Hemp Jewelry Making Glossary

This glossary gives a brief explanation of some basic terms commonly used in hemp and macrame jewelry patterns. 

Tip: Activated links will take you to instructions and diagrams.

Anchors: See Fillers

Bead Carrier: See Fillers

Butterfly Knot (BK) : A lacy knot (a.k.a. a picot knot).

Carrier: See Fillers

Cord and Twine: The technical difference between cord and twine is that cord is made with fibers spun in a counter-clockwise direction.  Twine is made with fibers spun in a clockwise direction.  In my pattern directions I usually refer to "cord" as a general term meaning any long stringlike material.

Focal Bead: A big beautiful bead that takes centre stage in your finished jewelry.

Fillers: (Also called anchors, knot bearers, carriers or bead carriers)  In macrame, each strand or cord is a knotter or a filler.  The fillers are the cords in the middle that the knots are tied around.  They do not move when manipulating the cords to make the knots. See Fig. 1 on my Half Knot Instructions page to see an example.

Half Knot (HK): A basic macrame knot using 4 cords.  The outer 2 cords are "knotting" cords, or "knotters", and the inner 2 cords are "carrier" or "filler" cords.  If a pattern says to use a "half knot", and doesn't specify right or left, it doesn't matter which one you make.  

Knotter: In macrame, each cord is either a knotter or a filler. The strands of cord or twine you use to make the knots are called knotters.

Knot Bearer: See Fillers

Lark's Head Mounting Knot (LH): This knot is commonly used in macrame to mount cords to a dowel or ring.  This knot can also be used to mount hemp twine or other cording to a bracelet or necklace clasp, keychain ring, or cell-phone strap. 2

Left Half Knot (LHK): A half knot that is made by bringing the left hand carrier cord across the filler cords first.

Left Square Knot (LSK): A square knot made by making a left half knot, then a right half knot, in that order.

Right Half Knot (RHK): A half knot that is made by bringing the right hand carrier cord across the filler cords first.

Right Square Knot (RSK): A square knot made by making a right half knot, then a left half knot, in that order.

Overhand knot (OH): The most basic of all knots, this is essentially a half knot using only one cord.

Picot Knot (BK) : A lacy knot (a.k.a. a butterfly knot).

Sennit (or sinnet): A series of repeated knots.

Spiral Sennit: A series of half knots. Half knots in a series form a spiral pattern

Square Knot (SK): A left half knot + a right half knot (in any order) form a square knot.

Switch Knot: The term switch knot refers to switching the knotter and fillers with each other, thus forming a decorative transition knot.  This also allows you to save some cording because your (usually) longer fillers become the knotters.

Twine: See Cord and Twine

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