How to Make a Hemp Necklace
Hemp jewellery is made out of the hemp twine. It uses an ancient Arabic technique called macramé. Macramé is the technique of knotting thread or yarn using needles, loops, hooks etc. The history of macramé goes way back to the thirteenth century when ancient Arabic people used to knot the ends of hand woven textiles of carpets using this technique. Macramé was introduced to the western world by sailors who went to Arabia for trade. They learnt the technique and started making small decorative items aboard their ships.
Using Macramé to make hemp jewellery is very popular. Apart from making jewellery hemp finds uses in a large number of industries like cosmetics, paints, textiles etc. Hemp can be used to make a large variety of jewellery like necklaces, bracelets, anklets, rings etc.
Today, hemp is available in large varieties of colours and thicknesses. Using coloured hemp for jewellery is a terrific idea. You can also use the characteristic tan colour to make your hemp necklace. If you are making jewellery for men, you can go for a thicker hemp twine.
Before we actually begin with the tutorial on how to make a hemp necklace we should know that there are two very basic knots required to make hemp jewellery. Both the knots are exact opposites of each other. They both require you to work with four strands of twine. Two strands are used as base twines. The other two strands are looped over the two base strands and then tightened. Using the same kind of knot over and over again will give you a scallop like effect. Using the two kinds of knots alternately will give you a smooth finish.
Material required for making your hemp necklace:
In order to make your own hemp necklace, you will require the following items.
You will need four Lengths of Hemp. You may choose your own colour or thickness. A sharp pair of scissors and glue is a must. Colourful beads look really nice. You may make a multicoloured necklace or a necklace of the same colour. To give your necklace a finished look, you may add metal clasps to the ends. It is easy to knot the necklace if your base strings are pulled tight. For this reason, you may use a shower ring to attach the string to the wall or a doorway.
Procedure
The next step is braiding your hemp necklace. Take two longer strings as base strings and start the braiding. You may use opposite knots alternately to get a flat necklace. If you use the same sort of knot, you can achieve a scalloped effect. Add beads to the base string at a regular interval to make the necklace more colourful.
If you find stringing the beads to the hemp strand difficult, take a little glue on your finger tips and put it on the ends of the thread. This will make the ends stiffer and it will prevent it from fraying.
Knot your hemp necklace after knotting every two inches. By doing so, you will prevent your handwork from coming undone. Always knot a few extra inches. You can cut your necklace according to the length you desire.
Experimenting With Your Hemp Necklace
This tutorial is not just about making a simple hemp necklace. There are endless ways of making your hemp jewellery look really funky. You may visit your nearest craft store for interesting beads and embellishments. You can make more than one necklace in varying lengths. If you have a pendant, you can fix it to your bead necklace. Metal clasps in the ends will give your necklace a finished look. Shells can also be added to make your hemp necklace look really unique. Before you start on a shell hemp necklace, keep in mind that it can be a time consuming process. Firstly, you will need to collect several shells of a small size. Use a sharp needle to pierce holes in all the shells. Knot them in the same manner as you knot beads.
You may also experiment with the kind of beads you use. Regular plastic ones look great. You can also go for glass or ceramic beads. You can get some lovely hand painted ceramic beads too. People often use semi-precious beads to embellish their hemp necklace.
Another way of making your hemp necklace look really interesting is by using charms. Charms make a necklace look really great. Knot your favourite good luck charms to make your necklace look really pretty.
Apart from the basic knots, craftsmen across the globe have come up with large varieties of knotting techniques. Intricately woven hemp necklaces can be made. If you are really keen on making something unusual, spend time in experimenting with various kinds of knots. You may use strands of wool or leather strips along with hemp too.