All of my mats are made with one single continuous piece of 1/2” Manila rope. Manila rope is cordage made from plant fibre. The fibre itself comes from the 'Abaca' (Musa Textilis) which is a relative of the Plantain Banana. This is the same fibre used to make Manila envelopes and folders. The Abaca is native to the Philippines, hence Manila being the capital city. Manila rope is treated with a mineral oil which helps protect the fibre. It is the mineral oil that gives manila rope it's distinctive smell.

I weave my mats loose at first because Manila rope swells when it gets wet for the first time. If I were to weave them any tighter then I do, the mats would buckle as the rope swells. The overall size of the mats will shrink a bit as the rope swells and tightens. I am not sure exactly what the shrinkage rate is. The holes will close up to about 1/4 of their size.

A few of my designs are traditional Celtic and/or nautical designs but most are either expansions upon the traditional designs, or my own original creations in which I use combinations of traditional elements.

I have divided my mats into a few different shapes. Rectangles, octagons, hexagons, circles, half circles etc... Most of the shapes can be expanded to larger sizes. The pattern contained within the shapes are combinations of crosses, hearts, loops, pinwheels, helixes, braids, twists, etc… The different patterns can be woven into the different shaped mats. I also do custom work so if there is a combination of size, shape and pattern that you are looking for, that I do not stock, let me know and I will try to draw something up.

Do not limit yourself to the designs on my website but do know that there are limitations.

See the FAQ page of my website for more information.