Monday, June 11, 2012

New Rosary

The following pictures are a rosary that was recently special ordered from me by a gentleman in New Mexico. He specifically requested that I tie a "Decima Cross" as the Cross at the beginning/end of the rosary. I found the idea very intriguing and appealing. You can be the judge of the results.



9 comments:

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  2. Keep up the good work. I have tied these for years and love to work with 3 ply wool but was thinking parachute cord would make a nice rope. Have to get some. I also made a 108 bead rope from actual garnet beads. The number was so specific, 4 for the Gospels, 33 for the years, 40 for the fast, 12 for the apostles, 17 for the prophets and 2 for the 2 natures. An old Russian tradition I believe. Anyway, nice stuff. Great thing to teach kids to do during Lent with rattail. Always a hit but tough to master.

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  3. Thanks for your comment, Tom. Out of curiosity, where do you get your 3 ply wool from? I've tried making ropes out of wool yarn before, but it just didn't turn out very nicely. Would I use the same techniques to make a wool rope as I do with the rattail?

    ICXC + NIKA,
    Phillip

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  4. I just got it from Hobby Lobby in black (of course). I was worried a bit about at first but it did not shred or separate like acrylics. I used 3 lengths for each single stand and it worked well as it kind of stuck to itself. Yep, the same tying technique assuming we do it the same way. I illustrated a booklet a while back on how to. Some of the Sunday School kids still had a copy.

    I was thinking about the time I was working with a Monk on icons a few years ago and he had some quick method of knotting but never showed me how and he is gone now. Instead of the usual weaving, he was able to get to the pulling part in a second and the knots looked the same. Made for quick projects.

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  5. Tom,

    Is the wool you use simply wool yarn, or is there a special type of wool that you use? I've tried wool yarn once, and it just didn't work out too well. I'd love to start making wool ropes as well, for those who want them, but am not really sure what I should be using. :)

    Were you able to tie the knots without any special tool or anything like that? I've seen videos of nuns tying prayer ropes, but they seemed to need a special tool in order to tie them properly.

    ICXC + NIKA,
    Phillip

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  6. Just 100% black wool for knitting. I used a large plastic needle to lift the knots but thats about it. Good luck. I will send a copy of the illustrated guide along.

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  7. Tom,

    I'd love to see your illustrated guide whenever you get time to send it. :)

    So you just use three strands of regular wool knitting yarn that you then double up for knot tying?

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  8. Very nice rosary. Reminds me of the big black/white rosaries the White Father used to wear around their necks in imitation of the Muslim holy men wearing their prayer beads.http://www.thepelicans.co.uk/photos/gal258/frankm8a.jpg

    P.S. Just discovered your blogspot and bookmarked it. Awesome. Jesus Prayer has been my daily staple for years. I have several chotki: 100 knots made by Orthodox nuns; 50 knots made by Orthodox monks; and a 100 bead (not know) one made by me in the style of the White Fathers rosary (but with St. Benedict medal instead of cross; I am an OSB Oblate).

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    Replies
    1. Diakonos,

      I'm glad you like the blog. Feel free to email me with any questions or suggestions you may have. :)

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