Rock-wrapping is an easy, accessible and beginner-friendly craft. But when I first started being curious about how to do rock wrapping (also known as zen stones or serenity stones) I was surprised at how hard it was to find basic information on how to get started. So I pulled together this post about what supplies you need and what you need to know about how to wrap rocks and how to weave on rocks.
Rock wrapping can be as straightforward as wrapping a bit of cord around a common garden rock or an extravagant piece with knots and whorls and multiple colours and beads wrapped around a slab of semi-precious mineral. Your only limit is your imagination — and in my case, your husband’s tolerance for piles of rock and spools of cord on every flat surface in the living room.
Rock wrapping supplies
You only need a few basics to get started: rocks, and something to wrap around them. There are a few other tools that make the job easier, which I’ve explained below.
For beginners, I’d recommend rocks that are not too smooth, not too big and not too small. A shiny rock will be slippery, and if it has rounded edges, you’ll find your wraps slip. Start with a coarser grained rock, maybe about the size of the palm of your hand. It also helps if you start a flattish rock that is concave on both sides so you can have firm tension where the wrap meets the rock. Of course, different types of wraps work best on different shapes and sizes of rocks – you’ll soon find out when a rock doesn’t like a particular wrap because it throws it off!
You’ll need something to wrap around your rock. Some choose cane, like what is used in basket-weaving. Cane is soaked briefly in water before use to make it pliable. Many use leather lacing, or leather cord, which comes in a beautiful array of colours and widths usually from 1 mm to 3 mm. Faux leather and suede lacing are slightly more affordable options. You can use jute or twine for a more rustic look. I used crochet cotton for the first rock I wrapped. When I’m weaving on a rock, I mostly use repurposed yarn and embroidery floss. I’ve ported the silver, copper and brass wire I have used for wrapping sea glass into my rock-wrapping crafting. I’ve even used cordage I made from rhubarb. If you can wrap it tightly enough around your rock to tuck in the ends enough to hold the tension, it’s fair game! Personally, I like to use found and recycled materials for my wraps.
You’ll also need something to cut your wrapping material. I use scissors for yarn and wire snips for everything else. And you’ll find that a fid comes in very handy and is used in most of the tutorials I recommend below. A fid is a tool used in splicing rope, but for our purposes, it’s a tool with a long shaft and dull end that you can slip under your wrapping to secure the ends. I use a 10 cm mini standard screwdriver, like you’d get from an eyeglass repair kit. Long necked tweezers or pliers can also be used to push ends through or under a tight wrap. And finally, a bodkin or tapestry needle can be helpful to pull lacing through if you find you can’t push it.
Rock wrapping tutorials
These two channels on YouTube have excellent rock-wrapping tutorials, and I recommend you watch a couple of videos to get the basic concepts:
My habit is to watch the tutorial through once to get the idea, then play and pause in small segments as I follow along. The videos in these channels will give you an idea of the mechanics, and then you can start freestyling! There are many other videos, but these ones are well made and easy to follow.
If you’re interested in weaving on a rock, I have a tutorial on how to do plain basket weaving on a rock. And if you’d like to take an amazing workshop on weaving on a rock or off-loom weaving, I highly recommend the work of Sarah, at Lark and Bower. Her online video workshops are among the best I’ve ever taken.
Should you use glue when wrapping rocks?
I very much dislike gatekeepers in craft, who tell you that you must or cannot do something. Personally, I prefer to not use glue. My favourite finishes are when the ends are so tightly tucked into the wrap that they are secured by friction and will not come loose. If that’s not possible, I tie wonky knots. I came to fibre craft from knitting, so I usually default to some version of weaving in my ends. However, if you feel like your rock wrapping craft needs a little glue to hold it in place, use the glue! Life is short, do what makes you happy. If you will use glue, I find E6000 works on just about everything.
Other tips and suggestions
Experience is the best teacher. Grab a rock, grab some twine or cord or string, and try it!
Start by wrapping the cord around and around the fattest part of the rock. Notice how it starts to slip if the cord doesn’t have enough friction to grip the sides. Try laying a long tail diagonally across the back and then wrapping horizontal “stripes” on top of it – notice how it stays secure. When you’re done, tuck the tail under the same horizontal stripes – now you’ve wrapped your first rock!
I’ve noticed that if you turn the rock while wrapping, instead of winding the cord around the rock, the tension is more snug and secure.
Personally, I hate wasting any cord and try to minimize waste whenever possible. When trying a new wrap, sometimes I will try a version of the wrap before cutting the cord off the spool to guesstimate how much cord I’ll need. I’ll also count the rough number of times the cord wraps around the rock and try to guesstimate that way. But learn from my stingy mistakes and err on the side of too much rather than too little. A wrap you can’t complete is much more annoying than a few inches of cut-off cord!
Look online for inspiration. These are a few accounts I follow on Instagram that make beautiful wrapped rocks:
- Laura Struhl CenteringStones
- JD Lenzen (I linked to his YouTube channel above – he’s one of the OG makers of tutorials for rock wrappers)
- Betsy Bauer WrappedRockz
- Grasshopper Yarns (you have to scroll a bit to get to her rocks)
- Sarah of Lark and Bower (for rock weaving inspiration – she often shares what her students have made after attending her rock weaving workshops)
- SandraSimonsonStudios
- Curious Crone (yes, that’s me!)
I’m happy to answer any questions you have! If you make a wrapped rock and share it on instagram, be sure to tag me and let me know.