100 Inch Rope Challenge!!

[pattye]

Miki, with the 100 inch Akoya rope "Las Vegas Edition 100" offered for $15,000 has thrown down the gauntlet, (although they didn't know it), and P-G knotters and beaders accept the challenge!

Make a 100 inch pearl rope (or longer) and post photos here! It's ok if it you show one you have already made up, we love seeing those also!

This will be a helpful thread for anyone else wanting to do a long rope, and we will have lots of great photos all on one thread! Thanks everyone, in advance!

1. Describe the pearls, size, etc, and what they are strung on!

2. How does it feel to wear it?

3. Any special concerns or challenges when making it?

4. What kind of comments do others make when they see it?

5. What are your favorite ways to wear it?

6. Give it a Worthy Name!!

Everyone who posts photos and answers the questions before June 30, 2009 will receive a little prize from me, but I don't know what that will be as yet, just something fun and a surprise!

[waimeamomi]

Oh, Pattye. My fingers hurt already!!! I thought the 36" one was an accomplishment. Hmmm, I have some Kamoka loose strands coming from Sarah. (insert evil laugh)

[pattye]

Knotting between every pearl is not a prerequisite------ Also ok to add gemstones---

[Nerida]

Great idea, Pattye - I'm in!!

[boo]

Okay, here are my pearls: The white rope is 100" of 8mm chunky FW baroques. I didn't knot this myself, it was a store purchase. A number of the pearls on this strand have nice orient (I made them show me all the strands they had, and the others were all pretty average. This one really stood out.) I don't generally wear it as a 5 strand - that style just emphasizes how thick and short my neck is - but I love wearing it as a torsade, especially with the classic little black dress and a pair of simple dangle earrings. (Sorry for how fuzzy the torsade photo is, but you get the idea.) It is not too heavy for me at all - I rather like being able to feel the pearls sitting on my neck.

The other is a 132" necklace with 7x4mm (ish) dyed FW pearls and tiny garnets. I made this one a while ago and really liked it until the darn silk stretched (this was before the PowerPro revolution). Now it tangles horribly and is more trouble than it is worth. I may reknot it for this challenge since I have been avoiding doing it. Not only do I have to knot it again, I have to cut it apart first! Ugh... I was young and foolish when I made this and hung it rather than storing it in a bag. Definitely PowerPro for the re-do! When I did wear it, I would just loop it twice and wear as opera length. The strands swing nicely with such little beads. It has a very twilight-y feel with the dark tones. It makes me think of warm summer nights with the very last hints of color fading from the sky, when you can barely discern the outlines of objects before they are swallowed by the night.

As far as names, I always call the white rope my Century pearls because they are exactly 100". I think the garnet rope may have to wait for a name until it is restrung and back in my good graces.

[claudenancy]

Beautiful Boo--the pearls and the neck. Love the torsade. You have a head start!

Ummmm--now I have to buy more pearls!!!

[Raisondetre]

Very nice! To be honest, it's not the knotting that gets me. It's the cutting apart ... My max was 72" with lots of tangling, and I'm not redoing that anytime soon!

[laurenb]

Hmm... I think I just received some pearls that would work nicely for such a project. Will follow up if it comes to fruition.

Boo, those are serious pearls. And I'm very happy to see that garnet strand. I have a ~36 inch white rice and micro-garnet strand all photographed and ready to go in a new store, and now I have hope someone might think it's as pretty as I think it is.

[borah]

Boo, I love the torsade look! How do you get it on though? Did you twist it first or did you put it on then twist?

[pattye]

Boo,

You're getting us off to a great start! The white pearls are lovely both ways, and the rice with the garnet, 132 inches; impressive length and beauty! A very luxurious look! You must have spent days making that one!

[jerin]

Hi members,

I really love to hear that you are going to try to do ropes of 100" however then some of you have to come forward with advice on how to lengthen the silkthread or Power Pro in an easy fathomable way - I have asked this before and got the answer that the knotter in question had the whole length all the time but I think when using Power Pro it might tangle, I had this happening with a necklace that was only 35" long. I could open up the "self happening" knot but the line still had a "little" knotfeeling so every pearl slipping along the line finished at this particular point, which was quite annoying.
For a 100" necklace that would mean 400" and some extra inches of line/thread, and I don´t think it would be possible to have it with you all the time/way while knotting.....

[boo]

Inge, when I have an unmanageable length of stringing material, I coil it up and hold it in the coil with a paper clip (the ones I use are actually shaped like flat spirals, but I think regular ones would work the same). So my work consists of the knotted pearls, several feet of thread, a couple dozen loose pearls to be knotted, the coiled thread, and then the rest of the pearls waiting to be knotted. When I have knotted all the pearls in the "staging area", I undo the coil, slide another few dozen pearls up to the knotted pearls, leave a bit of thread to work with and then recoil the rest of it. Also, I will frequently place a ziplock bag over the coil and loose pearls just to help keep them contained you (you can just zip it over the thread). I tend to be a bit wasteful of thread and always WAY overestimate what it will take because I shorted myself once and I hate redoing ropes because of mistakes (creative redos are okay, but screwups just make me grumpy)

Also, working with a houseful of cats teaches you how to minimize the amount of stringing material not in your immediate control

[boo]

borah, I fold it in half so I have a 25" length, twist it, put it over my neck and then hold the 2 ends together with a pearl clip ( I fasten it in front so I can see what I'm doing and then slide it to the back)

[borah]

borah, I fold it in half so I have a 25" length, twist it, put it over my neck and then hold the 2 ends together with a pearl clip ( I fasten it in front so I can see what I'm doing and then slide it to the back)

Ohh, a pearl clip! That's genius I'll have to get one of those.

[jerin]

Hi Boo,

that seems to be a great idea. I have to check if it would work for me even though for the moment I don´t have the needed material - pearls. Thanks.