instead of my whole hand. For my example I'll explain how I do a forward knot as a right handed person :
When I used my whole hand (which is slower), I did the 4 shape then passed my right hand through the hole of the 4 to grab the string, then pass it through the hole and finish the knot.
How I do it with my fingers now (which is faster), I do the 4 shape, grabbing the part under the hole where the strings cross with my thumb and index of my left hand, then I use my right thumb to push the string that does the knot under the hole and I swoop my right index under it. Then I can finish the knot.

Hopefully I explained it well enough! Another option would be to look at tutorials and analyze how these people do their knots, try their methods and choose the one you prefer.

violasrule

Bracelet King

1 year, 2 months ago by violasrule

@Odanak1811 Thank you! I tried doing that action and my hands are a little bit not used to it, but I see how effective it could become if I practiced it, which I will certainly try to do the next time I'm knotting 🙂 thank you so much!

violasrule Bracelet King	1 year, 2 months ago by violasrule I've been deeply bothered by my knotting speed, and I'm sure someone's asked this before. But I've been making bracelets for over a year now and I have friends who have just started and, while they can't read patterns as I can, and can only make candystripes and chevrons and the like, when I make them I still take longer than they do to make them? I just can't seem to actually make the shape of my knots as fast, I guess, so does anyone have any tips on how to do that? Like how do you guys normally make your knots, what fingers do you use, anything will help, especially since a lot of the time I NEED to knot fast. Most of the things I make are for birthdays and I have a lot going on in my life additionally. How can I speed up my creation of things?
halokiwi Super Moderator	1 year, 2 months ago by halokiwi You are asking really good questions. I hope you'll receive some good answers that will be helpful to you 🙂 This is how I do it - I try to segment-knot whenever possible - sometimes it is useful to print the pattern or take a screenshot and then draw the segments into it, this way I don't have to figure it out over and over again - when segment-knotting I keep the "base strings" (I know this is more of a term for alphas) in the closed fist of my left hand and the "leading string" pinched between thumb and index finger of my right hand (my right hand is my dominant hand) - I separate the "base string" I want to knot onto from the other "base strings" by pinching it between my thumb and index finger and holding it up a little - Forwards knot: I lay the "leading string" over the "base string" in the shape of a 4 I use the index finger of the right hand to hold the hole of the 4 open I push the end of the "leading string" towards the left with the thumb of my right hand so it is beneath the hole of the 4 I pull the end of the "leading string" through the hole of the 4 by pinching it between the thumb and the index finger of the right hand - Backwards knot: I lay the leading string over the base string in the shape of a backwards 4 I use the index finger of my left hand to hold the hole of the backwards 4 open I push the end of the leading string towards the right with the thumb of my right hand so it is beneath the hole of the backwards 4 I pull the end of the "leading string" through the hole of the backwards 4 by pinching it between the thumb and the middle finger of the right hand
violasrule Bracelet King	1 year, 2 months ago by violasrule @halokiwi thank you! I will try that hand kinesthetic sequence (how else to describe it lol) when I start my next project 🙂 the tips are very helpful 🙂
Odanak1811 Moderator	1 year, 2 months ago by Odanak1811 It's a bit hard to explain but I use my fingers instead of my whole hand. For my example I'll explain how I do a forward knot as a right handed person : When I used my whole hand (which is slower), I did the 4 shape then passed my right hand through the hole of the 4 to grab the string, then pass it through the hole and finish the knot. How I do it with my fingers now (which is faster), I do the 4 shape, grabbing the part under the hole where the strings cross with my thumb and index of my left hand, then I use my right thumb to push the string that does the knot under the hole and I swoop my right index under it. Then I can finish the knot. Hopefully I explained it well enough! Another option would be to look at tutorials and analyze how these people do their knots, try their methods and choose the one you prefer.
violasrule Bracelet King	1 year, 2 months ago by violasrule @Odanak1811 Thank you! I tried doing that action and my hands are a little bit not used to it, but I see how effective it could become if I practiced it, which I will certainly try to do the next time I'm knotting 🙂 thank you so much!

Forum ► Bracelet tying

Slow knotting