How to Make a Hemp Fishbone & Bead Choker - Free Jewelrymaking Instructions

Hemp Fishbone & Bead Choker

  

 

 

Although the finished look is very intricate, 

the fishbone pattern is really quite simple to 

create. If you can tie a square knot, you can 

make this look. If you don't know how to tie 

the knot, now is a great time to learn! 

 

 

Skill Level 

Intermediate 

Time 

Required 

1 to 1-1/2 

hours 

 

Materials

Comments

Hemp or Cord

I used 1-mm diameter hemp cord. I think 

waxed linen would look very nice, too. You can 

use other thickness/types of cord - just make 

sure your beads will fit! The bead carrier cord 

can be thinner than the other cord, but you 

want it to be strong enough to support the 

weight of your beads without breaking.

Beads

You can use beads that are all one size, but I 

like the graduated hemp rings, so I used 

multiple sizes (two 5-mm, two 6-mm, two 8-

mm, one 10-mm vintage Swarovski round 

crystals). The beads don't need to be round. 

Also, you can use more or fewer beads. I think 

the design works best with an odd number of 

beads.

Knotting Board or Substitute I used a 3-ring binder and some Scotch tape.

Scissors

Okay, so I used my wire cutters. My bad.

Measuring Tape

Not absolutely necessary, but better safe than 

sorry.

Glue

Normal white glue is often recommended, but I 

get my jewelry wet, so I prefer clear-drying 

Jewel Bond or similar non-toxic waterproof glue.

 

Hemp jewelry often uses pony beads, shells or other natural beads. My wood 

beads have huge holes and my stone beads have tiny holes, so I updated the 

classic look with Swarovski crystals. However, you can use any type of bead 

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How to Make a Hemp Fishbone & Bead Choker - Free Jewelrymaking Instructions

you want, as long as the beads will fit on a single strand of your chosen 

macrame cord. 

First things first. You will need some sort of knotting board on which to make 

your jewelry. This is important because the cord around which you will be 

forming the knots (known as the filler cord) must be held straight to keep your 

work neat. Many people use a clipboard and simply place the first knot under 

the clip. Some people are comfortable tying the cord to their big toe or to a 

door knob. I used a 3-ring binder, with a knot/space/knot hooked onto the 

middle ring of the binder. You can also purchase knotting boards. 

To begin, decide what length you will make your jewelry. You'll want a snug 

(not tight) fit, so simply take the measurement around your neck, ankle, wrist, 

whatever, to get the finished length. For a choker, you want three cords each 

about 8 feet long (about 2 meters) and cut two cords 12-18" long (about half a 

meter). The long cords will be folded in half and used for the actual knotting of 

the design. They will serve as both knotting cords and filler cords. One of the 

shorter cords will be used to tie on the jewelry. The other short cord will be the 

carrier for the beads. Obviously, you will want shorter cords for bracelets or 

anklets. Just keep in mind that it is easier to work with too-long cords than it is 

to add more cords if you make your initial strands too short.  

 

I've broken some of the knot instructions into 

separate pages to improve the load time of this 

tutorial. Set one short cord aside for now. Fold 

one short cord in half. Align the three longs 

cords and find their mid-point (I just folded 

them in half). Secure the middle of the three 

long cords with a 

lark's head

 mounting knot. 

If desired, tie an loose 

overhand knot

 about the lark's 

head knot to leave yourself an opening so you can 

secure the hemp to a knotting board. I tied the piece 

photographed for this tutorial taped to a piece of 

printer paper and my desk using Scotch tape! As you 

can see, fancy workspaces really aren't required. 

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How to Make a Hemp Fishbone & Bead Choker - Free Jewelrymaking Instructions

Now, you have two short strands 

above the lark's head knot (top of 

the work) and six long strands 

below it. 

Tie 

square knots

 using two of the long 

strands, with the other four knots acting 

as filler cords. For my choker, I tied 20 

knots, or about 2". You will want fewer 

knots and/or fewer beads for a bracelet 

or anklet. 

Now, add the cord that will be the bead carrier. 

To do this lay the remaining short cord on top of 

the filler cords, parallel to them and extending 

an inch or two over the knots that you have tied 

so far. Use your knotting cords to tie a square 

knot around this new cord as well as the four 

filler cords. 

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How to Make a Hemp Fishbone & Bead Choker - Free Jewelrymaking Instructions

Bend to extended portion of the short cord down over 

this knot. Tie four more square knots over the end, the 

fillers, and the bead carrier strand. I had a total of 25 

square knots once the carrier strand had been secured. 

Now, start to make the fishbone pattern. 

The first step is to form three pairs of 

knotting strands. Start by laying your 

knotting cords out perpendicular to the 

work. Take one pair of filler cords and tie a 

square knot about the other pair of filler 

cords and the bead carrier cord. 

Lay this new pair of knotting cords out 

perpendicular to the work. 

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How to Make a Hemp Fishbone & Bead Choker - Free Jewelrymaking Instructions

Take the last pair of carrier cords 

(the long cords) and tie a square knot 

around the bead carrier cord. Lay 

these knotting cords out to the side. 

Take the top (first) set of knotting cord and tie 

a square knot around the bead carrier cord. 

This side of this knot will loop out a bit. You can 

try to make all of your loops the same size of 

you can make this loop small, with larger 

successive loops. It's up to you! Once you have 

tied the square knot, lay the knotting cords out 

to the side. 

Use the top knotting cords (the second pair) 

to tie the next square knot. Now you have 

two loops of your fishbone pattern. 

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How to Make a Hemp Fishbone & Bead Choker - Free Jewelrymaking Instructions

Use the top knotting cords (third set) to tie a 

square knot and make another loop. I 

continued in this manner until I had seven 

loops. Make as many or as few as you like (at 

least three, though, to set up the cords). Slide 

the beads onto the bead carrier cord (hopefully 

you checked to make sure they would fit 

before adding the bead carrier cord!). The 

order of my beads is 5-mm, 6-mm, 8-mm, 10-

mm, 8-mm, 6-mm, 5-mm. Slide the first bead 

up to your work and leave the others toward 

the bottom. 

Forming loops around the beads is a bit 

different from making standard fishbone 

loops. Tie a square knot with the bottom pair 

of knotters, then the second set, and finally 

the top set. 

Each loop should be slightly larger than the one 

before it. 

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How to Make a Hemp Fishbone & Bead Choker - Free Jewelrymaking Instructions

Slide the next bead up to the work. Repeat the 

process: tie the bottom knotters, the second set, 

then the top set. Continue until all of the beads have 

been used. Note: some people like to flip their work 

after the large center bead. I didn't, but this 

produces a nice effect (try it to see!). 

Once you have tied the third loop around the final bead, 

it's time to make more loops the 'old' way. Use the 

topmost knotters to tie a square knot. Use the new top 

set of knotters to tie the next square knot, etc. I did this 

until I had six loops (not seven). 

After the sixth loop, lay all of the cords, except the 

top knotters, alongside the bead carrier strand. Tie a 

square knot over all of these strands (which also 

creates the seventh loop). 

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How to Make a Hemp Fishbone & Bead Choker - Free Jewelrymaking Instructions

Now you will tie square knots (25, in my case). I kept 

reducing the number of filler strands. I cut them at 

staggered lengths and knotted around them until only 

the two knotters and two carriers remained. There are 

a couple of ways to deal with the bead carrier. You 

don't want it to slip (which would lose your beads). You 

can make the bead carrier serve as a filler for the 

remainder of the piece. However, I like to tie a slip 

knot in the cord (after I have cut a few other filler 

cords) and knot (tightly) over this knot. After this, you 

can cut the bead carrier and hide the end. I tied my 

25th square knot very tightly and glued point where 

the knotters left the piece. Once the glue had dried, I 

cut the knotters off close to the work. This left a pair of 

carriers to match the top strands. 

Here's the center 

of the finished 

choker. It's 

probably obvious 

to you at this 

point: larger 

beads produce 

larger loops; stiffer cord produces firmer loops. If you like, you can run your 

work over beeswax to smooth down any 'fly away' pieces. 

For decoration, I 

added a 5-mm 

crystal to each 

strand. I tied an 

overhand knot

 

below the beads 

and applied glue to 

the knot before 

cutting it. If you 

slide the bead 

down to the knot 

while the glue is 

wet, you can affix 

the bead to the end of the strand. My choker simply ties on, so it is adjustable. 

My choker measures ~14 inches in length, from the lark's head knot to the last 

square knot, plus several inches of cord for tying. Your finished length will 

depend on the thickness of cord used, number of beads, tension, and how 

many knots you tie. 

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