Monkey Knot

I have been in my house for over a year now and my living room walls are still bare. I want to decorate with a nautical theme. Grandpa Geraghty would be proud. I found a sailor's knot called the monkey knot on pinterest  http://www.designsponge.com/2012/03/diy-best-of-rope-projects.html . Below is how I made mine.

Start with 13 ft of 1/2 inch manila or unmanila rope.
Fill a ziploc bag up with stones or use an old tennis ball for the center weight.

Wrap the stone bag with tape to shape it into a ball.

Wrap the rope 4 times around your hand, about the size of your  stone bag.

Turn the coils to the side and wrap another 4 times in the opposite direction.

Finally, turn coils again and weaving under & over, make a final  side of 4 coils.

Tighten the knot starting at the beginning coils and working the rope around.
This step requires quite a bit of work. We had to do it several times over
before getting the knot snug. 

Finished monkey knot!

Paired with an antiqued lantern

My mantle- beginning stages...