How to Make a Friendship Bracelet With a Strawberry Design
Art formed simply by tying knots may sound dull, but its results can be astounding. Decorative knot tying dates back thousands of years to ancient China, and it's no less popular today, as anyone from young children to the elderly may be spotted wearing a friendship bracelet in some form. Intricate creations and even distinct shapes--such as numbers and letters, hearts and so on--can be formed just by following a specific pattern of knot tying.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 9 light green strings, 35 inches
- 4 red strings, 35 inches
- 3 dark green strings, 35 inches
- Scissors
Instructions
-
-
1
Align the edges of all your strings. Collect them together and tie a knot 1 1/2 inches from one end. Lay out your strings in the following pattern: two light green strings, one red string, one light green, one red, one light green, one red, one light green, one dark green, one light green, one dark green, one light green, one dark green and a final light green.
-
2
Number the strings 1 through 16 in their current order. Tie String 2 in a single backward knot onto String 1, then reverse direction and tie String 2 in a single forward knot onto String 1 so that both strings are in their original positions. Repeat this “backward/forward knot” for the remainder of the row. Tie every even-numbered string onto the string that precedes it, backward then forward to complete a double knot. Each string will end up in its original position.
-
-
3
Tie String 2 onto String 3 using a single forward knot. Finish the double knot by reversing directions, tying String 2 onto String 3 with a single backward knot. Use this “forward/backward knot” for the rest of the row, tying all the even-numbered strings onto the strings immediately after them. Skip String 1 and String 16.
-
4
Repeat row 1 to create a third row.
-
5
Skip the first string, then begin the fourth row by tying String 2 onto String 3 with a forward/backward knot. Do the same with Strings 4 and 5. For the next three string pairs, take the second string of the pair and tie a backward/forward knot on the previous string. Tie String 12 onto String 13 and String 14 onto String 15, both with forward/backward knots. Leave out String 16.
-
6
Begin the fifth row with two backward/forward knots: String 2 onto String 1 and String 4 onto String 3. Continue with three forward/backward knots; knot Strings 5, 7 and 9 onto the strings that follow them to create red knots. Follow with one more forward/backward knot in the dark green color using Strings 11 and 12. Finish up the row with two backward/forward knots, trying Strings 14 and 16 onto the strings that immediately precede them.
-
7
Form the sixth row by tying Strings 2, 8, 12 and 14--all light green strings--in forward/backward knots onto the strings that follow. Leave out String 1 and String 16, and use backward/forward knots for all remaining string pairs to create two red knots and one dark green knot. Complete these knots in any order you please; knots within a row are independent of one another.
-
8
Start the seventh row by tying String 2 onto String 1, backward and forward. Follow with a forward/backward knot, String 3 onto String 4, and another backward/forward knot, String 6 onto String 5. Complete two forward/backward knots with the red strings that begin the next two string pairs--Strings 7 and 9--and another forward/backward knot that ties the dark green String 11 onto String 12. Finish the row by tying the light green Strings 14 and 16 in backward/forward knots onto their predecessors.
-
9
Skip the first string, then complete a whole eighth row of backward/forward knots. Tie only odd-numbered strings onto the even-numbered strings that precede them. You will end up four red knots and three dark green knots in the row. String 16 will be left unused at the end.
-
10
Tie String 2 backward/forward onto String 1 to start the ninth row. Follow with two forward/backward knots, tying String 3 and String 5 onto Strings 4 and 6, respectively. Repeat the backward/forward light green knot that you began the row with--String 8 onto String 7--and finish the row with three more forward/backward knots and a single forward/backward knot.
-
11
Leave out Strings 1 and 16 in the tenth row. Tie five consecutive backward/forward knots, beginning with String 3 onto String 2. Finish the row with two forward/backward knots.
-
12
Duplicate row 7 to create an eleventh row. Repeat row 6 for the twelfth row. Continue repeating rows backwards in this manner: match row 13 to row 5, row 14 to row 4, row 15 to row 3 and row 16 to row 2.
-
13
Repeat rows 1 through 16 until the bracelet is as long as you would like. When you reach your desired length, tie all the strings together in a knot just below the end of the bracelet. Trim the ends, leaving a tail of one to two inches. Knot the tails together to complete your bracelet.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Remember to tie double knots.
Always tie the right string onto the left string when doing a backward/forward knot. Tie the left string in a pair onto the right string when making a forward/backward knot.
Don’t attempt this advanced technique until you’ve mastered simple friendship bracelet making.
References
- Photo Credit Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
