Friendship Bracelets

Make them for yourself or share with friends!

They come in all shapes and sizes. Whether you’ve experienced making them in your childhood or are a long time knotter there is just something so special about creating a unique bracelet with just some strings and simple knots.

I’m sure that everyone who has made a friendship bracelet knows the original beginner patterns: candy stripe and chevrons. From there it’s easy to transition into X’s and diamonds. Then it’s just the matter of changing up the direction of the strings to create sooo many new designs.

When I first learned bracelet making I was still in Elementary school. We ran around with half-knotted bracelets safety pinned to our pants. For the longest while they were a HUGE part of my lift. Where and when I stopped I can’t really remember but after 20 (+) years I’m so glad to have re-discovered them.

I gotta warn you though – once you start knotting you’ll find it hard to stop!

Getting Started

Out of all of my hobbies this one is probably the one that uses up the least amount of space. Really the only thing you need for this is some string and a safety pin. You can also tape down your bracelet or you can clip it onto a clipboard. I mostly use the clipboard technique with a piece of fun foam clipped to it. It makes it a bit more grippy.

As for the kind of string you use that is completely up to you. I love using embroidery floss. I love all the colors that you can get! There’s just something so exciting about picking out new colors for a bracelet pattern.

If you are just starting out a multi pack is probably your best option. It’ll get you started before you dive into the more expensive “fancy” threads like metallics and the verigated/color changing ones.

DMC brand thread comes in MANY colors and are still relatively cheap. Good thing about these are you can buy individual colors when you run out.

Multipacks can usually be picked up in any craft store or in large box stores such as Walmart. Thread can even be purchased online.

If you want to switch it up with non-solid colors there are lots of verigated and color change threads.

Take it one step further with metallic or shimmer threads! Note: These are more difficult to work with and tend to be scratchy to wear.

Different String Types

There’s always the question of “does the string make a difference?” and that answer also depends on your personal preference. I find that the cheaper threads tend to fray faster – they seem more “fuzzy” for the lack of a better word.

Also I find they come in less bright color options. Even though the neons are pretty sweet looking!

Also something to keep in mind is that each brand of string might slightly differ from others. You may find if you mix brands your knots may be slightly smaller or bigger.

This doesn’t usually matter all that much, but when it comes to alphas, that might make a huge difference.

Each string usually consists of 6 individual strands that make up the thread. So if you want to match different thread thicknesses you could easily add or remove a single strand.

Speaking of Alphas….

This type of bracelet is made differently than the normal type. This one is entirely based on the pixel method. Which is so very cool because this means you can created ANY design that you can technically draw up in pixel form. So the possibilities are truly endless with this style. I don’t attempt these much – I’m still learning how to keep my colors in the right spot.

So the major difference is this one consists of base strings (which will never be seen) and leading strings (which you change out as often as you need or when the colors change in the pattern). The best part about these are you can make them any size you want. I’ve seen some done as large wall hangings. Just remember: the larger the piece the longer it’ll take and the more thread you will need.

Other Useful Pages

Advice for beginners

I’ve dedicated an entire page for answers to the most common questions as well as tips and tricks to help get you started.

 

Learn the very basics of knot names and how to tie them.

Bracelets I’ve Made

This page is dedicated to all the bracelets I’ve made including normal bracelets, alpha bracelets and shaped bracelets.