How to Make a D in a Friendship Bracelet

Friendship bracelets are personalized mementos of good times together

Friendship bracelets are a tradition for young people. These personalized knotted bracelets serve as mementos of the good times had making them with friends. Colorful patterns and designs can be used to make your friendship bracelet unique. Each letter of the alphabet can be done in colorful knots as long as the proper pattern and knotting technique is used.

Things You'll Need

• Embroidery floss in two colors
• Clipboard

Instructions

1. Measure 11 strings of embroidery floss. Make 10, 60-inch strings of one color, and one 100-inch string of another color. The longer string is the background color, and the shorter ones will be the lettering color. Knot your strings and anchor the knot on your clipboard.

2. Arrange the strings so the longer background color string is on your left, and the lettering strings fan out to the right.

3. Take the background color in your left hand and make a "right knot" with the first lettering string by holding the lettering string straight and taut, and knotting the background color around it. Repeat the same loop for a double knot, and pull tight. You will end up with one lettering color on the far left of the line of strings, then the background color, then nine lettering color strings.

4. Make eight "left knots," by holding the background color taut and making double knots with the lettering strings. When you are done with your eight left knots there will be one lettering-colored string left at the right end of the string fan.

5. Make another right knot with the final lettering string and the background color, holding the lettering string taut and knotting the background color. You will notice that whichever color string is doing the knotting is the color of the knot. The straight end of your "D" is done, and you should have one knot of background on either end, and the background color at the far right of your string array.

6. Begin row two by making a left knot with the background color and the first lettering color. This is done by holding the lettering string straight and knotting over with the background string. You will find the right and left knots are reversed because you are moving in the opposite direction. Next make a right knot with the next lettering color by holding the background color taut and knotting the lettering color. The next six lettering strings you encounter will get left knots, where the background color does the knotting and the lettering color is held tight. After six knots, make one right knot, holding the background color taut and knotting the lettering color. For the last knot of this row, make a background color knot by holding the lettering color taut and knotting the background string.

7. Repeat the exact same pattern as row two for row three, knotting the background color first, then the lettering color second, followed by six knots in the background color. Hold taut the string that is the color you don't want to show. Finish row three with a background color knot.

8. Complete the letter "D" with row four. Begin with two left knots, holding the lettering color strings taut and knotting the background color. Follow with six right knots, holding the background color and knotting with the lettering. Finish this row with two more left knots, knotting the background color. Finish your "D" with a row of background showing right knots.

Tips & Warnings

• Use two colors with a strong contrast to avoid getting mixed up as you knot.

• Adjust the suggested length as needed for your project, but keep the proportion the same. You need almost twice as much background string as lettering.

References

• Knot Cool: Letters, D
• Billy Bear 4 Kids: Friendship Bracelet Letters