ADVANCED BUNTING

This bunting pattern gives you the opportunity to create a more intricate design of sweet little heart-shaped flags. In fact, each flag features a double heart-shape motif, with a small heart stacked on top of a larger one. Use different colour combinations for the flags to suit the occasion you are celebrating or to match your home décor.

MATERIALS:

• 28.4m (93¹⁄₂ft) length of 5mm (¹⁄₄in) rope, natural
• 35.2m (116ft) length of 5mm (¹⁄₄in) rope, in colours of your choice

KNOTS & TECHNIQUES:

• Overhand Knot
• Reverse Lark’s Head Knot
• Square Knot
• Diagonal Double Half Hitch
• Numbering Cords
• Fraying

PREPARATION:

• Cut one 2m (6¹⁄₂ft) length of natural 5mm (¹⁄₄in) rope
• Cut twenty-four 110cm (43¹⁄₂in) lengths of natural 5mm (¹⁄₄in) rope
• Cut thirty-two 110cm (43¹⁄₂in) lengths of coloured rope

Method

1. Tie an overhand knot (see Overhand Knot) at each end of the 2m (6¹⁄₂ft) length of natural rope to prevent it from fraying. Mount the rope to a flat surface and secure. This now becomes your holding cord (see Knotting Terminology).
2. You are now going to start tying your first flag at the centre of the holding cord: mount eight of the 110cm (44¹⁄₂in) lengths of natural rope onto the holding cord using reverse lark’s head knots (see Reverse Lark’s Head Knot). The width of the mounted rope should be 10cm (4in).
3. Tie a row of four square knots directly beneath the holding cord.
4. Number the cords 1 to 16 (see Numbering Cords) and tie a square knot (see Square Knot) with cords 7–10.
5. Renumber cords 1 to 16. Make cord 5 a holding cord; bring it in a diagonal direction from left to right to sit just beneath the centre of the square knot tied in step 4 and tie diagonal double half hitches (see Half Hitch Knots) with cords 6–8.
6. Make cord 12 a holding cord: bring it in a diagonal direction from right to left to sit just beneath the centre of the square knot tied in step 4 and tie diagonal double half hitches (see Half Hitch Knots) with cords 11–9.
7. Cross over the holding cords (cords 5 and 12) so that they swap positions and renumber the cords 1 to 16.
8. Make cord 4 a holding cord: bring it in a diagonal direction left to right to sit just beneath the cross over point of the previous holding cords and tie diagonal double half hitches with cords 5–8.
9. Make cord 13 a holding cord: bring it in a diagonal direction right to left to sit just beneath the cross over point of the previous holding cords and tie diagonal double half hitches with cords 12–9.
10. Cross over the holding cords (cords 4 and 13) so that they swap positions and renumber the cords 1 to 16.
11. Make cord 3 a holding cord: bring it in a diagonal direction left to right as before and tie diagonal double half hitches with cords 4–8. To achieve a neat pointed flag shape, make sure that the first diagonal double half hitch you tie (cord 4) sits directly beneath the first diagonal double half hitch on the previous row.
12. Make cord 14 a holding cord: bring it in a diagonal direction right to left as before and tie diagonal double half hitches with cords 13–9.
13. Cross over the holding cords (cords 3 and 14) so that they swap positions and renumber the cords 1 to 16.
14. Make cord 2 a holding cord: bring it in a diagonal direction left to right as before and tie diagonal double half hitches with cords 3–8.
15. Make cord 15 a holding cord: bring it in a diagonal direction right to left as before and tie diagonal double half hitches with cords 14–9.
16. Cross over the holding cords (cords 2 and 15) so that they swap positions and renumber the cords 1 to 16.
17. Make cord 1 a holding cord: bring it in a diagonal direction left to right as before and tie diagonal double half hitches with cords 2–8.
18. Make cord 16 a holding cord: bring it in a diagonal direction right to left as before and tie diagonal double half hitches with cords 15–9.
19. Tie cords 1 and 16 together with a double overhand knot (see Overhand Knot) to complete one flag.
20. Repeat steps 2–19 to make another six flags, three to each side of the first flag, leaving a space of 6cm (2³⁄₈in) in between each flag and finishing with a flag made with natural rope at each end of the bunting.
21. Trim the cords to the desired length and fray (see Fraying). We left the cords in the middle longer and cut the cords along the sides shorter to focus attention on the heart shape design.