Quick! (Enabler Alert)

Just a quick post today to share CraftArtEdu's latest sale.  You won't want to miss this one:  40% off all of their classes.  Yes, you read that right - 40% off all of the online classes at CraftArtEdu and you can get one or 100 at that price.  They have a great selection of classes covering all kinds of media, including micro macrame classes like the Falling Leaves Micro Macrame Bracelet in the photo above or this Ripples in Micro Macrame Bracelet:

There are lots to choose from, but you'll need to hurry.  This deal is only good through Friday (details here).  If you're anything like me, this time of winter is long and cold and I'm up for any kind of project to alleviate the boredom.  This is a great chance to try something fun!  Happy shopping!

New Ripples in Micro Macrame Online Class is Available!

It's done!  It's done!!  Hot off the press and all that, my new Ripples in Micro Macrame bracelet class in available online at CraftArtEdu!  I'm silly excited about it, too (in case you didn't notice).  I've been meaning to put out a new class for months and one thing or another kept taking priority, but it's done!!  (Yep, still silly excited!)  So Donna and the other nice folks over at CraftArtEdu put out an email with the class announcement (and a great sale on all my micro macrame classes, too) and I have to share it with you:

How nice is that!?  You can see the whole thing here if you aren't already signed up for their newsletter.  If you're not, you really should take a moment and sign up so you can stay on top of all the latest and greatest (and sales - who doesn't love a sale!).  I keep telling you they're really great people over there and I'm not kidding.  They really are the best.  If you haven't taken one of their online classes, you don't know what you're missing.  They have an awesome lineup of instructors covering a wide variety of DIY crafts.  Their customer service is world class and they guarantee you'll be happy with your class or you get your money back.  Classes never expire and there's no limit on the number of times you can view them.  

Anywho... if you read my blog much, you probably already know I've been working on this new design for weeks now.  My inspiration for the design was ripples. Yep.  Ripples.  So picture a rain drop hitting the surface of a puddle; the way the ripples spread out from the drop in concentric circles getting larger and larger until they bump up against something and break the perfect arcs.  Are you picturing it?  That's what I've tried to capture in the piece.  The fluid circles originate at the central bead in one section, then circle back in the next section coming up against one another in the middle.

This design takes the simple macrame knots (mostly double half hitches) and elevates them to a new artistic level. Because the design is a bit more challenging, experience with double half hitch knots is recommended.  If you're just starting out in micro macrame, there are other classes (like the Wrap) to choose from, too.  Heck, if you're fair-to-middlin', there are a whole bunch of classes for you.  

Go!  Go now and find the one (or more) that makes your heart happy.  (The special pricing is good through midnight CT, Tuesday, October 25, 2016.)  Happy knotting!

A New Online Class in the Works: Ripples in Micro Macrame Bracelet

Remember when I was telling you about the frustrations involved in designing a new pattern (back here if you missed the whining)?  Well, that's all behind me now!  I finally landed on a pattern combination that I really like and I'm working on an online class at CraftArtEdu.  YAY!  

I'd love to hang around and visit for a few minutes, but I'm really working hard on the class.  I have the attention span of a 2-year-old, so I have to stick with it while I'm motivated.  Stay tuned for more details!

Quick!

Happy Independence Day, everyone!  I'm just popping in with a quick public service announcement in case you don't subscribe to the CraftArtEdu newsletter.  The good folks over there are feeling especially festive and are celebrating with a great special for you!  Here's what they say:

Here are the details:

There are lots of fun classes there to choose from, including 14 classes of mine!  A deal like this is too good to pass up, but you'll have to act fast.  

Happy shopping!

Super Deal on Online Micro Macrame Classes

Boy, oh boy!  If you've had your eye on any of my online micro macrame classes, now is the time!  The nice folks at CraftArtEdu.com have apparently lost their minds and put out a code good for 31% off your entire purchase!  Yes, that's right - whether you buy one class or ten, you can get 31% off using the code march31!  (Find all the details here.) You'll have to hurry, though, the code is only good through April 3, 2016.  

Here's a peek at some of the classes I have available:

New Online Class: Woven Diamonds Micro Macrame Bracelet

It's here!  It's here!  (Well, it's here:  http://craftartedu.com/sherri-stokey-woven-diamonds-micro-macrame-bracelet.)  My newest micro macrame class is out for all you DIY-ers.  I call it Woven Diamonds and it includes directions for making both options of this macrame bracelet, the one that includes a focal stone:

And the option that features a repeating pattern with no focal section:

As always, I've included lots and lots of still photos for you as well as in depth step-by-step instructions.  I have been including video in my classes for quite a while, but I really stepped up the video component this time - with 45 minutes of video included within the class! 

I've rated this as an intermediate project.  It only uses two different macrame knots, so it's not really hard in that respect, but there's a little bit of fancy footwork involved in getting the cords into the right position for the woven diamond sections (aren't they pretty, though - all that texture!).  I don't think I'd recommend this be someone's first adventure in micro macrame, but that said, if you're a determined beginner and you're able to follow instructions well, everything you need to be successful is included in this class.

I made up a few kits to go along with the class that include the components you will need to make either version of the bracelet (the focal bead is in there, but you can choose to use it or not).  I will have them available in my Etsy shop soon.  (A word of warning - I did mix my own seed beads for this one and I never write down my recipes, so once these are gone there's no way I can recreate them.  If you want one, snag it while you can.)

The folks at CraftArtEdu.com, being the nice folks they are (aren't I always telling you that?) are having a special introductory price on this class for a short while.  As if that's not enough, all of my other classes are available at special rates as well!  No codes needed.  You can find all of them here:  http://craftartedu.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?limit=20&q=sherri+stokey.

I always love student feedback, so if you take one of my classes, please do let me know how it went for you! Happy knotting!

Gollygeewhiz I've Been Busy

Pick an excuse:   I've been a) bored (read boring) with nothing to say, b) too busy to blog or c) too exhausted to blog.  Any one of them probably has some truth to it, but I'm back!  And you can't make me go away again if I don't want to because it's my blog and I am the queen in these here parts.

I'm working on a new micro macrame class for CraftArtEdu with this knotted textural design.  I couldn't decide if I liked it better with the focal section like above, or without it like this:

I did an informal poll and the results were pretty much even across the board, so I'm putting in both versions and everybody wins!  Because yay, we all love to be winners!!

I've been photographing and editing (jeez, when will I ever get good enough photography that I don't have to spend hours editing?) until I can't stand it any more.  I've got quite a bit of video for this class - around 45 minutes I think!  And that's on top of the step by step still photos and written instruction and narration.   

This design isn't really hard, not really.  It's more confusing than hard.  Or maybe that isn't the right word, either.  It's fussy because you have to switch the order of the cords all the time.  I thought about doing it a different way that required less switching, but then you have to have all the cords going at the same time and it's hard to pick through them and find the one you wan to be working with, so I don't know which is worse.  *sigh*  And that, my friends, is why I ended up with 45 minutes of video.  I'm thorough :)

So keep your eye out for this new class.  It doesn't have a name yet - any suggestions?

Oh, and in between all that, I decorated for Christmas!  This year we put up three full size trees and we started before Thanksgiving.  I was cocky and made the comment that we wouldn't be home for Thanksgiving, so we wouldn't have to "eat Thanksgiving dinner while staring at a Christmas tree".  That one came back to bite me in the behind when we had icy roads Thursday morning and I had to put together an impromptu Thanksgiving dinner at my house.  I tried to figure out how to hide three full size Christmas trees, but that was a no-go.  Want a peek?

One of our trees is done in gold and bronze with burlap and feathers.  Sounds odd, but it's really pretty.  Really hard to photograph (did I already whine about my photography ability?).  Want to know the fun part?  The feathers came from feather dusters I took apart.  They're all downy and fluffy and even walking past the tree makes them move a bit which really gives the tree a fun quality.

The tree in the family room where I spend most of my evening is my favorite - it's got aqua in it!  I love the way the lights make the white tree glow and the red and teal give it a very retro vibe.  I made the tree skirt with felt and pompoms to really play up the retro angle.  Sorry the tree top is chopped off - I really have to fire that photographer.  Here's a close up of some ornaments, though:

I love it!!  The third tree is Carter's tree.  None of my pictures of that one were worth a darn, but Carter loves it.  We loaded on all the animated and light up ornaments and all the fun cartoon characters, so he spent hours making the hens cluck Jingle Bells, listening to Spock wish everyone a Merry Christmas and watching the tiny Matchbox car go around the track.  It's going to be a magical Christmas.

So, did you come up with a name for my new class yet?  (Yes, this is how my mind works - I'm all over the place!) 

Drunkard's Path: A New Micro Macrame Class

A new micro macrame class hit the streets yesterday, for my Drunkard's Path Bracelet!  I've seen lots of variations of the waves done in macrame, but I wanted to put my own spin on things.  I added some extra knotting to beef up the knotted portion and give the macrame more equal billing with the beads.  It's only fair.

I was searching for a name for this project when about the swaying lines made me think of a crooked path.  My mom is an avid quilter (you can see several examples of her work on my blog here, and here, and here, and quite a few more in an album here) and that brought to mind the Drunkard's Path pattern.  It seemed to fit.

I really tried to break this project down into tiny steps so anyone can do it.  I demonstrate all the knots and there are loads of photos.  There are actually 9 video clips and over 70 pictures in the class, in addition to the written direction and the narration!  

In this class, I'll show you how to get started and give you some tips to make everything go more smoothly.  I'll show you how to tie all of the knots, step by step.  And I'll show you how to finish your bracelet with a split ring and clasp to get a professional look!  Don't forget, CraftArtEdu gives you unlimited access to the classes you purchase; you can view them as many times as you like and your access never expires.

The class is on sale through Sunday (August 9, 2015).  In fact, because the folks at CraftArtEdu love a good sale, all of my micro macrame classes are on sale through Sunday!  No codes needed and you can see the whole list here.  Happy knotting!!!

Oh, and if you're just not interested in making one yourself, but you really, really think you need one?  These are available in my Etsy shop.  

A Quick Update

 

Just look at the concentration on those faces!  I did a workshop in Colorado Springs this past weekend and the students were awesome.  Peg, the lady who got me started doing online classes for CraftArtEdu, is the one who set up the class and I was really excited to get to meet her in person (that's her in the bottom right photo, far right).  Another online friend, Shane (next to Peg in the photo), was also there - you might remember these beads she made for me:

It was the first time Shane and I got to actually meet, too.  And then the fabulous Donna Kato dropped by the class to say "hi"!

I have to admit, I was a little starstruck.  She's a big deal!  This woman is a dynamo - a world class teacher, author, polymer clay guru and co-founder of CraftArtEdu.  Busy lady!  

While I was gadding around Colorado Springs (I did find time to do some shopping, try some fun restaurants and hit the Renaissance Festival), I missed the release of Nadja Shield's new class!

Aren't those fun!?  Anyone who's known me for five minutes knows I hate wearing shoes.  One of the guys at work called me the Imelda Marcos of sandals (insert blushing emoticon here).  It stands to reason, then, that I would LOVE Nadja's new project - Barefoot Sandals!  The class is here, if you're interested, and if you hurry, you can get 30% off on ANY of the online micro macrame classes at CraftArtEdu (good through midnight CT, July 14, 2015, no coupon necessary).

Summer is just flying by for me but I'm loving every minute of it.  I hope you are getting a chance to enjoy it, too!

So You Want to Learn Micro Macrame?

Have you wanted to try making micro macrame jewelry yourself, but were afraid you would end up with something that looks like this:

Not to worry, I'm here to help (and that's not "help" like "I'm from the government, I'm here to help."  I have  tutorials and classes to teach you how to knot beautiful jewelry pieces.  Really!  The tutorials available for instant download in my Etsy shop include step by step instruction and lots of clear, close up photos like these:

The Micro Macrame Braids Bracelet  is probably the easiest tutorial I offer.  I use square knots (you might remember those from summer camp!) for a fun and easy project.  The only part that some people find challenging is the ending - larks head knots around a split ring.  And just in case you should have any problem with that, I did a post here on my blog  with videos - I really want you to succeed!  

Once you've learned the closure bit, and you're ready for the next challenge, you have several from which to choose:  the Leaves and Hydrangea  bracelets introduce the use of the DHH (double half hitch knot) used extensively in my patterns.  Again, if you're stumped you can refer to this post where I've included videos on making double half hitch knots both from right to left and from left to right!  A little more challenging, my Curves Bracelet tutorial uses only DHH knots again, but this time you have to do a little fancy footwork.  Nothing too difficult, but it will require a little more of your attention.

Then, just because it's macrame and there's nothing that says macrame more than an owl, I have a tutorial for a Micro Macrame Owl Pendant. This one uses an assortment of knots and a little picking up and dropping of cords to make this cute pendant.  You learn a little something and you get a cute owl at the end: win-win!

Are you still on the fence about another DIY project?  Having flashbacks of your attempt at hanging wallpaper or installing tile in the shower (they make it look SO easy on TV)?  Relax!  Here's what folks on Etsy are saying about my tutorials:

"I recently purchased several tutorials and a kit from KnotJustMacrame and I have to say I am delighted! Never have I seen such clear instructions along with incredibly clear close-up photos. Just wonderful! I am excited to have completed a lovely bracelet the first time through! Thank you so much!"

 "Exactly as great as described. I also ordered the tutorial and it's very thorough and easy to follow. Highly recommend!"

"I love this bracelet. Very easy to follow directions. Well written with lots of photos! Very happy with my purchase!"

"This was my first attempt at micro macramé and I was pretty pleased with my efforts - excellent tutorial, thank you."

I also have quite a few classes available at CraftArtEdu.com if you prefer the a more classroom style learning environment.  I can't come to your home and teach you, but this really is the next best thing.  CraftArtEdu's platform allows me to integrate narration and video into my classes along with the same great still photographs and step by step instruction.  You won't be disappointed.  These classes go hand in hand with the tutorials I offer on Etsy and the skill levels are marked so you know exactly what to expect from your class. 

Are you still here?  What are you waiting for?  Go!  Learn!!  Have FUN!

The Blue Version

The "eyes" in my new Argus cuff design got me thinking about Egyptian themes.  Then again, since I'm a huge fan of all things ancient Egyptian, everything gets me thinking along that track, but I digress...

I had the thought of playing up that angle, so I used a bright blue cord and gold beads as well as a seed bead mixture called, coincidentally enough, Egyptian Lapis Stripe.  I'm not sure I was able to capture the feel I was after, but I really do like this color!

An online class for this micro macrame bracelet is available at CraftArtEdu.com and at a special introductory price for a couple more days - through Sunday.

I can't wait to see what color combinations you come up with!

A New Micro Macrame Class: Argus Cuff

I'm on a roll, folks - two micro macrame classes in two months!  Like the last class I did, the Leafy Cuff, the Argus Cuff bracelet is worked across the piece rather than down it.  This means lots more cords to work with, but also leads to the possibility of lots of different designs.  

I had fun figuring out how to make the eye pattern on this one, and the name springs from that (thanks, Marge!!)  Argus Panoptes in Greek mythology is the monster with 100 eyes.  Doesn't that seem very appropriate for this bracelet?

The nice folks at CraftArtEdu.com are celebrating the release of this new class with a special deal for you.  The new Argus Cuff, the Leafy Cuff, and all of my other micro macrame jewelry classes are on sale at 25% off their regular prices through Sunday, February 22, 2015 (details here).  If you're an adventurous do-it-yourself type and you want to learn to make beaded macrame jewelry, this is a deal you don't want to miss.  My classes are very detailed with lots of close up photos and instructions.  I also include hints and tips and most of them (including this one) have video as well.  All at your fingertips and available on your schedule at your convenience.  

I'm a big fan of CraftArtEdu.com - I wouldn't be working with them if I weren't.  Once you purchase a class there, it's yours forever.  You can watch it as many times as you need and then refer back to it next year if you've forgotten how to do something.  They stand behind their classes, too, and if you have a question, they will find you an answer.  

Are you learning micro macrame yet?  What are you waiting for?