I’m always looking for inspiration for new rock wraps to try. One of the things I like most about rock wrapping is that you can do a project in as little as 20 minutes or at most an hour or two. Sometimes, a small burst of creativity is all that you need. The challenge is that each rock needs a bit of thought – what design will I make? What material will I use? And there are so many great designs out there to try, sometimes I get paralyzed by all the choices.
I’d seen variations on this particular half-hitch rock wrap design a few times, and was drawn to it. It reminded me a bit of crocheting on a rock, which I recently tried, and a bit of macrame. I collected a few versions and set to studying them to see if I could deconstruct how the wrap was made.
Where did it begin? How do you start and where do you tuck the end? Do you start at the closed end or with the bands? Which way do the loops twist? I zoomed in, following individual threads as they looped across the design, until I was reasonably sure I understood at least the basics of the wrap.
I figured it would be easier to start with a big rock and thicker cord, so I chose 2mm leather cord, as I’d seen some beautiful examples on Instagram with leather cord. I found it not quite pliable enough, though, so I used some crochet cotton. Another version I’d been admiring used hemp twine – note to self, in addition to linen, flax, wool, acrylic, cotton, jute, leather, silk, suede and plastic cord, I should pick up some hemp twine, too!
After about an hour, I managed to create a serviceable prototype, although I struggled with how to finish it. Just an overhand knot? My knots seem to like to come undone, and the cotton is a little slippery. Ideally with rock wrapping, I just use tension to keep the ends buried, but with the open weave, there wasn’t really any place to hide. So I went with a combination of a small knot and weaving the end through a few of the half hitches.
It was a good first try, but how to finish it off better next time was vexing me. I reached out to the creator whose work I had admired and asked if she had any tips. I find reaching out to folks on Instagram (the ones with the really big followings) for help is a crap shoot – I’ve been ignored often, but every now and then you get lucky. In this case, Laura was not only generous with her advice but she shared a YouTube video of the exact technique I’d spent several hours trying to deconstruct. I guess if my google skills were better, I could have just watched the 10 minute tutorial instead of figuring it out for myself!
In the end, I’m still quite happy with my rock. Simon brought it back for me from a trip to Halifax, where he and a friend made a specific trip to find me some ocean rocks to wrap. I’ve been saving it for just the right wrap, and love the slight seaside vibe that feels like a fishing net.
I watched the video, thank you for the link. However, I wonder why she left the top, beginning piece, just hanging loose on the top. It seems to me, that if handled it would work loose, and it’s not really finished looking.
She has a couple more videos too that I will be watching.