This time we take on another paracord dog leash!

While many of my dog leashes are braided, this one is constructed out of knots. Specifically, the main part of it is made using crown knots. 4 strands are worked to produce a fairly thick dog leash.

In fact, even though I used 4 strand, this leash is as thick as an 8 strand braided leash would be! This is also reflected in the amount of cord it uses up, but more on that later.

Personally I think this style of a dog leash is a must try for anyone making paracord leashes. It is like a right of passage, a test of patience.

The dog leash requires quite a few crown knots for a proper length. Because of this it quite time consuming as well. I could have braided at least 2 leashes in the time I used to make this one using knots.

On the up side, it is an incredibly comfortable leash as well as it looks surprisingly good, at least to me.

So, I have prepared a description as well as a video that will guide you through the entire process of making one of these.

Let’s start with the supplies.

Supplies

You will need these few items to create a 3.5 foot leash.

Surprisingly, not many different tools are needed. So, now let’s move on to the tying process.

Tying tutorial

We start by feeding the ends of the longer cords (39.5 feet each) through the swivel snap hook. We make sure that all 4 ends are of equal length.

Then we tie a 4 strand Matthew Walker knot right next to the snap hook.

Then we start our many, many crown knots. We work until we have about 3 feet in our working ends remaining.

At that point bend the leash into itself to create a handle.

The next step is to work in the 4 ends into the crown knots. We have 4 ends and there are 4 ends in the leash. With each end I follow one of the cords in the leash (just like splicing a braid).

After a short distance (1.5-2 inches) a multi strand herringbone knot is tied with the 4 ends to cover the section where we just worked in our cords.

Finally the two shorter ends are used to create a small 4 strand herringbone knot right next to the Matthew Walker knot we did at the start.

But it is much easier to see the tying process in action, so a full tutorial is available:

Enjoy making this leash! Be sure to ask if any issues arise.

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In this tutorial we tie a paracord knife lanyard/key fob.

I have in the past covered a variety of paracord keychain designs (found in the paracord projects section). This is another design that can be used for the same purpose. Using a smaller loop it can work as a key fob, with a larger loop you can make it into a knife lanyard.

This design is easy to do and really fun one as well. I could not resist making at least a few different color combinations.

In closer inspection you will notice that the knot used for this fob is a 3 pass gaucho fan knot. Not all of the passes are made with 550 paracord though. Two are, while the third is made using smaller, type 1 paracord, giving you a really lively design.

As you can see, these fobs are made using three colors. This makes them perfect for representing various country flags.

It is really hard to settle on just one color combination, this is why you see so many examples :).

I have taken a few images of the knot patterns up close to help you selecting color combinations:

My favorite color combo.

German flag colors.

Minions colors.

More flag colors.

Another flag color combo.

In any case, in this post I will show you how to make one. First let’s take a look at the supplies used, then let’s move on to a video tutorial covering the entire tying process.

Supplies

For this project you will need very little cord. Use the following:

With these supplies ready, we can begin with the tying tutorial.

Tying the paracord knife lanyard

The first thing we do is tie a 3 pass gaucho fan knot onto the mandrel using the three, 3.2 foot cords.

We then take the other piece of paracord 550 (at least 2.5 feet long) and tie a lanyard knot onto it (this knot prevents the gaucho fan knot from slipping off). This will be the core for our fob/lanyard.

Finally, we slip the gaucho fan knot off the mandrel and onto the core then slowly tighten it. Snip the ends, melt them and you are done!

Naturally, this description will work for a few people. The video should be more useful, covering all the steps in detail:

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This time we take a look at the 3 color type 1 pineapple knot.
I have in the past covered how to distinguish the various pineapple knot types. I have since covered quite a few pineapple knots in knot tutorials. But one important one that slipped through the net is the 3 pass version of the regular, type 1 knot.

So, time to add this one to the collection!

The base knot for this one is the good ol’ 5L4B turk’s head. The 5L4B knot is interwoven by first tying a 2 pass type 1 pineapple knot, then adding another pass for the 3 pass version. This allows you to create a 3 color knot, which is very handy.

Various country flags can be represented with a 3 color knot.

But it is best to actually see the tying process, so let’s see how it is tied in the tutorial below.

Supplies

Before you start tying the knot, get the following few supplies:

The tutorial

The first thing I do is remove the inner strands out of the paracord. I flatten it out to make the knot lay nicely. This is not absolutely a must, but I prefer it.

The process for tying the knot is:

1. tie the base knot- the 5L4B turk’s head
2. tie the 2 pass type 1 pineapple knot
3. tie the 3 pass type 1 pineapple knot.

All of the steps are covered in the video tutorial:

Happy tying!

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This time we take a look at the “box pattern”.

There are many fancy turk’s head knots out there. This one is quite the eye candy, so I thought i’d cover it!

The so called “box pattern” is an interweave of the 7L6B turk’s head. The version I demonstrate here is done using 3 cords, but you can add even more cords and therefore passes.

I have seen many leather braiders use this knot. The knot is demonstrated in Round knots, a book by Ron Edwards.

With this said, I have prepared a video tutorial on this knot. It requires quite a bit of patience to tie at first. Once you have tied it a couple of times though, it becomes much easier.

So, what will you need to tie it?

Supplies

For a 3 pass version you will need the following:

With these ready, let’s see how the knot is tied!

Tying the box pattern

The box pattern knot is tied similarly to a herringbone knot on the edges, while the center has an unique, box like pattern. This means that the cords we use as an interweave follow the same rules of a herringbone knot on the edges.

As mentioned, this knot is tied by first tying a 7L6B turk’s head knot with the darker colored strand. Then the lighter strands are used to interweave the pattern.

This is best seen in practice so I have prepared a video tutorial. Be patient tying this knotand happy tying!

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This time we take a look at an interesting gaucho knot variation.

You probably noticed that the “One two three Grafton variation of the gaucho knot” is quite the long name. It says quite a bit on the knot. The “One two three” part refers to the structure of the knot. On the sides the sequence starts with an over/under one. Then the sequence continues with an over/under two. Finally, the middle of the knot has an over/under three sequence.

The “Grafton” part refers to the location where the knot originates from. Grafton, New South Wales that is.

Finally, the “variation of the gaucho knot” part of the name implies that the knot has a similar look to a gaucho knot.

This knot can be found in Round knots, a book by Ron Edwards.

The knot tightened around a wooden sphere.

I have prepared a video tutorial on the knot. It is tied fairly intuitively, so I would not consider the knot to be particularly hard to tie.

So, let’s tie one!

The supplies

I used the following to tie the knot:

The tutorial

The knot is not tied using an interweave, but with the use of the so called “running method”. See the full tutorial below!

Happy tying!

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In this tutorial we will take a look at an unusual 11L10B turk’s head pattern.

This knot does not have a specific name that I know of. It is inspired by the “unusual turks head patterns” section of the Turks head cookbook volume two, a book by Don Burrhus. Sadly the book is really hard to get nowdays.

I was glad to get some help from a fellow knot enthusiast Shawn Evans who provided a runlist that I could adapt for this tutorial. Thank you Shawn for that!

The knot is tied using the “running method”, meaning that is is tied directly, without any interweave. When you get used to it, it is a very handy way of tying turk’s head knots.

As with most of my turk’s head tutorials, this one is in video form.

So what will you need?

Supplies

With these ready, let’s start tying!

Tutorial

As mentioned the knot is tied using the running method. This means that it is tied in one piece.

You will notice, that after each sequence is done, it is then repeated in reverse- where an over was, there is now an under and vice-versa.

Enjoy the tutorial!

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In this tutorial I demonstrate the star triaxial, a variation of the triaxial weave.

The star triaxial may seem complicated to do and to an extent that is the case. Trying to reproduce it from a finished piece is quite a task.

Thankfully Raquel Perez Zbornik posted a handy tutorial which enabled me to make a video tutorial that should be easy to follow.

This technique is great for covering various handles and can wrap around fairly wide objects as well, provided you have the time to do it.

With this said, let’s move on to the supplies needed and the tutorial itself.

The supplies

Prepare the following items:

With these supplies ready, let’s start the wrap!

The tutorial

The main trick that makes this technique easier is to do this wrap loosely at the start.

We start by wrapping around our mandrel with the 3 longer cords (in my case 1 black, 2 white). After the wrapping is done, hold the ends of the three cords and reverse the wrap, working in some slack in between your wrap and the item you are wrapping (this tip is from Raquel Perez Zbornik and it works wonders!).

Then the shorter cords are used to weave through the first wrap.

See the entire weaving process in the video:

I hope this wrapping style helps you make some beautiful items!

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In this quick tutorial I demonstrate how to tie the Strangle knot.
The strangle knot is in effect a stopping and is often used as a semi permanent way of securing rope. But for us, it is also a valuable tool that we can use to secure our cords for plaiting. By lining up our cords around a handle and then securing them with the strangle knot, we can easily continue with plaiting.

Cords secured for plaiting with the use of the Strangle knot.

This knot is also demonstrated in the Ashley book of knots under number 3440.

It is a really easy knot to tie, so let’s jump right into a tutorial!

Strangle knot.

Tutorial

All you need is a single cord and something to tie it on (In my case a PVC pipe).

Start by wrapping the cord around.

With the right cord go under the wraps and to the left.

With the left cord go under the wraps and to the right.

Then tighten the knot by pulling on both ends firmly.

Knot done!

See a short video demonstration as well:

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In this tutorial I demonstrate how to tie the 3L4B turk’s head.

This knot, along with the 3L5B turk’s head is often used as a neckerchief slide. As such it is also called the “scout woggle”.

Names aside though, this is an important knot. It is wider than it is long, meaning it has more bights than leads. It can be made into a wider knot as well.

To tie this knot, take some cord or rope as well as a mandrel (broomstick handle or PVC pipe). With these two items ready, let’s tie a “Woggle”.

The tutorial

I have prepared a video tutorial on this knot. It is a fast and easy knot to tie! Be sure to double or triple it for the best look.

The post 3L4B turk’s head- the Woggle knot appeared first on Paracord guild.

In this tutorial I demonstrate the Common whipping.

Despite the name, this whipping has little to do with whips. Whippings are primarily used on an end of a rope to prevent it from fraying/coming apart. Handily enough, the whippings can be used to secure items together and also to make quick and practical wraps.

Indeed, for someone working with rope, especially if doing survival and practical rope work, the whippings are almost a must know.

This technique is listed in the ABoK as #3442 and it is one of the most widely used and basic whippings.

So, grab a mandrel, rubber band and some cord and let’s try it ourselves!

The tutorial

Secure your cord onto the mandrel and fold it into a bight.

With your working end wrap around the bight a number of times to cover it.

After a number of wraps we finish the whipping.

Place the working end into the loop.

Pull on the left (standing) end and pull the working end into the center of the whipping.

The working end has now been pulled to the middle.

Now pull on both ends in order to secure the whipping.

Once both ends are secured tightly, your whipping is complete.

I hope this was easy enough to follow. I have also made a video tutorial to accompany this photo tutorial:

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In this tutorial I demonstrate how to make a lighter wrap using the pineapple knot.
I have in the past covered quite a few paracord lighter wraps such as the one made with the fish-scale braid and the classic, half hitched one.

This lighter wrap is made using an entirely different technique, the type 1 pineapple knot.

It has an unique look to it and it is probably a bit more advanced in terms of tying. It requires mostly patience to do.

For this one I have prepared a video tutorial, found below.

Bottom of the lighter can be closed or left open.

Items needed

You will need the following:

With these items ready we can begin the process of tying the knot.

Tying the pineapple knot lighter wrap

The wrap is done by first tying a 4 bight long turk’s head, then interweaving it with a pineapple interweave. I usually demonstrate this live in a video:

Enjoy your lighter wrap!

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In this tutorial we take a look at how to tie wide turk’s head knots.

The wide turk’s head knot is a very valuable tool. It has more bights than parts, meaning it is wider than it is long.

A wide turk’s head.

In any case, wide turk’s head knots are tied by first tying a base knot and then (optionally) expanding it.

As an example I will show you how to tie 3 part wide turk’s heads first.

Tying the 3 part wide turk’s head

There are two styles of a wide 3 part turk’s head that you need to master. Each produces a 3 part turk’s head, but the bight number is different.

Style 1

The first “style” produces the:

• 3L5B turk’s head
• 3L8B turk’s head
• 3L11B turk’s head
• and so on.

As you can observe, this technique increments the bights by 3 every time we expand the knot.

See how this technique is done in the video below:

Style 2

The second tying “style” is very similar to the first one, but it produces a different number of bights. As such it produces the:

• 3L4B turk’s head
• 3L7B turk’s head
• 3L10B turk’s head
• and so on.

Again, we increment the bights by 3 when “expanding” the knot.

See how this one is done below:

Enlarging the wide 3 part turk’s head knot

A 5 part turk’s head, doubled.

Specifically, using an enlargement process on a 3 part turk’s head knot will make it a 5 park turk’s head. If you used the same process again you would get a 7 part turk’s head and so on.

The enlargement process is the same as with any square turk’s head. Basically, you lay the tracks and split them. This is shown in the tutorial below:

So guys, I hope this tutorial helps you create a variety of useful wide turk’s head knots! These are really useful so be sure to keep an eye out for the next few tutorials where we put these knots to use!

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In this tutorial I demonstrate how to make a gaucho knot paracord bracelet.

This style of bracelets has really caught on due to the beautiful creations made by Tana Lee (leader of the LLP FB group), so I do think a lot of credit for this tutorial should be sent her way.

What this bracelet is, is a gaucho knot tied out of a wide turk’s head.

I have already covered how to tie a wide turk’s head in the previous article. We will now tie a 3 part turk’s head, enlarge it into a 5 part turk’s head and finally add a gaucho interweave into the mix.

Gaucho interweave on a wide turk’s head knot.

Supplies

You will need:

Gaucho knot paracord bracelet tutorial

In the video tutorial below you will find the step by step instructions on how to tie the 3L5B turk’s head base knot, then expand it into a 5L9B turk’s head and finally how to add a gaucho knot interweave, resulting in a 9L16B turk’s head (gaucho knot).

Enjoy your new bracelet!

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In this tutorial we take a look at how to tie a pineapple knot paracord bracelet.

I have in the last few tutorials shown you how to make wide turk’s heads, as well as how to make a gaucho knot paracord bracelet. But you can really play around with wide turk’s head knots and use other interweaves as well. One of these is the pineapple knot bracelet.

The bracelet itself is not particularly hard to tie. We follow the following order of tying:

1. tie a 3L8B wide turk’s head
2. enlarge it into a 5L14B turk’s head
3. add the pineapple interweave.

Supplies needed

To tie this bracelet you will need the following:

The tutorial

As with most of my turk’s head tutorials, this tutorial is available in video form.

I hope this tutorial will serve you well, feel free to comment and ask if you run into a snag!

Happy tying!

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This time we tie the Aztec sun bar paracord bracelet!

The Aztec sun bar is a bracelet design that was popularized by J.D.Lenzen. The bracelet works great in many color combinations. Personally I like the white and green which makes for a nice daisy looking bracelet. A green and red gives it a rose like look. And the yellow and red gives it the sun look.

In any case though, the bracelet is designed using a series of cow hitches. Quite easy to do and it looks great! What else can you ask for?

The supplies

The supplies listed below are for a 6 inch weave.

As far as the items needed for this bracelet, I recommend the following:

With these items ready, let’s tie our bracelet!

The tutorial

We start off by setting up the core for our bracelet. I recommend using this technique.

The bottom part of the setup.

Top part of the setup.

Feed the other, main cord through the top.

Cross the two cords of the secondary cord over the middle.

Hitch the cords of the primary color over the two crossed cords.

Tighten up.

Cross the two cords over the middle again.

Tie a cow hitch on the left. Start with a hitch.

Make another hitch to complete the cow hitch.

Do the same thing on the right side. A cow hitch.

The cow hitch complete on the right.

Tighten up.

Hitch the middle again.

Continue the same way.

Bottom of the bracelet.

Tuck the ends at the bottom.

Cut the ends and melt them.

With that the bracelet is done!

A video tutorial is also available:

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In this tutorial I demonstrate how to make barefoot sandals out of paracord.

This project was inspired by the work of Pam Soldoff. She has dubbed these barefoot sandals as “pool pedis”.

In my opinion these are an excellent decorative item for the ladies. Not sure if men can pull these off :).

Naturally, these work great on the beach and around the pool.

There are a ton of variations of these that you can attempt. This version is one that I whipped up and it works well. It uses fairly standard paracord knots.

You can easily play around with the design and add your favorite knots, colors, beads, charms and more. Consider this tutorial a solid base from which to build from!

So, lets get to it!

Supplies

First let’s cover the few items needed to make the pool pedis.

Now, let’s jump right into the tutorial!

Making the pedis

Below you will find both a photo tutorial and a video one. No excuses, you read up to this point so you are already invested!

Take the short cord out of the two (4 feet in my case).

Fold your cord in half.

Take the longer of the two cords (6 feet in my case), fold it in half and place it under the first cord.

Cross the two ends of the long cord with the right end on top.

Take the right end feed through the opening, tying a half knot.

Tighten up and adjust the size of the loop. This loop will go onto the middle finger on the foot, so it should be of a suitable size.

Attach a bead onto the two ends of the short cord. We are now going to start a series of square knots.

Step 1

Take your left end. Pass it under the two middle cords and over the right one.

Take the right end, pass it over the top and into the loop on the left. Tighten up.

Step 2

Take the right end, pass it under the two middle cords and over the left end.

Take the left end, pass over the top and into the loop on the right. Tighten up.

At this point this is what you have. Continue with step 1. Then step 2. And so on, alternating the two steps.

This produces a length of square knots.

Split the ends into two pairs and attach a bead onto each pair.

We will now line up a couple of snake knots to hold the beads in place. Make a loop with the left end.

Take the right end and pass it through the loop, top down.

With the right end pass behind the left end.

Then with the same end pass into the loop on the right. Tighten up. And that is one snake knot.

Line up a few of these knots. I use 3. You can use more or less, as you wish.

After the snake knots, we begin twisting the two ends together. Twist the left end to the left.

Pass the left end over the right end.

Twist the new left end to the left.

And pass it over the right end.

Twist a short length.

And then add a few more snake knots for a decorative effect.

And add some more twisting.

To finish the twisting tie a stopper knot. Make a loop.

Feed the 2 ends through the loop.

And tighten up. We have now completed one side.

Make the other side as well. Now all we need to do is connect the two ends.

Cross the two ends, with the left end over the right.

Wrap the right end around the left one, creating a loop.

Feed the end through the loop and tighten up.

One end is now done. Now the other one.

Wrap the left end around the right one, creating a loop.

Feed the end through the loop. Tighten up.

We now have an adjustable, sliding pool pedi.

Trim the two ends. Project done!

A video tutorial is also available:

Enjoy your new barefoot sandals! Paracord style.

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This tutorial shows you how to tie the Alpine butterfly loop.
In fact I will show you three different ways to tie it. But why would you want to tie the Alpine butterfly loop?
It serves a few uses:

The loop has a few different names such as the Lineman’s loop and the Harness loop. It is featured in the The Ashley book of knots as numbers 1053 and 532.

Now let’s take a look at how to tie this loop in detail.

Tutorial

As stated earlier I am going to show you three distinct ways of tying the loop. I am sure there are more, but hey, 3 ways of getting to the end goal should be enough :).

A video tutorial can be found as well at the end of the photo tutorial.

Tying technique #1

This way of tying is one that I recommend, since it works without using the ends of your rope. As such you can use it to shorten rope when needed.

Make a figure 8 shape, basically creating two loops, one below the other.

Enlarge the top part of the figure 8 shape.

Pass the top part of the figure 8 shape over the bottom, bringing the top to the bottom.

Feed the former top part (now at the bottom) bottom up through the bottom part of the figure 8 shape.

Pull on the top part of the loop to tighten up.

And then pull the two ends to the sides to tighten further.

Loop tied!

Tying technique #2

The following way of tying uses one of the ends of rope, making it less suitable for shortening rope. But it is faster to do than the first method.

Make a loop.

Create a second loop with you right end, passing through the first loop.

Enlarge the bottom part.

Feed the bottom part through the opening in the middle, bottom up.

Pull on the top of the loop to tighten.

Then pull onto the two ends.

Loop tied.

Tying technique #3

This third way of tying uses your left hand as a tying aid.

Pass your cord over your hand.

Wrap around once.

Wrap around for a second time.

Make a bight using your first (top) wrap around.

Feed the bight under everything and towards the top.

Tighten by pulling on the top loop.

And pull on the two ends to finish up the tightening.

Loop complete.

In conclusion

The Alpine butterfly loop is a handy loop you can make in the middle of your rope, even without using the ends of your rope. Use it to shorten your rope in a secure way when needed.

A video tutorial on tying the loop is available below. I recommend taking a look!

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Having a system for pricing your goods is a vital part of a crafts business or any business in general. Questions on how to price properly are very common. Sadly, too often the tips on pricing that are offered are either wrong or too general to be called a system.

So in this article I will briefly explain how to price your craft items systematically and hopefully make this subject more manageable. The method presented will work for full time crafters and those looking to supplement their life with some extra income.
Naturally, there is always more to be learned, so picking up a business book or two will complement what you are about to read. Talking to an accountant can also be of great value. Investing in your knowledge always pays for itself sooner than you might think!

Why bother?

So, why even invest time into setting up a pricing system? Why not spend the time sourcing suppliers, making items, marketing and a ton of other things that are vital to a business?
If you don’t set the proper prices that will sustain you and your business then it is not worth it to sell anything.
That might sound harsh, but you can only determine if you are productive in your craft if you can confirm that you are realizing enough revenue to cover your costs.
In my opinion without a system of pricing that is flexible, yet simple, all is for naught. While some work will have to be done, doing it is the grown up thing to do.

 

If you don’t set the proper prices that will sustain you and your business then it is not worth it to sell anything.

When it comes to responsibility, you have quite a few!

There are probably a ton more motivating factors for you to find, but the bottom line is this: If your business survives, you get do it. So, you have a responsibility to make a sustainable business model that will ensure you are not wasting time, money and effort.

 

If your business survives, you get do it

I hate math!

Well, that hurts maths feelings. But you need to make up, you make a great couple!
I promise that we are not going to look at anything that you can not solve. Addition, multiplication and division is all you need!
Sometimes doing something you don’t like is a must, so you can keep doing what you like to do. Business is that way. Some say you only get to enjoy 20% of an activity. The rest is what is needed to do it. So 80% work, 20% play. It does not matter if you are employed or self employed, CEO or an investor, you probably do not enjoy 100% of what you do. If everything was enjoyable- it would be normal and nothing to write home about.
So, just make sure that 20% is what you are passionate about and that you are willing to work to keep doing it.

Bad practices

Before we begin tackling a sustainable pricing model, I’d like to state a few bad ways of pricing! These may or may not work, using them is honestly nothing more than gambling. So these are a few examples of limited models of pricing:

• the price is cost of materials + 50% (or any other percentage)
• the price is cost of materials + your wage (time * hourly wage)
• the price is determined by your competition
• the price is determined by how much customers are willing to pay

Any of these models and many more are there because they are easy to say. But these are not the responsible ways of making business decisions.

We gonna do it right!

So, enough talking about the problem, let’s talk solutions!
First off, let’s talk some basics. I assume that you either craft part time, full time or as a part of a small company. As such, what you need out of your business is a steady income, a salary.
Consider the three main parts of a business:

So, if you want a steady income, where can you find it? None of these three parts are called „income“ or “salary”. You may be inclined to say: „the profit is my income!“. You are in most cases wrong.
Your income is actually found in the costs part of the business! Your work is a cost to your business! Indeed, you and your business are not the same entity.
So, your wage (work) is a cost to your business, but it flows into your wallet and you can spend it.
So what is profit then? It is any extra funds that are left from your revenue after paying all your costs. It is nice to have, but you can run a small business with 0% profit! Your wage is your income and that is all you need to survive. To thrive though, a profit, even a modest one should be considered.
Profit is nice to have for many reasons, but usually it is investors in the business who worry about the profits. As an employee of your business, you care about your pay check!
Now you may also be an investor in your business in which case you will either want a profit margin big enough to repay your initial investment (a 5% yearly profit after inflation would repay your investment in 20 years- usually not that great). Or you can just look at your initial investment into your business as buying a job. You pay in and you get to create an income for yourself.

More doing, less talking!

So, with all that covered, let’s try to make sense of it all.
Since we are not looking for profit, but a wage, which is included in the costs, we can say that:
The price of the item= costs to make it
By covering the costs alone, you have a sustainable business model! Add a profit margin on top of it (if you want) and you are golden!
The price of an item with a profit margin= costs to make it+profit margin
And here comes the point of this article: the better you define the costs, the more accurate your prices are going to be! Determining actual costs is the most important part of pricing. And also dangerous ground if you fail to account for a cost. So, let’s break down your costs in some detail.

Costs, the setters of prices

Some costs are obvious. Some are not. It is not a bad idea to write down the costs you predict for your business before moving on to our list. Just so you check how well you already know your costs.
In general, costs are divided into variable and fixed costs. The names already imply what they are!

Variable costs

Variable costs are costs of making an item. These should be calculated for each item you make. So, if you make a chair, you have a certain cost to make it. For a table, the costs are going to be different.
The trick to recognizing variable costs is this: „If I don’t make anything, these costs do not exist (they are zero)“. So, if you do not produce any items, you do not have any variable costs.
So, what are some examples of variable costs?

• materials (supplies, shipping for the supplies, import taxes, etc.)
• electricity, gas, water used (while some costs for utilities are usually fixed on a per month basis, the variable parts of these bills are variable costs)
• transportation costs, gas for your car
• replacing tools after they get worn out
• office supplies (printer cartridges, paper, labels etc.)

When you make an item several times you will get data you need. The exact supplies you need, the average time to make the item and so on.

Fixed costs

These costs are often way higher than the costs to actually produce an item (variable costs). Fixed costs are costs that you have, even if you produce zero items.
The list of these costs can be quite long and you really need to think about these and be honest with yourself. Fixed costs can be monthly, quarterly or annual costs. Still, it is best to express them in a per month basis. A few examples:

• rent (office, workspace or storage)
• your salary as an employee of the business- you need your wage every month
• utilities (the fixed part of the utilities- so the part that you pay even if you do not use the utility. These include the water, electricity, sanitation, internet and a bunch of other bills)
• taxes (from property taxes to many other forms of theft- ooops I mean taxes!)
• insurance (health plan, dental plan, business insurance are just a few. In some countries these are mandated by the state)
• pension plan (in some countries you have mandatory pension plans, in others it is just a good idea to plan for it yourself)
• accounting (you can do it yourself, or pay someone to do it. But you need to keep things in order to avoid legal issues- taxes are no joke!)
• legal fees (annual fees for incorporating, doing business)
• car fees (registration, leasing, maintenance)
• sick leave fund (when sick or injured this fund will keep your head above water- calculate this one based on the average number of sick leave days for your country/area)
• vacation fund (if you really want to have a peaceful vacation, then you need this fund. It will ensure you can take a few days off and not work. If you don’t have this cost factored in you will feel as if you are wasting time on your vacation when you should be working. Again I would base this one on the average number of vacation days in your country/area)
• loan payments (needed start up money? Well, you need to pay it off someday!)
• and lastly depreciation- this is a hidden cost many overlook- depreciation is the loss of value of your tools, real estate, car etc. Although rarely looked at by many, depreciation can easily become a big cost (for example in car ownership, depreciation is often higher than any other cost)

Where’s my money? Income!

So, we have covered the costs pretty well and you can now begin a spreadsheet and fill it out.
Where the problem arises is when you try to determine your salary. So how much you should you get paid each month?
The short answer is…it depends. It really does. How much do you need? What is the average salary in your area?
With your rate you need to cover all of your personal expenses (from rent, food, utilities, kids, insurance, travelling, taxes, savings etc.). So what do you do?
Simply calculate your yearly personal expenses and express them in a per month basis (so divide by 12). So that is your monthly rate/salary. Now decide how many hours you are going to work (taking the average in your area is again a good bet). Finally, divide the monthly total with the number of work hours you will work to get an hourly rate- this one is just so you know how much each hour of work is worth to you as an employee.
Yay! We now know the following:

Bringing it together

So, now in a few simple steps we are going to get the final price for your item.

Firstly determine the monthly fixed costs:
Express your fixed costs in an hourly format:
Hourly fixed costs= fixed costs/number of monthly work hours

Secondly determine the cost to make an item (so the variable cost):
Variable costs= materials, transportation

Thirdly, determine the time needed to make and process an item.

The price of an item you make will therefore be:
Price of an item= (hourly fixed costs*time needed to make an item)+variable costs to make an item

Calculating the costs in practice

While the above equations should be simple enough, it is best to see a practical example.
So, let’s use a detailed list of data to determine the cost of making a…let’s say a paracord bracelet.

Variable costs

The variable costs are the costs related to producing an item.
Let’s say these are the variable costs:

• materials (paracord, buckles)
• tools (scissors, lighter, jig)
• packaging and label

Let’s say these are 2$ total.

Fixed costs

The fixed costs are the costs that you have even if you do not produce any items, usually annual, quarterly, or monthly costs.

• rent (workspace)
• your salary
• utilities (electricity, water, internet)
• taxes (property tax, payroll taxes etc.)
• insurance (business insurance)
• pension plan
• legal fees (incorporation and other fees related to operating a business)
• car fees (registration, leasing, maintenance)
• accounting (an outside accountant)
• sick leave fund
• vacation fund
• loan payments

For your salary let’s say you are a modest person and can get by with a 1500$ monthly salary and that the rest of the fixed costs run at about 2000$. You calculated that by gathering all of your expenses you predict each month (even those that do not occur each month).

Time

We now calculate the time to gather the supplies, make the item, package it, label it and send it out. Let’s say it takes us half an hour for one item, our bracelet- 30 minutes.
We also calculate that we should work 180 hours each month based on the average work hours in our area (later on we can modify this number).

Calculating the price

So, now the moment of truth. How much should a paracord bracelet cost?

First our total monthly fixed costs:
Fixed costs= 1500 (salary)+2000 (other fixed costs)
Fixed costs=3500

Then our monthly fixed costs expressed on a per hour basis:
Hourly fixed costs= Fixed costs/hours worked per month
Hourly fixed costs= 3500/180
Hourly fixed costs= 19,44$

We know that our variable costs (materials, packaging, label) come out at 2$ and that we need 30 minutes (0.5 hour) to make an item. Therefore:

Price of an item= (hourly fixed costs*time needed to make an item)+variable costs to make an item
Price of an item=(19,44$*0,5)+2$
Price of an item= 11,72$

So, at 11,72$ for our paracord bracelet, we have covered all costs and our wage. Our business is operating on a 0% profit margin. If you want, let’s say a 20% profit for your business you would add 20% on top of our price.
Price of an item with a 20% profit margin= price of an item*1.2
Price of an item with a 20% profit margin= 14,064$

In conclusion

While there is always more to be said, this model should give you a clearer idea of how to calculate the prices of your craft items in a sustainable way. Give yourself and your family a break and do your homework so that you can ease any stress coming from your financial situation.
And what if you find out the price of the item is too high and the competition can do it cheaper or that the customers can’t afford that? Either reduce the price by reducing your costs or focus on making another item with a better chance of a sale.
Other than that, dedicate some time each month to reading literature regarding business. I can personally recommend the Rich dad series of books by Robert Kiyosaki, they are a great way to begin tackling various aspects of business. You can never read to many books, as long as you do it after work :).

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This time I made a cat of nine tails out of paracord.

The cat of nine tails could be considered a type of a whip, but more commonly people refer to it as a flogger. The nautical version of the cat is also called “the captain’s daughter” a fun name for an item with a not so fun purpose of enforcing discipline on a ship. Now days, the item is popular is the shadier communities as well.

The item you see in the images is a proper cat of nine tails, since it has 9 tails required for the name. The 9 tails are a symbolic number of tails, but the reasons behind the number are also practical, since three regular, 3 stranded ropes unravel into 9 ends/tails.

A tutorial on making the cat of nine tails is available below in video form and it is not all that short, a bit over an hour long. I really wanted to cover all the techniques used in the project so it takes time to demonstrate them all. And don’t even get me started on the time invested to make the entire video. Sheesh!

The basis for this design is one by Des Pawson, from his book Des Pawson’s knot craft and rope mats. I adapted his design by switching out a few things and adding some. I must say the result is in my opinion…awesome!

So, let me briefly describe the making process.

Supplies

These are the items I used to make the cat:

So, these are roughly the supplies I used to make the cat o’ nine. Now a brief explanation on how to make the flogger and a video tutorial that shows you the entire process.

How to make a cat of nine tails out of paracord

First off, I took all 9 pieces of paracord. I moved 3 feet into the cords and stopped them by tying them together using a piece of thread. These 3 foot lengths are later on going to become tails of the flogger.

Next, I tied a 9 stranded Matthew Walker knot. This one takes some experience to make, so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t make it perfectly on the first try. Keep tying it until it looks nice. The trick is in dressing the knot gradually.

Then the alternate crown sinnet is started with 8 of the strands while one is used as the core for the sinnet. After 2 crown knots I basically jam my main, 8 inch core next to the core strand into the first two crown knots and tie about 3 inches of alternate crown knots.

A double diamond knot will enable a neat looking transition into the thicker, regular crown sinnet. I double the strands on the inner side.

After the diamond knot I place my second, about 5 inch long hollow core over my core strand and first core. You can run the core strand through the hollow core a few times to really pack it snugly so the first core does not rattle inside. I use a lacing needle for this task.

Then it is time for the regular, good ol’ 8 stranded crown sinnet for about 5 inches over my second core.

Then, to close the very end of the handle I usually place 2 alternate crown knots.

Now, the end of the handle is decorated using an 8 stranded star knot.

The ends are then crowned and then the crown knot is doubled by running the strands through the star knot and out of sight onto the bottom of the star knot. For this the lacing needle is used. Finally, cut and melt the ends as close to the star knot as possible.

The tail ends, about 3 foot long are now decorated with blood knots (double overhand knots).

To even out my crown sinnets I often roll them in between two planks. To stiffen up the star knot on the bottom I either place it into boiling water for a minute or apply some heat onto the knot, being careful not to burn or melt any paracord.

The entire making process can be observed here:

In conclusion

Making this flogger is a sign of a patient person. So if you make it…you have my congratulations!

You can further modify this design in your own ways. Switch out techniques for those that appeal to you, play around with colors and so on. Here for example is a single tone version of the flogger, done with a different finishing knot.

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This time we are making a fancy paracord key fob.

There are a ton of different ways of making a paracord key fob. I made one using a few fancy knots, so that is how I called it. Not very descriptive I know, but we still end up with a beautiful key fob.

The inspiration for this project was #3750 in The Ashley book of knots. I modified it quite a bit for use with paracord.

I recommend doing this project using type 1 paracord (95 paracord) for a functional, small key fob (seen in the two images above). Larger cords such as paracord 550 result in a bulkier key fob which you may or may not like- it is quite big (seen in the two images below).

So, to the point. Below you will find the supplies needed to make the key fob, a description of the techniques used and a video tutorial to accompany the description. It should be enough for you to make the key fob. As the name implies, it is a bit more of a fancy/advanced one so some patience and persistence will be needed. Once you get the hang of it though, you can crank these out fairly quickly.

The supplies

You will need:

So, fairly basic stuff is needed. So, how do we make our key fob?

Making the fancy paracord key fob

We start our project off by lining up the three cords one next to the other. We find the middle point and move up about an inch from the middle. Usually I use a clip to hold the three cords together at that point.

Then we twist the three cords into a single cord using a rope twisting technique. We only need a couple of inches. For paracord 550 I twist 2 cords together and add the third one into the footrope knot later on.

We then fold over the twisted section to create a loop.

We secure the loop by tying a 6 stranded footrope knot.

After that it is time for the 6 stranded crown sinnet. We do this one around a core (wire or stick).

Then we tie a diamond knot using our 6 strands and double it up. I double it up on the inner side.

Finally, we tie a star knot at the bottom. This knot really shines in this project.

We finish up the bottom by again crowning the 6 strands, just like in the 6 stranded crown sinnet. We only do it once, then double the strands in the crown knot. We do this by taking a lacing needle and working our ends to the bottom of the star knot.

Cut and melt the ends and you are done!

Bottom of the key fob- doubled crown knot.

Naturally, it is sometimes challenging to try to figure out everything from a description. So here is a full video demonstrating the entire tying technique. Enjoy!

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