How to Make a Basket Weave Friendship Bracelet

Let your child choose their favorite color embroidery thread for making a friendship bracelet.

A fast and fun craft for kids, weaving friendship bracelets is a great way to engage your child’s creativity. Using inexpensive embroidery thread, double knots and an easy-to-learn basket weave pattern, your child can create a friendship bracelet in their favorite or school colors. Friendship bracelets come in a variety of patterns, including basket weave.

Things You'll Need

• Stiff Cardboard
• Scissors
• Marker
• Embroidery thread
• Yardstick

Instructions

1. Create a work surface by cutting 1-inch notches into a stiff piece of cardboard with one notch in the top center and six notches along the bottom. Number the notches along the bottom, 1 through 6, left to right.

2. Measure and cut three 1-yard lengths of embroidery thread, each a different color. For the purposes of this instruction, use red, white and blue. Tie a knot ¾-inch from the top of the looped end. Attach the knotted bundle to the cardboard by sliding it into the top center notch with the knot on the backside of the notch. Spread out the six strands and secure them in the bottom notches in the following color pattern: red, white, red, white, blue, blue.

3. Pick up string 3(red) and make one right hand double knot onto string 4(white) by crossing string 3 over string 4 so that it forms a 4-shape and bringing the tail up through the eye of the 4-shape, pulling taut and repeating. Then move the red string to notch 4 and the white to notch 3. Pick up string 1(red) and make two right hand double knots, one each on string 2(white) and string 3(white). The color pattern should now be: white, white, red, red, blue, blue.

4. Pick up string 5(blue) and make to two left hand double knots, one each on string 4(red) and string 3 (red). To make left hand double knots invert the 4-shape and knot from right to left. Pick up string 6(blue) and make two more left hand double knots, one each onto string 5(red) and string 4(red). The color pattern should now be: white, white, blue, blue, red, red.

5. Pick up string 1(white) and make three right hand double knots, one each on string 2 (white), string 3(blue) and string 4(blue). Pick up string 1(white) and make two right hand double knots, one each onto string 2(blue) and string 3(blue). At this point, the pattern is beginning to emerge, and you will see that you are moving color groups inward and alternating sides, much like braiding.

6. Continue alternating sides and moving color groups inward until you reach your desired length. At that point, separate the strings by color and weave 1 to 2 inches of regular braid and tie off with a knot. Trim any uneven ends and tie to the wrist by running the braided end through the loop and making a double knot.

References

• Friendship-Bracelets: Pattern #532
• Friendship-Bracelets: Normal Patterns