How to Make a Friendship Bracelet With a Heart-Shaped Pattern
A friendship bracelet is something you give to close friends or family to keep you connected. With this project you weave string, yarn or heavy embroidery floss. The bracelets come in a variety of patterns. The heart pattern is an intermediate skill bracelet that would be suitable for Valentine's Day, or just when you want to make the gift special.
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Things You'll Need
- Colored cotton string, yarn, or embroidery floss
- Scissors
- Masking tape
- Safety pin (optional)
Instructions
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Cut two strands of yarn, string or embroidery floss 65 inches long. Make each a different color. The heart pattern requires a two-color technique for contrast.
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Place the two strands together and fold them in half. Make a loop and knot them at the top. Tape the loop to a flat work surface, or run the safety pin through the loop and pin the piece to a pillow or your pant leg.
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Arrange the colors in a specific pattern so that one color will form the heart, and the other becomes the background. You will work first one side, then the other. Four strands make up a side. The strands are arranged so that the colors alternate on the first side, then alternate in the opposite pattern on the other side. The left side should be color 1, 2, 1, 2. The right side is color 2, 1, 2, 1. Color 1 makes the heart. while color 2 makes the background. Determine which color is 1 and 2 in your pattern.
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Make three backward knots on the far right strand. Backward knots are formed by laying the strand over top of the one to the right of it, then under it, then back up through the loop behind itself and pull. Repeat for a full backward knot. One loop creates only a half knot and the bracelet will twist if you do half knots.
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Create four forward knots on the far left strand. Create the forward knot by laying the strand on the left over the one to the right of it, leaving a small loop open. Bring the strand back around behind the second one, then up through the loop and pull tight. Repeat. The move must be done twice for a full forward knot.
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Repeat the process. Note hat the color pattern has switched to the opposite you began with. It is now 2, 1, 2, 1, and 1,2,1,2.
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Make a forward knot in the rightmost strand. Make a backward knot in the leftmost strand.
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Make two backward knots in the far right strand. Make three forward knots in the far left strand.
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Create a forward knot in the far right strand. Follow with a backward knot in the far left strand. Now make two backward knots on the far right strand and three forward knots on the far left strand to join. This creates one full heart.
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Repeat from the beginning of the knotting pattern until you reach the desired length. Finish by dividing the two sections of four strands and making two braids, or bundling them all together and loop, pull through and make a knot. Knot it again and trim the tails. This knot can slide through the loop at the other end to secure it, or you can tie the bracelet on permanently with the braided tails.
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References
- Photo Credit Karl Weatherly/Photodisc/Getty Images
