Help with alphas- everything is stretched and not round
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ellaharp
Professional
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3 years, 10 months ago by ellaharp
Hi!I've been making alpha bracelets for several months now, and have certainly gotten better at them since I started. However, I have always had the same problem and don't know how to fix it: everything looks stretched. Circles are ovals, rounder shapes and designs look like they've been elongated. It's really frustrating, especially seeing other people's alphas which are very uniform, neat, and round shapes look round. I usually use dmc thread, never mix thread of different thickness, and am pretty good at controlling knot tension. I used to tie my knots really tight on alphas which make them look wonky but I've figured that problem out as of recently. The stretched look is just the only thing that I can't figure out for the life of me 🙁 any help?? |
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xojenz
Bracelet King
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3 years, 10 months ago by xojenz
hm, maybe you just need more practice, I always try not to pull the first knot really hard, which I know people say to do but my alphas look way better when I make the second knot tighter. jus my opinion. also maybe holes are showing because one row is "larger" than the other, that tends to happen to me sometimes! 🙂
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2006_Mandy
Bracelet King
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3 years, 9 months ago by 2006_Mandy
Your knots are either too loose or too tight or both meaning they could be inconsistent so practicing consistency
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2006_Mandy
Bracelet King
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3 years, 9 months ago by 2006_Mandy
Will help
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Someone_
Bracelet King
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3 years, 9 months ago by Someone_
I agree that consistency within tension would probably help. How are you making your colour switches? I ask this because I used to have the exact same problem (I was using the regular colour switch) and like you never understood why, so I avoided patterns with circles and such for the longest time. After finding out about the Flat Alpha Technique, I decided to try out a circular pattern and never had the problem of the circle being warped or oblong. I understand you may already be using that method, but just thought I'd share just in case. 🙂 |
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beaumont
Moderator
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3 years, 9 months ago by beaumont
try to stay consistent it could also be from when you make the color change too
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Chica2020
Bracelet King
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3 years, 9 months ago by Chica2020
I’ve actually been having the same problem where my knots are kind of more rectangular than circular. I tie my knots rather tightly, but I think if I try loosening them and adjusting the tension, it might be more round?
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havencfree
Bracelet King
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3 years, 9 months ago by havencfree
i would try tightening your knots , and making sure to push each line of knots up once you've reached the end with a credit card or flat object like that : )
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narwhal06
Bracelet King
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3 years, 9 months ago by narwhal06
I agree with what the people above have said. I would try and really focus on the constancy of my knots, if one looks wonky or not uniform I would try untying it and fixing it no matter how annoying it might be. Also remember that practice makes perfect. The more practice you get with alpha's, the better they will start to look 🙂
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knotmyname
Bracelet King
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3 years, 9 months ago by knotmyname
@ellaharp I was looking at the photos you posted, and I think your alphas look amazing! The bubbles on the bracelet in your most recent photo might be the slightest bit oval-shaped, but I still think they look awesome!I have found string tension to be super important to the neatness and uniformity of my alphas. As I think @knottahti mentioned, make sure that the strings in the back are not pulled too tightly when you're doing color changes. And if a knot looks wonky, work it into place with your fingernail. When doing a color change, pull the old string horizontally to be sure that it disappears behind the bracelet, and your knots are uniform. Hope that helps! |
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double_a
Professional
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3 years, 9 months ago by double_a
Try straightening each row with a ruler (as you finish each row and before you start the next), to even out the knots and push them up a bit. This might help your knots look less elongated and more uniform. Hope this helps!
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jadeflwr13
Bracelet King
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3 years, 9 months ago by jadeflwr13
make sure your knots are tighter and uniform to get rid of any inconsistencies, string tension is super important if you want your bracelets to look better along with more practice 🧷🗝✨
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