Hand-crafted Knot Jewelry:
Decorative Marlingspike Seamanship rendered in precious metal.
Information Center Shop Around For Goodies
"How hard is it to host a workshop?"
My workshops are very "low tech", requiring nothing more than an anchoring point and a few paces of space for each student. Let me illustrate with a description of my method of making a silver bracelet such as the beginning workshop deals with.
I have a four-poster bed, with the posts coming up almost to my chin, and when I'm preparing to make a bracelet (or any other knot made with wire) I will hang a loop of string over the top of one of the posts and tie a hemostat (like very fine pliers that lock closed) to it. Every time I need to tuck the wire through the knot and pull it tight, I clamp the end in the hemostat and then, holding the knot in one hand and the slack of the wire in the other, I back away. The tension on the wire is seldom more than ten or fifteen pounds, at least for fine silver.
The same thing can be done with a counter-top, by attaching a c-clamp to it (with padding, so it won't scratch the counter), or a bannister rail at the foot of some stairs, or a doorknob, or even a cup-hook screwed into the wall in a utility room. I've been known to make jewelry outside with a clamp tied to a palm tree, to the wonder and delight of passers-by at outdoor art-shows. This picture shows a fairly common setup, with string bridles tied around tables, and the hemostats tied to the strings:
Workshop scene.
So, what do you need to have, to successfully host one of my workshops? Since I bring all the tools, and materials required, all that is needed is enough space for the students to stand near a wall with hooks mounted on it, or a counter, or a railing of some sort, and back away perhaps as far as six feet from it. Two, or even three, can use the same anchoring point, as long as they back away at different angles.

(This site last updated on 12-12-2020)

©1997-2019 Loren Damewood All Rights Reserved
International Guild of Knot Tyers