I think the hardest thing about making the handle of the ditty bag is to make it different. I have done a number of rope handles for ditty bags and they all look fairly similar. So this time I decided to try a new variation of what I have done in the past.

Eye Splicing

To start with making the handle I decided to use a suitable thickness of rope and splice the top of the handle using all three strands to splice the rope into an eye. I did before doing this cover this section with a Turks Head as described below. However at the bottom I cut off two of the three strands so that I made a smaller finer loop and just tucked the one end up along the core of the rope.

Turks Head

I personally do like a Turks Head, to me it is a very traditional knot and also it is a great knot for covering a messy finish of the knot underneath (perhaps I should practice more on how to finish a knot neatly?). As it turns out this particular project is covered with the Turks Head.

The top handle is covered with a 2 bite X many lead Turks Head. Actually I did this before I actually spliced the rope, so that this way I had a guide on where I would splice my rope once the handle was covered to a suitable length.

I then covered the area where the rope was spliced together with a 4B X 5L Turks Head.

The main area between the two splices was once again covered with a 2B X Many L Turks head.

This was then finished off with another Turks Head. Mmm I think as I am writing this “Lack of Imagination!” Well at least I did use different colours and thickness of cord.

Cockscombing

I then finally finished off the bottom eye covering it with Cockscombing. This is another beautiful pattern, that also protects the eye of the splice.

Ring Hitching

I managed to purchase a Bull Ring off eBay. The are lovely thick copper or brass and they are a hinged ring, so that can be attached to an eye after the eye has been spliced. This I then covered with a ring hitching. Finally the start and end of the ring hitching is cover with ……… Yes you guessed it …… two Turks Heads!!!

I am now thinking of a way of attaching 6 strings to marry up the Leather Ditty Bag to the handle.

Click on images to view full size.

Ditty Bag Book

Ditty Bag		USA	UK
	The Ditty Bag Book teaches modern-day sailors the art form of hand-making ditty bags to use on their own seaward travels.	Shop USA	Shop UK