Knotted Flower Pendant
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.
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.
Fold a light colored strand in half
Tie six other light strands in lark’s head knots over the folded strand.
Put the tails of the folded strand through the loop.
Pull up tightly. This forms the radial center of the piece.
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.
Tie the 3 light strands over the pair from the center.
Then tie the 3 dark strands. Tie them all the same way and slide them together as shown.
Make a double half hitch knot by tying the left side strand over the right side strand.
Bring the top strand on the left down.
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.)
Now do the same with the top strand from the right side, only this time tie it over both strands on the right.
It should look like this.
Pull the top strand from the left and tie it over the left side strands.
Do the same on the right.
Continue with the same left, right, left, right system until all of the strands are tied.
This is what one completed ‘petal’ looks like.
Move it out of the way and do the same with the other 6 spokes of the center.
When all 7 petals are in place it will look like this.
Bring the far right strand from one petal over the left side strands of the next petal over.
Tie double half hitch knots over it with the left side strands.
Repeat this all the way around.
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.
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.
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.
Starting from the tip of one of the petals, pull the center two strands down.
Bring down the next strand on the left, knot it around the center left strand.
Let it join the strands on the right.
Bring down the next right side strand and tie it over the two right hand strands below it.
Let it join the left side strands.
Keep repeating left, right, left, right, just as you did with the petals from the first row.
It should look like this, which I’m sure you’ve noticed is almost exactly the same as the first petals.
Repeat it all the way around.
Fold a dark strand in half. Bring the ends through the outer strands on the existing petals as shown.
Bring the loop down and pull the ends of the strand through to form a lark’s head knot.
Tighten it as far up as possible.
Then bring those strands down to be the pair to knot over.
With three dark and then three light strands repeat the same petal making process.
Do this in the other 6 gaps around the circle.
It should look like this with all petals filled in.
And, as before, bring the farthest right strand from one petal over the left side strands of the other and double half hitch it.
Repeat all the way around.
Repeat the other direction.
Continue as before, only this time I made 5 rows instead of 4.
Creating the Hem
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!)
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.
Knot over the left side strand all the way around.
Then knot to the right all the way around.
It will look like this when everything is folded over.
This is a view of the folded edge.
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.
Trim the remaining strands.
Hang it from a necklace chain, attach it to a hairclip, sew it to a dress, or do something even more creative with it!
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