The Wordsmith's Forge

Today I made the hippie strand. I've been collecting parts for about a month, although the rainbow nylon cord is left over from a previous craft.

This kind of craft is easy to do and versatile. You can suit the colors and motifs to anything you like. It only took me about an hour to make, and part of that was fiddling around with the camera so I could take pictures of the process. Some folks like to do these in a workshop where you can choose different cords and embellishments. It can be called a strand, string, braid, cord, thong, dangle, or various other names but it's basically just a long thing with pretty stuff attached to it.


I used these materials to make the hippie strand. I also used a paperclip to make a hanger for the top end, which I forgot to include here. There is a length of rainbow nylon cord, a set of "aurora" crystal beads shaped like stars and crescent moons, two packets of jump rings, and an a set of hippie charms.

I like nylon cord for these crafts because it's cheap, pretty, and doesn't stretch much. It's what I find most storebought strands use. You can also use cotton, hemp, jute, leather, or chain. Some of those stretch more, and wool is probably too stretchy altogether unless you use very light embellishments. This kind of strand typically has come combination of beads (glass, ceramic, metal, wood, plastic, etc.), prisms, charms, and/or bells. However, other materials are possible, so sometimes you'll see things like feathers, teeth, claws, tassels, mirrors, and so on. Use whatever you like that fits your theme. You can find such materials at a craft store or online; I got some of mine from Etsy this time.




The full set contains 14 hippie charms. It's more than I needed, but had the best selection and price. These are 3D metal charms, but they have a front and a back side.




I chose these 7 charms and arranged them in hanging order. From the top down, I have a hand sign for peace, a flower, a Volkswagon bug car, a pot leaf, a guitar, a pair of bellbottom jeans, and a peace symbol. Laying out the pattern in advance is good for testing the design to see what looks good. I actually have a beadboard for smaller projects but this is way too big to fit on there.




I added the star and moon crystals in their planned positions.

These are "aurora" crystals with an iridescent coating on one side, so I had to sort through the available batch to find all waxing crescents. If you buy this kind of crystal, which is quite common, then pay attention to the orientation. If the crystals didn't have holes and coating, they could be either waxing or waning moons; but the combination of a hole in one end and a coating on one side means that each crystal only points one way. I wanted them to be pointing the same way.




These are the two packets of jump rings that I bought, in 12mm and 10mm sizes. Gauge is not listed but the 12mm rings are much thicker than the 10mm rings. That's a concern when threading them through small, rigid holes.

It's annoying that craft supplies often come with incomplete information, so the jump rings don't list their wire gauge, while the charms and crystals don't list their hole sizes. Hence why I keep a stock of findings in different sizes so that usually something will fit. This time I was out of larger jump rings in silver, so I just restocked a couple different sizes.




I chose the 10mm jump rings for their finer gauge.




I put a jump ring on each of the charms and crystals so I could tie them onto the nylon cord. Some people like to use pliers for this. I just use my fingers unless I'm doing a lot of them. Jump rings are typically soft enough to bend open by twisting them and then squeeze back closed. But if you need to do a lot, use pliers to avoid wearing out your fingers.




I tied the peace charm on the bottom end of the cord with a simple overhand knot. You can also use a lark's head knot. I made this knot tight because I wanted it to stay put. Some people use a tiny dot of glue to secure theirs, but I usually don't.




I spaced out the rest of the charms and crystals along the cord to see how they would line up, before I tied them all onto the cord. The top of the cord is bent over so it all fits in the frame.




Then I tied the rest of the charms and crystals onto the cord with the same kind of overhand knot. Doubling the cord like this makes it easier to see all the charms and crystals. I left these knots a little loose in case I needed to adjust the positions later.




I made a hanger from a paperclip and tied it to the top end of the cord. This is just an ordinary small-size paperclip. A larger one with thicker wire would be sturdier, but usually I just use what I have. You could also buy a proper S-hook or other hanger; if it's going over a hook instead of an edge, you might prefer a ring.

This knot is also snugged tight because it will be holding the weight of the strand. Remember that glass and metal add up surprisingly fast, while wooden, bone, or plastic pieces weigh much less.




After a little more bending and fiddling, I got the top end hooked in place. The hippie strand hangs between a previous one I made with bells and crystals (left) and one I bought with bells and beads (right).




This tall view shows the length of the hippie strand once hung up in the living room. I had to adjust the spacing of the charms and crystals slightly, but not much. Done! \o/