Handmade Rope: An Endangered Craft
Rope making is a rare and endangered craft, and Gem is among the very few practicing it in the UK today. With nearly seven years of experience, she first honed her skills at the historic Arthur Beale - one of the country’s oldest yacht chandlers - before setting out to make rope entirely by hand. Now, she transforms her distinctive, hand-spun ropes into an array of unique creations, from dog leads and juggling balls to doorstops and even earrings. With endless colour combinations to choose from and a love for bespoke projects, Gem brings fresh life to a timeless tradition.
Handmade Rope: An Endangered Craft
Rope making is a rare and endangered craft, and Gem is among the very few practicing it in the UK today. With nearly seven years of experience, she first honed her skills at the historic Arthur Beale - one of the country’s oldest yacht chandlers - before setting out to make rope entirely by hand. Now, she transforms her distinctive, hand-spun ropes into an array of unique creations, from dog leads and juggling balls to doorstops and even earrings. With endless colour combinations to choose from and a love for bespoke projects, Gem brings fresh life to a timeless tradition.
About handmade rope
Rope making is an endangered craft which was first mechanised by the ancient Egyptians. Today, there's only a handful of companies making rope in the traditional way, on a rope walk.
A rope walk is a very long building where strands the full length of the rope can be spread out and then twisted together to form rope.
Challenges for makers today include a lack of demand (particularly among makers specialising in church bell ropes), fluctuating prices of natural fibres such as flax and wool, and a difficulty in sourcing equipment to produce high quality rope.
Today, most makers cannot afford (or even find) a suitably long building for commercial rope making, so you'll see that many of our products are on a smaller scale, e.g. dog leads.
Learn more via Heritage Crafts' Red List of Endangered Crafts below.
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Regular price£16.95 GBPRegular priceSale price£16.95 GBP Save £-16.95 GBP (%)Unit priceperHandmade flax rope dog leash (made to order) Gem, Tightrope Knots
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Regular price£24.95 GBPRegular priceSale price£24.95 GBP Save £-24.95 GBP (%)Unit priceperHandmade rainbow rope dog leash (made to order) Gem, Tightrope Knots
About the maker: Gem, Tightrope Knots
Rope making is a rare and endangered craft, and Gem is among the very few practicing it in the UK today. With nearly seven years of experience, she first honed her skills at the historic Arthur Beale - one of the country’s oldest yacht chandlers - before setting out to make rope entirely by hand. Now, she transforms her distinctive, hand-spun ropes into an array of unique creations, from dog leads and juggling balls to doorstops and even earrings. With endless colour combinations to choose from and a love for bespoke projects, Gem brings fresh life to a timeless tradition.
In the workshop with Gem
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