Miscellany: A Paracord Primer, Part 3 - Lanyards & Fobs

Lanyards and fobs are among the most practical things you can make with 550 paracord. A lanyard is a cord loop that attaches to an item in order to facilitate retention; lanyards can be worn around the neck, the wrists, or attached to a belt with a carabiner. A fob is a piece of cord that is formed into a solid shape (so that you can grab the fob and yank the item out of a crowded pocket).

Here's a basic lanyard for the Byrd Cara Cara I reviewed recently. The big knot near the knife handle is a diamond knot (also known as the knife lanyard knot). It's symmetrical and pretty, as well as being easy to tie if you are patient. The ending knot at the end of the loop is a carrick bend, a simple but useful knot (side note: I attached strips of skateboard grip tape on the back of the handle for better traction):



Below is a fob for the Victorinox Tinker, also previously reviewed. The fob's weave goes by many names - I've seen it called the cobra stitch, the Solomon bar, and the Portugese sinnet. I used an initial loop of cord secured by an Ashley's bend (flatter and smaller than the diamond knot), and then tied the cobra stitch around the loop:


You can store several feet of cord using the cobra stitch for use in a pinch; just be aware that the cord'll be pretty kinky after you undo the weave. Since this photo, I've actually taken a few rows out of the weave - the remainder makes for a neat little sliding section to accommodate a carabiner or a storage peg in the garage.


All the old boondoggle skills you learned in summer camp can be applied to paracord, too. The round stitch is a classic fob weave that'll produce a fairly stiff spiral - especially handy with a small multitool like the Gerber Clutch:



For the Boker Escape, I decided to finish off the handle wrap with a crown sinnet (AKA the box or square stitch) tied directly to the handle wrapping - it makes for a neat, flexible little handle extension.


Here's the completed sinnet (side note: I had to soak the sheath in hot water and remold it to retain the knife better).



With today's entry, we've reached the limit of my knowledge of paracord craft. For much, much more impressive projects, try out Stormdrane's Blog. Happy paracording!