Wallhangings
Reply
|
blackcat79
Professional
 |
10ย months ago by blackcat79
Hello again,If you look at my pictures in patterns #49758 and #67655 you can see that it narrows and then widens at the bottom. Any idea why this happens and do you have any tips on how to fix it? Thank you! |
|
halokiwi
Moderator
 |
10ย months ago by halokiwi
The strings might be too close together on the dowel. That's why the wallhanging widens in the beginning. Try sliding them further apart.
|
|
EggMan
Bracelet King
 |
10ย months ago by EggMan
It could also be related to the tension of your knots. I'm actually pretty sure that's the case with #67655 (the cupcake). Try maintaining a more consistent pull tension as you knot; a bit more loose at the start, and a little tighter later on. I often find it difficult to maintain even tension when my piece isn't held steadily, so try and see if that could be related to your problem as well. Good luck!
|
|
AlmaLlama
Bracelet King
 |
10ย months ago by AlmaLlama
Your knot tension it also matter, but do you use the flat alpha technique? If not, this technique will definitely improve your alphas! Here is a link to a video that show you how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YVFAX9sacw
|
|
blackcat79
Professional
|
10ย months ago by blackcat79
Thank you!
|
|
EggMan
Bracelet King
|
10ย months ago by EggMan
No problem! BTW, if you want to answer to a specific person, you can tag them like this: @EggMan. That way they get a notification, and can come read what you said.
|
|
sodapop
Bracelet King
 |
10ย months ago by sodapop
Knots take up a lot more space than just the single threads. So when you initially set the very top larks head knots on the dowel, you need to space them further apart. I have a photo on #88309 that shows about how much space is good to work with:https://www.braceletbook.com/photos/?pattern-id=88309 The base strings I used are size 3 crochet thread which is much thicker than embroidery floss. I highly recommend the thicker crochet thread for base strings in wall hangings because it really helps keep the sides straight, and its basically tangle-free and just really nice to knot onto! The only thing, since it's so much thicker you have to get creative with the endings since tying bunched knots at the bottom turns out awkwardly large. Also when knotting, I'm constantly checking and adjusting every few rows. I examine the width and use a straight edge (like a credit card or ruler) to push upward on the rows to keep them even and straight. If I notice the width is getting skinnier, I gently pull the rows outward so that section will match up with the rest of the bracelet, and continue to knot a bit looser. Or if it's too wide I'll squish the knots closer inward then make sure the next row is a bit tighter to hold it in place. Consistent knot tension is important, if your knots are always the same, those kind of problems go away. It helps to work on a grid like a macrame board, or place a sheet of graph paper underneath to check the "squareness" as you work. So as a fix, you might still be able to adjust the shape of your finished wall hangings if your knots aren't too tight. Just try to stretch the upper rows out wider to match the bottom section. Use your thumbs and forefingers to grab the center of the bracelet and rub outwards to give them more space. That's a reason why I like to knot a bit on the looser side---they're easier to manipulate ๐ Another thing you could try that would improve the overall appearance is to push up all the rows. Of course it's better to do this from the beginning, but you can still do it later, it's just more work. You'll have to undo the bottom base string knots since the finished length will change, and maybe tape them down to help keep in place since now there's not a lot to hold onto. Knots will slide up and down on the base strings pretty easily, so get your fingernail in between the top rows and push them upward one or two rows at a time, going along the rows back and forth for all the knots. It will take a lot of commitment to do that to the whole bracelet, but I think the payoff is worth it! When I made #96131 I wasn't real happy with how long and skinny it looked, so I decided to push all the rows up, which took a long time! I even thought I might have ruined it because there started to be so much empty space between the rows it was disturbing and very ugly, so I had to work in smaller increments, pushing up the lower rows as well (because the sides just don't stretch that far) and going back to the beginning again to squeeze them all nice and close. But I kept at it, using a straight edge when needed to keep rows even, then finally the whole bracelet ended up a few centimeters shorter! You can see how it looks a lot wider than some of the other photos! ๐ |
Reply
