Buzz
A friendship bracelet is crafted from colorful threads according to your personal preferences, serving as a traditional token of friendship. You can gift it to a close friend or add it to your accessory collection. If your bracelet-making skills are refined, you could even sell your creations! Start with basic techniques and then enhance your design by braiding threads, adding beads, or decorative shapes.
Steps
Start Making the Bracelet
Select multiple threads in different colors. You are the artist in charge of this choice. The number of threads is entirely up to you, but it should be at least three. Choose a color combination that creates an appealing pattern. Feel free to be creative! If you stick to one color, you won’t be able to form a pattern for your bracelet.
To create a smaller bracelet, use four or six strands of thread, while six to ten strands will result in a thicker bracelet. The more strands you use, the larger the bracelet will be.
Measure and cut the first thread. Measure the length of the thread so that it is slightly longer than the distance from the tip of your finger to your shoulder, then cut it. This length will be enough to create a bracelet with a pattern that fits your wrist. It's better to have a thread that's too long than too short, so if you're unsure, cut the thread a bit longer just to be safe.
Use the first thread to measure the remaining threads because you need to make the bracelet evenly and beautifully. Place the cut thread alongside the remaining thread and cut the rest to the same length. Arrange the threads in the color order you desire. To prevent the knots from being too bulky, try to avoid having the threads cross over each other too much.
Pass the first thread through the second thread to tie a knot. To do this correctly, you must first make a half knot.
- First, pass the first thread through the second thread. Be sure to leave part of the first thread outside to form a loop.
- Pass the first thread behind the second thread and then pull it through the loop.
- Hold the second thread tightly while you pull the first thread. As you do this, you'll see a knot move up the second thread. Now you've completed the first knot. Not bad, right?
Create another knot in the same way with these two threads. After making the second knot with the first and second threads, use the first thread to create two more knots on the third thread, then the fourth, and continue in the same manner. Keep doing this until each thread has two knots.
- Remember to pull the threads until they feel tight. However, be careful not to pull too tightly! If some knots are tighter than others, the bracelet will look uneven and bumpy rather than neat and flat.
- Continue tying knots with the first thread and the next thread, from left to right, until all the threads are tied, and the first thread is moved to the farthest right position.
Continue with the knotting pattern
Repeat the process once more with the leftmost thread. Congratulations, you’ve completed the first round of knots! Now keep going. The leftmost thread will be your new starting thread. Each thread will end up on the right side after you finish a round, and you’ll begin again with a new colored thread. Repeat the double knotting technique with the leftmost thread, moving from left to right until the thread is on the far right side.
Keep going until the bracelet is long enough to fit your wrist comfortably. Since you’ve worked hard to make this beautiful bracelet, make sure it fits just right! Test the bracelet by wrapping it around your wrist. You should leave enough space so that you (or the person receiving the bracelet) can slide two fingers between the bracelet and the wrist.
Tie the remaining end of the bracelet into a knot. Make sure the knot doesn’t add extra length to the bracelet.
Trim any remaining thread. If there is any excess thread, you can use scissors to cut it off.
Tie the bracelet ends. Now that you have tied the knots at both ends of the bracelet, the next step is to simply knot the threads together, and the bracelet will be ready to wear! If you want the bracelet to fit perfectly, it's recommended to ask a friend for help tying the knot after wearing it on your wrist.
Celebrate Tet and add beads to the bracelet
Simple Tet knotting style. If you want your bracelet to stand out more, you can add a basic braid style. You can braid any end of the bracelet, but remember to braid before tying the main knot for the design. Gather the threads together in pairs or threes, so you will have three sections of thread to create the braid (left, middle, right).
Cross the right thread over the middle one. Take the thread from the right and pass it over the middle one. This right thread now shifts to the middle position. Next, take the thread from the left and pass it over the middle thread, moving the left thread to the middle position.
- Repeat the action! Continue this process - right over middle, left over middle - until you achieve a braid of the desired length, around 2.5 cm or shorter.
Tie a knot before starting the main pattern. After braiding the threads in the basic style to your desired length, around 2.5 cm or shorter, tie a knot before starting to create the design for the bracelet.
The last knot of the bracelet. After you have the pattern with the appropriate length, tie a short piece of thread to finish the bracelet.
Add beads or decorative elements at the end of the bracelet. If you feel the bracelet needs additional decoration, you can attach beads or other decorative items to the threads while braiding. Tie knots to secure the decorations in place.
- And that's it! You can gift the bracelet to a close friend, try selling it to others, or keep it for yourself if you don't want to part with the beautiful bracelet.
Tips
- To make the threads easier to pull without snapping when making the bracelet, you should first rub wax on each thread. To apply the wax, you can pull the thread back and forth over an old candle.
- Choose the colors carefully. You can pick the favorite color of the person receiving the bracelet or select a color based on its meaning (e.g., red = love, yellow = joy, etc.).
- Tie the threads loosely to see if the colors match well together.
- Avoid making the knots too tight or too loose. If the knots are too tight, the threads might snap, or the pattern won’t be clear. On the other hand, loose knots will quickly come undone.
- Try to finish the bracelet in one go so you don’t forget where you left off. If you’re worried about forgetting the order of the colors, you should take notes.
- If you're tying two knots on each thread, be sure to do the same for the other threads. Tying two knots per thread will help keep the bracelet flat.
- If the bracelet twists, you can iron it or use a paperclip to straighten it. Move the paperclip while doing this. You can also use a clip board.
- If you tie knots backward, the angle of the pattern will reverse. You can use this technique to make a bracelet with arrow patterns or zigzag shapes.
- If you're making many bracelets, you can sell them to earn extra money.
Warnings
- Embroidery thread is very delicate. Therefore, you should be careful not to tie the knots in the wrong positions. However, if that happens, there’s no need to worry. You can always undo the knots using tweezers or a safety pin, but this can be tricky and might sometimes cause the thread to unravel or snap. Knots on embroidery thread are usually difficult to untie.
- Don’t pull the bracelet too tightly on your wrist; leave a little space for proper blood circulation!
- Try to avoid getting your fingers tangled in the knots or causing the thread to knot up.
What You'll Need
- Embroidery thread
- Scissors
- Safety pins, clip board, or tape
- Beads and/or decorative shapes (optional)
