How to Make a Unique Friendship Bracelet With 5 Strings
Woven friendship bracelets are all the rage again. Adults might remember whiling away hour-upon-hour at summer camp making these simple braided bracelets for all their friends back home. Braided friendship bracelets are made by using complicated braiding techniques to turn yarn and beads into a bracelet which can be tied onto the wrist or ankle. Mastering five-strand braiding isn't for the faint of heart. The result is well worth the trouble, though, as it creates unique memento of friendship the recipient might remember long into the future.
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Things You'll Need
- 3 strands of black worsted weight yarn, 12 inches
- 2 strands of aqua worsted weight yarn, 12 inches
- Ruler
- Masking tape
- 6 small beads
Instructions
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1
Bundle together the black and aqua yarn. Make sure that all the aqua yarn is on the right side of the bundle. Lay the bundle in front of you on a flat surface. Measure 2 inches from the top of the yarn and tie a knot. This creates one end of the tail, which you'll use to tie the bracelet onto the wrist.
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2
Tape the tail to the table with masking tape. This will make it easier to braid the bracelet together.
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3
Thread a bead onto the center-most strand of yarn. Hold it in place with your left hand while you begin braiding with your right hand. After you've braided a couple of strands, you won't need to hold it in place anymore.
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4
Start braiding with the right-most strand of aqua yarn. Weave the yarn over, under, over and under; give it a good pull at the end to ensure it is tight. Repeat this step with the second strand of aqua yarn.
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5
Slide another bead onto the center-most strand of yarn. Hold it in place with your left hand while you begin braiding black yarn with your right hand.
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6
Starting at the right again, braid the right-most strand of black yarn over, under, over and under; give it a tug at the end to ensure it is taut. Repeat this step from the right hand side two more times.
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7
Repeat Steps 3 to 6 until the bracelet is the length you desire. (You want to leave at least 2 inches at the bottom as bracelet ties.) Then slide one last bead onto the center-most strand of yarn and tie the yarn into a knot. Remove the tape from the top of the bracelet and it is ready to give to a friend as a special memento of summer times.
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Tips & Warnings
You can use this braiding pattern with as many as 10 strands of yarn.
You can find advanced braiding patterns online that give instructions on how to braid friendship bracelets with letters or images in them.
References
- Photo Credit Roger Weber/Digital Vision/Getty Images
