How to Make a Cross Knot Friendship Bracelet

Friendship bracelets came into vogue amid the macramé craze in the early 1970 when teenagers started weaving and knotting them from scrap yarn and other fibers. Friends taught one another how to make the bracelets and eventually street vendors in the cities were offering custom designs to customers as they waited.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Two colors of cotton embroidery floss
• Ruler or tape measure
• Scissors
• A clipboard or a piece of foam core board or cork board and a T-pin

1. Cut three pieces 36 inches long from each of the two colors of embroidery floss. Tie all 6 lengths of floss together with an overhand knot. Leave a tail of about three inches above the knot.

2. Fasten the knot under the clip of the clipboard or pin it to cork board or foam core board using a single T-pin. Straighten out the lengths of floss and smooth the threads. Gather the colors together so that there are two groups of threads with which to work.

3. Hold Color B in one hand, taking up any slack. Take Color A, work it under Color B. Bring Color A back over Color B and take the end of Color A through the loop that's formed to make a left-hand knot. Slide the knot up to the first knot and pull snugly.

4. Take Color B and Color A and make an overhand knot. Push the knot up against the first left-hand knot and pull it snug.

5. Alternate Steps 3 and 4 until the bracelet is the desired length. Finish off the bracelet with an overhand knot. Make sure the last knot if securely tightened.

6. Measure about 3 inches from the last and clip the threads. Tie the bracelet on a friend's wrist. Make sure to tell the friend the bracelet was made especially with her in mind.

Tips & Warnings

• Vary the pattern of the bracelet by repeating each knot two or three times. Embellish the bracelet by adding charms or beads.