BWeaves
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 13, 2015
- Messages
- 7,070
I'll have photos up later, but I need to pick your brains.
Background: My coin pearls originally were an endless strand, which broke shortly after I bought them because the thread was too thin and the knot was not secure. I restrung them myself with a disco ball clasp. As much as I love a disco ball clasp, I felt it never really went with the coin pearls. I just bought a yellow gold orbit clasp, and I think it works very well with the pearls.
Problem: The pearls have large holes, so a doubled strand of silk or Beader's Secret does not make a big enough knot. I even have different sizes of silk and can't really find one that works doubled. Four strands of Beader's Secret are the limit that will go through the holes. I finally was successful in using 3 strands, which was a bit weird, but worked. BUT, I wasn't able to get 3 or 4 strands to go through my gimp, so I ended up doing a larks head knot over the loop in the clasp.
Halfway through knoting I thought of a solution for the gimp, but I decided to just finish the strand and order more gimp from Pattye before I restring them.
Solution: So, here's what I think will work, but I'd love to hear other solutions. If I use a doubled thread through the big eye needle, and use it like it's an "attached" needle, then I won't have 2 more "ends" to deal with going through the holes. I start with some gimp, thread on all the pearls, more gimp, then through the clasp, and back through the last pearl. Make a knot with the 4 threads. Put the needle through the next pearl, knot with 4 threads. Put the needle through the 3rd pearl, cut off one of the threads from the needle and let it hang, and knot with 3 threads. I'll trim the hanging thread after a few more knots. Continue knotting with 3 threads until the last 3 pearls.
OK, here's where I'm trying to work it out. I could thread through the 3rd pearl from the end and let it hang. Then I could take each of the 2 ends coming out of the gimp and put each on their own needle and thread them through the clasp and then back through the pearl by the clasp and snug it all up. Then use those 2 ends to make a knot over the thread already in the hole. Then thread those 2 needles one at a time through the 2nd pearl, and make a knot over the running thread. Then thread one needle through the 3rd pearl from the end. So the 3rd pearl will have a hanging thread coming out each hole, reading for trimming.
My problem is, what to do with the last end. At this point, the pearls on either side of my last knot have 4 threads in them and there's just no room to work in a needle or the single thread that's doubled over on the needle. Currently, I just put a dab of glue and cut it off, because I figured the other end is snugged up in the next pearl.
Any other ideas? I'm afraid to go down to one thread to make the last couple of knots because the pearls slide over the knots, and I want the apparent size of the knots to look like the rest of them.
Background: My coin pearls originally were an endless strand, which broke shortly after I bought them because the thread was too thin and the knot was not secure. I restrung them myself with a disco ball clasp. As much as I love a disco ball clasp, I felt it never really went with the coin pearls. I just bought a yellow gold orbit clasp, and I think it works very well with the pearls.
Problem: The pearls have large holes, so a doubled strand of silk or Beader's Secret does not make a big enough knot. I even have different sizes of silk and can't really find one that works doubled. Four strands of Beader's Secret are the limit that will go through the holes. I finally was successful in using 3 strands, which was a bit weird, but worked. BUT, I wasn't able to get 3 or 4 strands to go through my gimp, so I ended up doing a larks head knot over the loop in the clasp.
Halfway through knoting I thought of a solution for the gimp, but I decided to just finish the strand and order more gimp from Pattye before I restring them.
Solution: So, here's what I think will work, but I'd love to hear other solutions. If I use a doubled thread through the big eye needle, and use it like it's an "attached" needle, then I won't have 2 more "ends" to deal with going through the holes. I start with some gimp, thread on all the pearls, more gimp, then through the clasp, and back through the last pearl. Make a knot with the 4 threads. Put the needle through the next pearl, knot with 4 threads. Put the needle through the 3rd pearl, cut off one of the threads from the needle and let it hang, and knot with 3 threads. I'll trim the hanging thread after a few more knots. Continue knotting with 3 threads until the last 3 pearls.
OK, here's where I'm trying to work it out. I could thread through the 3rd pearl from the end and let it hang. Then I could take each of the 2 ends coming out of the gimp and put each on their own needle and thread them through the clasp and then back through the pearl by the clasp and snug it all up. Then use those 2 ends to make a knot over the thread already in the hole. Then thread those 2 needles one at a time through the 2nd pearl, and make a knot over the running thread. Then thread one needle through the 3rd pearl from the end. So the 3rd pearl will have a hanging thread coming out each hole, reading for trimming.
My problem is, what to do with the last end. At this point, the pearls on either side of my last knot have 4 threads in them and there's just no room to work in a needle or the single thread that's doubled over on the needle. Currently, I just put a dab of glue and cut it off, because I figured the other end is snugged up in the next pearl.
Any other ideas? I'm afraid to go down to one thread to make the last couple of knots because the pearls slide over the knots, and I want the apparent size of the knots to look like the rest of them.
