Terrific on Tuesdays: Chinese Knots

In case you haven’t already noticed, this week is all about last-minute up-to-the-wire ideas for holiday gifting. Today’s ToT features a craft that can help you add that finishing touch to your gift and/or wrapping. When I was a kid, my mom had beautiful books of different kinds of arts and crafts, and I remember being so incredibly impressed with the intricacies of Chinese knots, which could look like geometric flowers, butterflies, and even Chinese characters. At Chinese camp (yes, I did that!), we learned how to make barrettes and necklaces using the most basic of these.

As an adult, I’ve found that it can be a nice way to finish off a cord for pendant. Many times, you purchase a pendant and it doesn’t come with a cord, but if you purchase some silk cording at your local fabric or jewelry store and use some double connection knots (the kind that allow the cord to slide back and forth for adjustability), you will have a nice gift immediately.

Shown is a cord for a pendant I bought at a craft fair, made of a piece of vintage lace, preserved in glass; the cord is tied with those connection knots. As you can see, it makes for a quick way to make your gift wearable right away, instead of making it a project for your recipient to find a cord on which to put it.

You can also use knots to create beautiful decorative ways to decorate your packages that can be turned into decorations or necklaces. Try a cloverleaf knot or a good luck knot. Tutorials abound online, with nice illustrations that have arrows indicating the weaving patterns, so Google away and get crafting!