All Natural Owl

Supplies Needed:

• 4 mm cord material (100 yards)

• 2 pieces of Driftwood (at least 12 inches long)

• Two 2-inch Brass Rings

• One 2.5-inch Brass Ring

• Two 25mm beads with 8mm holes, or plastic animal eyes with washers

• Spiral Stitch

• Alternating V Patterns

• Alternating Square Knots (ASK)

• Larks Head Knot

• Double Half Hitch (DHH)

• Square Knot (SK)

• Wrapped Knot

• Square Knot Button

Preparation

• Cut 12 cords, each 6 yards long

• Cut 4 cords, each 3 yards long

• Cut 2 cords, each 36 inches long

• For the Eye Feathers, cut at least 20 cords, 6 inches long, along with any scraps you have at the end.

Step 1:  Prepare the ends with tape, glue or wax to prevent unraveling. 

This is important, since most of the natural materials are formed by twisting the fibers, so they unravel easily.

Hanger

Step 2:  Fold the four 3-yard cords in half, and mount them to the 2.5-inch ring with Larks Head knots. You will end up with 8 cords to make the hanger.

Step 3:  Divide the cords into 2 groups of four. Tie a Spiral Stitch sennit measuring 12 inches in each group.  These knots should have two working cords and two fillers.

Step 4:  Attach each cord to the driftwood for the top of the All Natural Owl design, using Double Half Hitches.

Make sure you position the cords under the driftwood before tying the knots.

Tighten the knots firmly so the wood rests against the last knots in the Spiral Stitch sennits.  Leave space in the center of the driftwood to attach the next set of cords.

Step 5:  Mount the twelve 6-yard cords to the center area of the driftwood with REVERSE Larks Head knots, folding them in half first.  These will be used to make the All Natural Owl.

Push the cords from the hanger close to the new cords, so they are all near the center of the driftwood.

Step 6: Tie a tight Barrel knot in each 3-yard cord (from the hanger), placing it close to the driftwood in the back.  Cut off any excess material.

The Face

Step 7:  Mentally number the cords 1 - 24 (left to right). 

Tie the first row of Alternating Square Knots using groups of four cords.  Two are working cords and two are fillers. They should rest just below the Larks Head knots.

Fit them to the general shape of the driftwood, even if it curves.

Step 8: Tie five more rows of ASK, creating a V pattern for the forehead of the All Natural Owl. The groups are described below.

Add space between rows 1 and 2 as needed so the next row is straight.

Step 9:  Mentally re-number the cords, moving left to right. 

Move cord 1 towards the center of the V shape, so it rests diagonally along the left side of the ASK. Secure it so it’s taut, since it's a holding cord. 

Attach cords 2 - 12 to it with Double Half Hitches.  Pull the knots firmly, so the bar is against the Square Knot  V pattern.

Step 10:  Move cord 24 towards the center of the V shape, along the right side of the ASK.  Attach cords 23 - 13 to it with DHH (in that order). 

Important:  Attach holding cord 1 to holding cord 24 with a DHH.

Step 11:  Tie a Square Knot with the two holding cords (1 and 24) along with two more adjacent to them (total of four).

The fillers for this knot should be the holding cords, and the knot should rest directly under the point of the V design.

Step 12:  Mentally re-number the cords before you work on the eyes for the All Natural Owl.

Move cords 7 and 8 under the top portion of a 2-inch ring, and then attach each of them to it with a DHH. 

Attach cords 5 and 6 to the left edge of the ring.  Attach cords 9 and 10 to the right edge.  These DHH should be vertical.

Tie a sennit of SK with cords 1 - 4, so the last knot lines up with the bottom of the ring.

Repeat this step on the right side of the face, attaching cords 17 and 18 to the top of the ring. 

Cords 15 and 16 should be attached to the left edge. Cords 19 and 20 should be on the right edge of the ring. The SK sennit is made with cords 21 - 24.

Step 13:  Slide a bead onto cords 7 - 8 on the left, and 17 - 18 at the right. The eyes of the All Natural Owl should rest in the center of the rings.

Designer's Tip: You can use plastic eyes that are actually made for this type of project. You fit them between the two cords and apply washers behind the cords to hold the eyes in place.

Step 15:  Mentally re-number the cords 1 - 24, to work on the remaining part of the face for the All Natural Owl. 

Move down to the area just below the rings.  Tie one row of Square Knots using all the cords.

Step 16:  To make the beak for the All Natural Owl, use cords 11 - 14 to tie one Square knot.

Leave a 1/4-inch space and tie 3 more SK.

Make a Square Knot Button by pulling all 4 cords through the 1/4-inch space. Pass the cords through spaces on each side of the fillers.  Pull all four cords firmly so the three SK roll into a round shape.

Tie one SK below the button to secure it.

Body and Wings

Step 18:  The next 5 rows of DHH need to be slanted diagonally to form the "wings" of the All Natural Owl.

Be careful not to make the angles too sharp in the first 4 rows. Refer to the image above to determine the angle.

The bars should be approximately 1.5 inches apart at the left and right edges of the body.

When tying the 5th row, you can make the V shaped design a little narrower. 

Row 1: Start by mentally re-numbering the cords 1 - 24. 

Locate cords 12 and 13, and crisscross them. Move cord 13 to the left, as a holding cord.  Attach cords 11 - 1 to it with DHH.

Move cord 12 to the right, attaching cords 14 - 24 to it.

Row 2:  Mentally re-number the cords again, including the previous holding cords, which are now at the edges. Repeat the directions for Row 1.

Rows 3 - 5: Repeat row 2.

Important:  This mental re-numbering ensures that you always use the two cords in the center of the All Natural Owl as the holding cords.

Step 19: The lower body area of the All Natural Owl is made with ASK.  The knots should be tightened firmly, so there is very little space between them and the last row of DHH.

Mentally re-number the cords 1 - 24.

Row 1:  Tie one ASK with cords 11 - 14.

Row 2:  Tie one ASK with 9 - 12 and with 13 - 16.

Row 3:  Tie one ASK with cords 7 - 10,  11 - 14, and 15 - 18.

Row 4:  Tie one ASK with cords 5 - 8,  9 - 12,  13 - 16, and 17 - 20.

Row 5: Tie one ASK with cords 3 - 6,  7 - 10,  11 - 14,  15 - 18, and 19 - 22.

Row 6: Tie one ASK with cords 1 - 4, 5 - 8,  9 - 12,  13 - 16,  17 - 20, 21 - 24.

Row 7: Repeat Row 5.

Row 8: Repeat Row 4.

Row 9: Repeat Row 3.

Fringe and Eye Feathers

Step 20:  Hang the All Natural Owl by the ring at the top.  Bring all the cords together in two bundles of 12 cords.

Select 4 cords from each bundle and pass them in front of the second piece of wood. Place the rest behind it.

Make a Wrapped Knot around each bundle, using a 36-inch cord.  It should be at least 1.5 inches long. 

Apply glue beneath both ends, slightly inside the knot.  When it's dry, trim off the excess material, and save the scraps for the eye feathers.

Step 21:  Trim the ends so they are even.  Unravel each cord all the way to form a wavy fringe for the tail.

Step 22:  To decorate the rings around the eyes, attach the 6-inch cords to the rings with reverse Larks Head knots.   Unravel each cord, trimming them as needed.

Have any comments about the All Natural Owl? Contact Me.