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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Knotty Do-It-All ... it's more than about knots!

Cords, fibers, leather, and suede are so in vogue now.  I think the cost of metals is partly responsible for this really wonderful trend.  Sometimes working with a new medium can seem daunting, but Sandra Younger, inventor of Knotty Do-It-All is eager to help.  Not only has she created this wonderful tool, but she also has great videos and demos that will talk you through the process of using the Knotty Do-It-All while providing you with lots of inspiration.  

The Knotty Do-It-All by Sandra Younger
I've used the Knotty Do-It-All for knotted bracelets like this one ...



But what I really like about the Knotty Do-It-All is it's ability to keep chains straight!  Making charm bracelets and any piece with a series of dangles used to be an exercise in frustration!  They required a lot of after-creation fiddling.  You think you've got it straight and then there's one (or two or three) little dangle(s) sticking out like a stray hair(s)!  


The Knotty Do-It-All comes with assorted steel pegs.  It has neat channels for holding jump rings and beads. Sandra's thought of everything, including little rubber feet that prevent the board from slipping. 

Some of Knotty's tools



There's a handy ruler to measure your chain, leather, etc. I used the Knotty Do-It-All today to make a necklace. Here's how I did it ... 




  My chain was 9" long. I placed a steel peg with alligator clip at the 0" and 9" marks on the board. I clipped one end of the chain in the 0" alligator clip and the other end at the 9" alligator clip, making sure to have the links straight and the chain taut. I wanted to add dangles to the center four inches of the chain. I started at dead center, which was indicated by the 4.5" mark, but I also marked the center of the chain with a piece of wire. I worked out 2" in one direction from center and 2" in the other direction from center.   The Knotty Do-It-All had my dangles lined up like little soldiers!




   When you're finished you'll end up with something like this ... 

"Harvest Moons" for sale at Etsy






The Knotty-Do-It-All is worth every penny.  I highly recommend it  for lots of things, including for measuring out yards and yards of sari ribbon! :-)  One complete trip 'round the Knotty Do-It-All is 1 yard!  I really like this thing! 

6 comments:

Jen Crossley said...

wow it looks amazing Barbara I think I might have to get one
Jen
xxx

mairedodd said...

wow - thanks for sharing that! how much time has been spent cross eyed trying to turn a twisting chain so that the links are lined up while adding dangles? this is great...

Shirley said...

Oh Barbara, you introduce me to the coolest stuff! Now I'm heading over to check it out. Thanks!!

SummersStudio said...

Thanks for sharing this. What a fantastic invention.

BahamaDawn said...

that is one fantastic tool!! are there any online suppliers for it?

Jenni said...

What a great idea... Seems very well thought out...off to take a look.
Jenni