How to Make a Chinese Sliding Knot

Co-authored by Britt Edelen

Last Updated: May 28, 2021 Approved

The Chinese sliding knot is an adjustable coil-based design. This can be quite useful if you want to make adjustable necklaces or bracelets. The knot is simple, though it may take some practice to perfect it. Read on to learn how!

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Tying the Knot

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Pull a long cord into a "U" or horseshoe shape. so that the ends are close together.
Pull one end past the other so that they overlap by about four inches (10 cm). The overlapping ends should lie parallel to one another.

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Bend the tip and bring it back along the outside of the loop. You don't need to do anything with the inner parallel end.^{[1]
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Hold the inner end of the cord together with the looped-back outer end. You should be holding three parallel "layers" of the cord at the thickest point. Make sure that you have plenty of extra cord at the outer end: you will use this to finish the knot. Pull the end of the cord with one hand, and pinch the loops together with the other.^{[2]
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Wrap it over, then under – not under, then over. It might help to use your dominant or most dexterous hand.
Keep wrapping the loose end around all three other layers of cord. Wrap at least 2-3 times, until you either run out of cord or cover almost all of the "three-layered" section. Be careful not to cross the coil over itself, or you will tie a messy knot.^{[3]
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You don't need much – the knot is almost finished. Make sure that there is enough cord protruding that it is not in danger of slipping out.
Slide the "coil" over the remaining bit of loop to secure it. You may need to pinch the right side of the large loop with the ring and pinkie fingers of one hand.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Testing and Expanding the Knot

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It should move easily. Be careful not to slide it right off the free end of the cord. Consider tying a sturdy knot at the very tip of the sliding end. This way, the length of the rope will be adjustable, but you will not be able to accidentally slide the rope out of the knot.
Consider flipping the cord over and repeating the knot on the non-knotted end. This will leave you with two sliding knots that can be pulled together or apart as needed, making a large closed loop. This is the design that people use for making jewelry.
Pull the two knots closer together to loosen the cord. Pull the two knots further apart to tighten.
The sliding knot is great for creating simple jewelry that is meant to be tightened. Try slipping beads or charms onto the cord before you tie it.

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Question

Is that a candy cane attached to the leather?

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It looks like a piece of formed clay to represent a bead to me, or maybe a purchased bead.

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How do I tie the second knot?

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The same as the first. Pull the untied end through the knotted end and proceed to knot the same way as the first one.

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Did you tie this knot with a huge Tootsie Roll? Where can I get one?

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This size Tootsie Roll doesn't exist. This person probably just used something such as a shiny brown rope.

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Tips

Give yourself plenty of cord to work with at first. It may be hard to estimate how much you need until you are more experienced.

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Practice and don't give up! The Chinese sliding knot may take some work to get right consistently.

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The Chinese sliding knot is sometimes called the Triple Connection Knot.

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