In this instructable i will go over the techniques you will need to make just about anything out of hemp, neclaces, braclets, anklets, key chains, zipper pulls, whatever you can come up with! Hemp is a cheap and easy way to make unique funky, jewery. if you have any questions just let me know, especialy sence this is my first instructable!

Step 1: Supplies

It dosn't take much to make cool hemp jewelry.
things you'll need:

Beads: (if you plan on using them) these are the hardest to come by, they must have holes big enough for two strands of whatever size hemp you are using. Wood and glass beads go best with hemp, but pony beads will also work, plus their cheap. i recomend ordering online or bringing a scrap peice of hemp with you to your local bead store.

Hemp: (duh) you can get hemp in a variety of sizes and colors, if this is your first project i recomed a mid sized hemp such as the center natural colored hemp pictured. once you get the hang of things then you can move on the extra small or large hemp as they each have their difficulties. you can pick up hemp at your local bead or craft stores or online.

sissors

clear fingernail polish

a safty pin: safty pins are the easiest way to go but anything that will secure your work will work, more on that later

Step 2: Measuring

Next we measure everything out. take the hemp and loosly wrap it around the apendage you wish to make a bangle for, i will be demonstration with a braclet. double that length and then cut it.
match up the ends so the length is perfectly in half and then pinch the loop at the end so that it crimps.
then for the next length of hemp measure from the tip of your nose to the end of your finger, that should give you the right length for a braclet, if you are making something else the second length just needs to be a little over 3 times the size of the first length. remember to always give yourself extra, it's always good to have breathing room incase of complications.
Then fold the second length in half and pinch it just like the first. Place the first lengths pinch directly in the seconds pinch, as pictured. (the red is the longer length)

Step 3: Knots

now tie a slip knot (granny knot,the first knot you tie when you tie your shoes) at the end with the loops, as pictured. keep in mind that the loop created will be one end of your clasp. you can either tie a bunce of knots at the end for an anchor or use a bead, if you are going to use a bead make sure that the bead will slip through the loops created by the knot.

once you have got the right size pull the knot very tight. then make sure that the two strands of shorter hemp are between the two longer strands, as pictured. if all has gone right the two shorter strands should be the same length as each other, and the two longer strands should also be the same length as each other. your almost ready now!

Step 4: More Knots

Secure the loop to your pants or whatever so that you can pull on the strings and keep everything straight. you can hook the loop up to anything you can think of or thats comfortable in order to put tention on the hemp. i don't recomend trying to continue with out cliping it to something, while it's doable the knots are often formed crooked and it takes alot of tugging and pushing to sraighten it out again.

ok, now i swiched to two diffrent colored long strands to make this esier to see. for the sake of being simple we'll start with the right strand, (the red one) place the right strand over the two middle and under the left strand, forming a large loop on the right side. then take the left strand (the blue one) and place it over the red, under the middle two, and then through the loop created by the red strand. Now it should look like the second picture. the red strand coming through the loop of the bule strand and the blue strand through the loop of the red strand. the blue shoud be under the middle two and the red over

that wasn't so bad, was it? now just pull the two strands tight, very tight and snug against the knot.
now if you want a spiral pattern just keep making that knot, always starting on the right side. you will need to untwist the braclet every so often, when you do make sure that you keep making knots in the same direction!
If you want a stright pattern (like i will be demonstrighting) start on oposite sides each time. so next you would start with the left side (which would ironnicaly still be the red one)
After you have made sevral knots it should look like the final pic.

If beading remember to count your knots! if you forget you can count knots by the loops on either side.

Step 5: Beading

Adding beads is really quite easy, as long as you have beads with holes big enough. Simpply slide your bead through the two middle strands (the short ones) and then just keep on going around it.
For a flower effect, slide the center bead on through the middle strands, and then slide the "Petal" beads on either side. usualy 3 to 5 beads strung on both long strands, depending on the size of your beads.
you can do any pattern of beads you want to, some popular ones are beads evenly spaced through the whole thing, for which you need to count your knots. the other is one or afew beads clustered in the middle. to get the spacing right simply wrap your progress around whatever it is supposed to fit to detrimine when yuo have reached the middle.

I know that whenerver most of you think hemp, you see surfers with cool shells and clay beads woven in to their neclaces. well that is a lie! mosst all shells and clay beads have holes far to small for hemp. but if your determined you can use a special beading tool to grind larger holes into shells, but it is still dificult and i don't recomend it for a first project, if you really want shells you can always buy a kit. A good way to pick up shells is a grage sales in old cheap neclases, thrift stores too.
for clay beads, grinding dosn't work so well, but at some larger bead stores, like fire mountan and Shipwrek beads, you can find large ones, and you can order online from both those stores. (Shipwrek is where i get most of my lovley frosted glass and wooden beads too)

Step 6: Yet Another Knot

finally! your finished, keep at it and a braclet like this will only take you about ten minitues!
for the final knot that will be the anchor, you can either tie a series of slip knots or you can use a bead. some times i go with a bigger bead, and others i just keep using the bead i have been, like in the example. whatever you do just make sure your anchor fits through the loop!
if your gonna use a bead tie one more knot under it and then take one lond strand in one hand and the other two in the other and tie two slip knots (granny knots) thenpull really tight and cut off the extra. to seal it paint the knot with clear polish, let it dry, and your done! now you may adorn yourself with this funky creative art work!

if you have any questions or problems that come up, just let me know! later on i'll do and instructable on how to do some more advanced cool stuff!