Colorful, cheap, fairly easy to make and highly customizable (DMC floss comes in just about every color one can think of), friendship bracelets are a quick and easy gift. A gift that has some thought behind it, without being over bearing.
I don't know about you, but I never learned how to make them when I was younger. If you are in the same boat as I was, don't worry, they aren't as complicated as they might seem.
The multicolored bracelet in the above picture is a simple chevron pattern. The tutorial that I used was from Honestly WTF.
Below, I have the pattern I made up for the other two bracelets (hard to believe but they are the same, just different tension was used on the knots).
Since I'm new to this whole thing, I won't go through the headache of trying to write up an explanation on what a forward and backward knot are (ever heard of the blind leading the blind, lol), so instead I will direct you again to the Honestly WTF tutorial. The biggest thing I had to keep reminding myself was to DOUBLE knot, so I suppose that is the only advice I have for you.
You will need:
2 Embroidery flosses in the main color you like
1 Embroidery floss in a contrasting color (you can find these at most crafting stores, I found mine at Walmart for 30 cents each)
Scissors
Tape
The bracelet I made used 10 strands of floss. 8 strands will be your main color (MC), 2 strands will be your contrasting color (CC).
Step 1: Knot all strands together, and then part into three sections (since 10 can not be divided evenly by 3, it is okay for your sections to be uneven).
Step 2: Braid for 2 inches, knotting the end so your braid doesn't unravel.
Note: Tape down the braid well so you can really pull on the floss as you go. It might also be helpful to tape the bracelet down as it grows for added stability.
Step 3: Pull out pieces of your floss so that the pattern is, 2 strands main color, 1 strand contrasting, 2 strands main color, and this repeats on the other side.
Between Step 3 and 4: Here is the unseen work of double knotting the main color across for 2 rows.
Step 4: You should now have your contrasting color on the outside edges. To make the border for your heart, take the strand directly next to CC, and double knot backwards for the left side and forward knot for the right side.
Step 5: Work the CC across remaining 3 MC strands.
Continue working 2 rows of MC, the one special row with CC and then 2 more rows of MC, until bracelet reaches desired length.
Once so, knot the end, braid for 2 inches and then knot again. Clip your uneven strands with scissors. You're done! Try your bracelet on or give it to a friend, either way, this cute accessory will brighten your day.
