Paracord is an awesome cord to use for braiding! It's tough, lightweight, washable and virtually indestructible! This tutorial will show you how to make a "manly" collar for your dog using the seesaw or zigzag knot.
Supplies and Tools You Will Need
You'll need a few basic tools to make this project. A C-clamp, hemostat clamps, scissors, a lighter, a flexible measuring tape, a 3/4″ plastic snap and D-ring and paracord.
Preparing The Paracord
You need to preshrink the paracord before you use it. To preshrink the paracord, soak it in hot water for 5 minutes and then hang it to dry.To determine how much paracord you will need for your project, take the neck measurement from your dog and multiply by four. A sample neck measurement will be 18″ X 4 = 72″. So you will need TWO strands of paracord that are EACH 72″ long.
STEP 1 - Putting The Cords and D-ring on the Snap
Fold the cords in half and run each of them through the end of the snap that has the single slot. Now run the D-ring through the cords and place close to the snap. You will now run the loose ends of the cord through the loops of cord that are sticking out of bottom of the snap. Pull the cords tight
STEP 2 - Clamping the Snap
Clamp the snap down onto a steady surface like a table. This will keep the snap steady and you will be able to put tension on the cords when you are knotting.
STEP 3 - The First Knot
To make the seesaw knot, you will be knotting alternating half-hitch knots. Take the first set of cords, bring it behind the second set of cords and through the loop that you have just created. Gently tighten up your knot. Don't tighten too much or your knot work will begin to twist.
STEP 4 - The Second Knot
You will now take the second set of cords and make a half-hitch in the OPPOSITE direction. To keep going, take the first set of cord and make a knot in the same direction as you did with knot 1. Keep knotting in alternate directions until you make a knotted cord two inches less than your final measurement. Don't forget to take the snap into account when taking your measurement. Stop knotting at 16″.
STEP 5 - Attaching the Loose Cords To The Snap
Run the loose cords through the double slotted end of the cord and leave a one inch length of cord from the end of your knotting work.
STEP 6 - Finishing The Cord Ends Part 1
Take one cord from each set, run then around the front and through the top of the loop that you have created on the back side of the collar.Lay the cords that did not make the knot flat against the backside of the collar. Tighten the knot as much as it will go.
STEP 7 - Finishing The Cord Ends Part Two
Find where a set 1 cord passes under a set 2 cord. Pass the hemostat clamp underneath the set 2 cord, grasp the set 1 cord with the hemostats and pull through. Repeat this with the second set of cords. Do this "back knotting" one more time. Now stretch the collar out with your hands and trim the cords as close as you can to the collar.
STEP 8 - Melting The Cord Ends
*NOTE* hot plastic is dangerous and can burn you very badly! Use caution when melting the cord ends!!
Take your lighter and place the flame as close as you can to the cut cords. You really need them to get nice and hot. When the cord ends turn brown and get bubbly, take the flat side of your scissors and press the hot cord onto the collar. You might have to have another pass with the lighter if the cords haven't fused properly.
Once the melted ends of the collar have cooled, you can put it on your dog.
Karen Friesecke is the author of Bloggie Stylish a new blog dedicated to recipes and free projects for dogs. Please visit Seesaw Knot Dog Collar Tutorial to see this tutorial, complete with pictures.
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