How to Make the Egyptian Friendship Bracelet
Friendship bracelets have always been popular among young girls in middle school and high school. Made from embroidery thread or colorful yarn, creating these lovely bracelets make a great hobby and a sweet gift for a girlfriend or family member. They can be baffling to start, but once you get the gist of the pattern, they are easy and fun to make.
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Instructions
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1
Cut the yarn about the length of your full arm span.
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2
Lay the strands side by side on the clipboard and place the ends under the clip. You should have eight strands of yarn, each color being opposite itself in order.
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3
Make two forward knots -- four small knots total -- with the strand of yarn farthest to the left and the strand next to it. The left-hand strand goes on top of the strand next to it. Pull the knots firmly toward the top of the group of strands.
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4
Repeat the above step on the right-hand side of the strands, only reversing the process. Make two backward knots -- another four small knots -- by pulling the strand on the right behind and under the strand next to it. Pull firmly to the top of the clipboard.
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5
Spread out the strands so you can see them each individually.
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6
Start with the innermost strand on the right -- the fourth strand from the right. Use it to do one backward knot -- two small knots -- on each of the remaining three strands to its right.
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7
Repeat Step 5 starting with the other innermost strand of yarn and working to the left. You will make one backward knot -- two small knots -- on each of the strands to the left, pulling them all firmly toward the top of the clipboard.
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8
Spread out the strands and take the outer two strands, which were the inner strands before, and move them off to the sides. They will not be used for awhile.
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9
Join the two existing middle strands together with a forward knot -- two small knots.
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10
Proceed by doing two forward knots on each of the two strands to the right of the innermost middle strand by using that inner strand. Repeat on the left side with those strands, but make two backward knots to the left.
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11
Pull out the outermost strands for use later. You should now have four strands left to work with.
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12
Make a forward knot with the two strands on the right. Repeat on the left side, but make a backward knot with the two left-hand strands.
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13
Remove the outermost strands to the sidelines and make a forward knot with the remaining two center strands.
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14
Bring the last set of strands you set aside back into the work area and make a forward knot on the left side with the two strands on the left. Repeat this step, but make a backward knot with the two strands on the right.
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15
Join the two strands in the middle with a forward knot.
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16
Bring down the next set of strands you set aside previously and make one forward knot on each of the two strands on the left with the strand farthest to the left. Repeat on the right side with the outmost right strand, but make a backward knot on each of the two strands to the right.
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17
Join the two center strands and make a forward knot.
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18
Bring down the last set of strands you set aside earlier. Start with the outermost strand on the left, making one forward knot each with the inner three strands on the left. Repeat this action on the right with the outmost strand on the right, making a backward knot on each of the three strands to the right.
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19
Join the two inner strands with one forward knot.
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20
Repeat the process from Step 9 until your bracelet is the right length.
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21
Tie off the strands at the end when the bracelet is finished and tie together to complete.
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Tips & Warnings
The color you have chosen for the two inner strands will be the primary color of the bracelet.
A full forward or backward knot is comprised of two small knots.
The basic pattern is a chevron with multicolored lines repeating back and forth.
It's easy to confuse the threads. Always use four separate colors so you can keep the threads apart and be sure you're knotting the correct threads to one another.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
