Bird Cage Hanger

• 2mm Cotton or Nylon Cord (445 yards total)
• One 2-inch Brass Ring
• One 3-inch Brass Ring
• Three 6-inch Brass Rings
• Three 10-inch Brass Rings
• One 3-inch Wood Ring
• Craft Wire
• Artificial Bird (small enough to fit inside the 10-inch cage)
• Measuring Tape
• 6-inch Ceramic or Clay Pot

• Wrapped Knot
• Alternating Square Knots
• Spiral Stitch
• Double Half Hitch
• Barrel Knot
• Adding Cords

Cutting and Mounting the Cords

• Cut 32 cords, each 8 yards long
• Cut 12 cords, each 5 yards long
• Cut 1 cord, 18 inches long

• Cut 16 cords, each 5 yards long
• Cut 24 cords, each 2-yards long
• Cut 1 cord, 18 inches long

Step 1:  Place 2 of the 5-yard cords (for the Cage) through the 2-inch ring and center them.  They will be used for the inside of the Bird Cage Hanger, so you should label them in some way.  I like to tie Overhand knots or add tape on the ends to help identify those particular cords.

Step 2:  Place all of the 8-yard cords through the same ring, on top of the shorter strands.  Center them as well, so they are balanced on either side of the ring.

Step 3:  Use the 18-inch cord to tie a Wrapped Knot around the entire bundle.  Make the knot as tight as you can.  Apply glue and allow it to dry before cutting off the excess.  Be careful not to cut the long cords.

Hang the Bird Cage Hanger up by the small ring to make it easier to work on.

Creating the Cage

Step 4:  Move down 3 inches. Attach all the 8-yard cords to the 3-inch ring with Double Half Hitches.  It helps to pass them into the ring before tying the knots.  Make sure the ring is level before moving on. Secure these cords out of the way to work on the next two steps.

Step 5:  Direct the 5-yard cords through the ring without attaching them to it.  Just below the ring, start a Spiral Stitch sennit with the four strands.  Stop when the sennit measures 22 inches. 

Step 6:  Attach the four cords to the top of the 3-inch Wood Ring, with DHH.  Direct them behind the ring, and attach them to the bottom with DHH.  Tie a tight SK.  Apply glue and allow it to dry before cutting off the excess material.

Step 7: Secure the artificial Bird to the four strands running through the middle of the ring.  If the bird has a wire attached to the feet, wrap it around the bottom of the ring.  If not, use the Craft wire to secure it to the cords and/or the ring.  You want the Bird Cage Hanger to look as realistic as possible, so arrange the bird so it looks like it is perched on the ring.

Step 8:  Use the 8-yard cords to tie rows of Alternating Square Knots.  Each knot will consist of two working cords and two fillers.  This portion of the Bird Cage Hanger should end up 12 inches long.  At the top of the design, the knots should be close together.  The bottom of it needs more space, so make the last 4 rows 1-inch away from each other.

Step 9:  Attach all the cords to a 6-inch ring with DHH.  It helps to pass them into the center of it, before tying the knots.  If the ring is not completely covered, add more single Half Hitches as needed.

Step 10:  Tie 4 rows of ASK, with groups of 4 cords.  The first row should rest right under the ring.  The remaining rows should have 1 inch of space between them.

Step 11:  Attach all the cords to a 10-inch ring with DHH. 

Step 12:  Add 10 of the 5-yard cords so they are evenly spaced between the ones already attached.  Add them to the ring with reverse Larks Head knots.  The head of the knots should face towards the inside of the Bird Cage Hanger.  If the ring is not completely covered, add more Half Hitches as needed.

Step 13:  Divide the cords into groups containing 4 strands, then 10 strands, and so on, all the way around the ring.  You should end up with 6 groups of each.

Step 14:  In each group of 4 cords, tie a Spiral Stitch sennit measuring 15 inches.

Step 15:  Attach the cords from each sennit to another 10-inch ring with DHH. 

Step 16:  Attach the groups of 10 cords to the ring, so they rest between the Spiral sennits.  Make sure they are pulled taut, and the ring is level. 

Tip: To make the cage of the Bird Cage Hanger look realistic, it helps to measure each cord individually. Locate the 15-inch point, and mark the spot with a pin. When you attach the strands to the ring, make sure the DHH is made right where the pin is located.

Step 17: Divide all the cords into groups of four strands.  Tie one row of Square Knots.

Step 18:  Attach all the cords to another 10-inch ring with DHH. If the ring is not completely covered, add more Half Hitches as needed.

Step 19:  Divide the cords into groups of four again.  Tie rows of ASK measuring 4 inches.  Alternate the cords when you first start out, so that the knots are NOT lined up with the ones from step 17.  These rows should have 1 inch of space between them.

Step 20:  Attach all the cords to a 6-inch ring with DHH.

Step 21:  Divide the cords into groups of four again, alternating the placement as you did in step 19.  Tie 2 rows of ASK, with no space between them.

Step 22:  Attach all the cords to a 6-inch ring with DHH.

Step 23:  Trim the ends to 4 inches to make the Fringe for the Bird Cage Hanger.  You can apply glue to the tips to help them remain neat and tidy.

Designing the Cradle

Step 24:  Attach the sixteen 5-yard cords for the Cradle to the ring (four of them at a time).  Mount them with reverse Larks Head knots, folding them in half in the process.  They need to be placed between the DHH so that each group falls between the Spiral Stitch designs in the Cage.  Just push the DHH aside to make room for them.

Look at the diagram for the Bird Cage Hanger to see the placement for these cords. They should be evenly spaced ijn 4 areas on the ring.

Step 25:  With each set of 8 strands, tie an ASK sennit.  One row will have two knots, the next will have one, and so on.  Stop when these sennits measure 12 inches.  Make sure you end on the row with only one SK.

Step 26:  To make the Cradle for the Bird Cage Hanger, you will be adding the 2-yard cords onto the ones you were just using.  Mentally number the cords 1 thru 8, in each group. 

Row 1:  Add a 2-yard cord to 1 - 2, 3 - 4, 5 - 6, and 7 - 8.  To do this, simply center the new strand around the original ones and tie a tight SK.  The ends of the new ones are the working cords, and the old ones are the fillers. 

Row 2:  Move down 1 inch. Mentally re-number the cords 1 thru 16, in each group.  Add a 2-yard cord to 1 – 2 and 15 – 16, in the same manner as the previous step.  Tie the ASK for the rest of the row using the other cords. 

Row 3:  Move down 1 inch. Mentally re-number the cords in each group 1 thru 20.  This next row connects the four different groups.  Combine cords 1 and 2 with cords 19 and 20 from the next group over. 

Complete the row by tying ASK in the same manner, with the remaining cords. 

Finishing Touches

Step 27:  Bring all the cords together in a bundle to form the fringe for the Bird Cage Hanger.  Place the pot in the cradle if you can, to make sure it fits.  Use the last 18-inch cord to make a Wrapped Knot around the bundled cords.  It should rest in the middle of the pot.

Step 28:  Apply glue to the Wrapped Knot and allow it to dry before cutting off the excess from the 18-inch cord.

Step 29:  Trim the ends of the long cords so they are even.  Finish them off in one of the following ways:

• Apply beads to the tips, followed by Barrel Knots
• Unravel the strands for a fine, wavy fringe
• Apply glue to the ends for a more finished fringe
• Tie Barrel Knots at the tip of each cord