HEMP is a very controversial product. Some people belive that it's too close i resemblance to marijuana, and others belive it's a miracle fibre!
HEMP is vertually indestructible. It has mostly been used for rope because of it's strength and durability, and that's about it. Until now. Hemp is being used in many products, but the most common has to be clothing and jewelry.
HEMP Is great for jewelry because it's so durable. You can be wearing a bracelet and never take it off. Even being in water won't affect the hemps strength.
There are many things you can make with HEMP. The most common things that are made are :
Necklaces
Bracelets
Anklets
Rings
and
Key chains
And there are many other things you can make too. Some, are my own cerations. one of my favourites, it to make a hemp border for your locker mirror, or making hemp headbands.
There are many different types of knots to use when making HEMP jewelry. The HALF KNOT and the SQUARE KNOT are the most common.
The HALF KNOT is that knot that twist around like a spiral. You see it on most HEMP necklaces. It's the first one most people learn. Once you perfect the HALF KNOT, you can easily learn the SQUARE KNOT. Click to find out how to make the Half Knot.
The SQUARE KNOT is the special kinda knot that is straight. It simply goes in a stright line. It's suitable for bracelets, since it's easier to wrap around something small (like you're wrist) then the HALF KNOT is. Click to find out how to make the Square Knot
To start off your HEMP jewelry, And to tie the HEMP necklance together, you use an OVERHAND KNOT. With that knot, you can make the slip knot to tie it together with, so you don't have to have it permanently around your neck. Click to find out how to make an Overhand Knot.
A SLIP KNOT is a type of knot that will hold your jewelry in place but ypou have take it off at night. What you do, it the loop at the top of the necklace (see OVERHAND KNOT before continuing) is folded down in half. (Fold it so that the outmost thread of hemp is facing you.) To make sure you foled it right, you should have two smaller loops now. Fold those two smaller loops backwards. With that, take he other end of your jewelry, and slip it through that hole. Once through, pull and it should be tight. I know it complicated, but experiment and see if it works for you.
I now have pictures of my very own HEMP creations. Click on the links below to see them. (This page may take a while to download, there are about 6 big pictures on it.)
Bracelet made with ceramic beads
Necklace made with hand-made glass beads
Necklace with femo mushrom center bead
Necklace made with wooden beads
Some of the most asked questions...
Where do I find/buy the materials I need to make my own HEMP jewelry?
There are usually places all over that you can find beads and hemp and such. Just look on the internet. Ex: If you KNOW you are going to be in Toronto, go online and find TORONTO and do a search for bead stores or HEMP. Or simply look in the yellow pages of the phone book there! I know a couple good places, but I just cannot remember the names or the addresses. I know, in Guelph, the is an awesome store. IT's called Bead-Dazzled or something like that. Just ask around, people in Guelph know what you are talking about.
You can also find beads and such in so-called "hippie" stores. They might seem intimidating, and smeel kinda funky inside (hehe) but you can usually find some really great stuff. Keep your eyes open because sometimes craft stores will have HEMP and beads, but not very often.
Where can I find patterns for the jewelry?
I have patterns on how to tie the knots on my site. Click here to get linked to them. Or you can ask people you know for MACRAME books. Macrame is a type of knotting and they have MANY types of different knots, including the ones used in HEMP jewelry.
How do I sell my creations to others?
Well, if you want to go so far as to make and SELL your creations, just let it out by word of mouth. Tell people about have stuff for sae and tell them to tell otehr people and so on. Or you can make flyers and most them up ont he message board at school. Or make a whole bunch and sell them at a garage sale or at a school function, and make little cards to gie to people when they buy them, so they know if they want more, they can call you.
But I'm warning you though, it's a very tiering procedure. If you make your jewelry well, it can take up to an hour or more for just a necklace. And also, I anyway, have a tendency to get a slight rope burn from the HEMP rubbing across my hands and fingers for a long time. So if you really want to sell your creations, don't take on a big task in a small amount of time. You'll get sick and tired of doing it so you'll just give up.
If I do seel my stuff, how much should I charge?
Well, what I do, is I add up the total cost of the beads and HEMP. Then, I multiply it my 3.5, it should come to about 10-25 dollars. Make sure to tell the people whom you are selling too, how much it will cost BEFORE you make it, if it's a personalized order. They might change theri minds if it is too expensive.
If your creation is less the 10 dollars and it is a necklace or anklet, you know that there are barelya ny beads on it and that people probably won't wat to buy it because it's very plain. The only things that shoudl roughly cost under 10 bucks are rings, key chains and maybe bracelets.
if your creation costs more them 25 dollars, you know you have too many expensive beads on there. Don't out too many beads, you don't want it to look too busy. Remember the KISS moto..."Keep It Simple Stupid!"(-Al at Science Olympics on TV!)
If you have anymore questions, e-mail them to me and i'll get around to awnsering them within a or two!
E-mail me if you would like to tell me about your own HEMP creations!!
