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A necklace of knotted gemstones and a clasp at the front is a novel way to display treasured gold vermeil charms, like the wise old owl on this necklace. I love the design of this modified S-Clasp. Not only is it elegant and curvy, but versatile as well! I can easily replace the small charm cluster with a large pendant for a bolder look. Speaking of love, the silver granulated small beads above the clasp are another favorite of mine — they have wonderful texture and amazing detail and provide just the right accent to almost any creation.

Knotted necklace with clasp in front puts charms in the spotlight

I used a knotting trick on this necklace that I learned from Clara: string ALL your beads on the thread first, and THEN knot between each bead. Before Clara’s tip, I would pick up the needle, string a bead, put down the needle and knot the thread, then pick up the needle again, string a bead, put down the needle and knot the thread, repeating until done. There was a lot of picking up and putting down of the needle. Clara’s tip saves a lot of time– it’s easy to get into a rhythm of sliding a bead down, tying a knot, sliding the next bead down, tying a knot. No need for so much needlework!

A piece of advice: when knotting, use the longest piece of thread you can comfortably handle! Each knot requires a length of thread, and I ran out with only about 1 inch left to complete my necklace. I had to tie on a new piece of thread to reach the desired length. The effort was worth it: I now have a versatile layering necklace in neutral tones that I wear almost every day!

Do you use your fingers for knotting, or do you have a favorite tool? If so, what is it?