How to Make a Kandi Weave

Kids wear kandi bracelets to rave parties, where they dance amid music and bright lights.

Today’s kids love kandi bracelets because they can personalize them with colorful beads, stylish pendants and distinctive charms. While some bracelets are made very simply with elastic and pony beads, today’s kandi kids are always on the lookout for that “next new thing” that will set them just a little apart from their peers. Help them make a kandi weave by creating a loom with a straw and then, to appease their younger siblings -- who almost certainly don’t want to be left out of the fun -- make an even simpler twisted kandi weave.

Things You'll Need

• Baby oil
• Straws
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• Yarn
• Pony beads, pendants or charms (for the ends of the bracelet)

Instructions

Junior Miss Kandi Weave

1. Soak the straws in baby oil overnight to soften. Let dry.

2. Cut a straw about 3 inches long and place it on a hard surface.

3. Thread a piece of yarn through the straw, tying a simple knot at the end.

4. Begin wrapping the yarn around the straw, overlapping the yarn slightly. When you get to the end, tie a knot and go back and wrap another layer of yarn over the straw. Do not wrap too tightly, and do not squeeze the straw as you wind the yarn around it.

5. Tie knots at both ends and leave about 4-inch tails so you can tie the bracelet to your kandi kid’s wrist.

6. Add pony beads, pendants or charms at either end of the kandi weave, securing with another knot. A child with a short name, such as Pam, may wish to consider adding alphabet beads at the end of her kandi weave.

Preschool Miss Kandi Weave

1. Measure the child’s wrist and add 4 inches so you can tie the bracelet.

2. Cut three strands of yarn to a length twice this number. So, for example, if the child’s wrist is 4 inches wide and you add another 4 inches for the ties, doubling this number means you should cut three strands of yarn 16 inches long.

3. Line up the three strands of yarn. Thread a large decorative bead or pendant through the strands, moving it to the middle.

4. Ask the child to hold one end of the three strands, tightly and securely, while you do the same on the other end.

5. Twist the three strands of yarn, with the child twisting in one direction (say, to the left) while you twist to the other (or the right). Keep twisting the yarn until you both reach the bead or pendant in the middle.

6. Tie a knot at the end of your yarn, then do the same at the child’s end. Thread a bead or a few beads at each end, if you desire.

Tips & Warnings

• Try making a kandi weave with different-colored yarn, tying off between yarn changes, or try using a variegated yarn.

• If you have the equipment, wrap the preschool kandi weave on top of a piece of cork board, then secure the ends temporarily with a staple gun until you can tie them securely in a knot.