It starts with the cord
Every hanging begins as undyed cotton cord, cut to length and hung from a wooden rod. The length is worked out first, because a knot pulls the cord shorter and there is no way to add it back.
Knot by knot
Most of the pattern is a handful of knots repeated: the square knot, the spiral, the double half hitch. What makes a piece look effortless is the tension, which is felt rather than measured, and takes years to get even.
Finishing
Once the knotting is done the fringe is combed out and trimmed by eye against a straight edge. This is the part that decides whether a hanging hangs flat, and it is done last because it cannot be undone.
Why they differ
Cotton takes up moisture, hands tire, and a Tuesday is not a Friday. Two hangings made from the same pattern will never quite match, which is the reason to buy one and not the other.
