How to make a Hemp bracelet

This article is about making Hemp bracelets or necklaces or even ankle bracelets. You will also learn how to make a square knot while learning this.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 or 2 colors of hemp, 2 pieces of each
• Beads if you want to add them with holes big enough to fit over the center piece of hemp,
• metal clasps if you want to add those to connect ends together

1. 
   what it looks like before you start working the pattern

   I have chosen to use 2 colors of hemp and ends that screw together. You need to take both pieces of hemp, whether you use 1 or two colors. They need to be quite lengthy. The bigger the wrist (neck, ankle), the longer your pieces need to be. The longer of the two pieces will be the piece you are actively working, the shorter of the two will be the center portion of the bracelet.

2. 
   the beginning square knot

   Take the longer piece and fold in half. Then take the short piece and do the same. The ends on the longer piece need to meet as well as the shorter piece of hemp. If you are going to add the metal end clasps, you will add one end now to the shorter piece; otherwise you will have to open up the loop of the clasp if it has a loop that can be seperated. Some don’t, so I highly suggest you do this step now. Next part is to take the longer piece of hemp, put one side over the shorter piece and one behind. You will be rotating each piece with the over, under as you go. To complete this, once you have the one side over and the other side under the center strings, they create a loop, and the string that went over you put, as I say, down and through and the under string goes up and through. Then you just pull tight and continue on until completed length remembering to rotate the over, under sides. Once you get the first part of the square knot done you can move it up or down on the string with the clasp to get a desired length of that end. If you forget which end was over and which was under, just look at the bracelet. The side that was over, when pulled tight will not have the “bump: on its side. Look at picture you will see what I am talking about if that sounds confusing. If you choose to add a bead or many slide it up the center 2 strings and continue on. The hemp will follow suit around the bead. Very easy to do

3. 
   after you fold over the center strings and start with pattern again

   Now that you have the desired length, you need to figure how to close it off. You can skip the clasp in step one and knot of the other end and just put the knot through the original loop or do what I like to do add the second part of the clasp to the other end. I like to cut off the part of the center strings to shorten them, add on clasp and fold rest of ends together. Continue with the bracelet pattern as you have been doing but pull tighter on this last part because you want to make sure it stays. Depending on whom I give the bracelet to I like to take a bit of clear glue and put it on the part of the center strings where they touch themselves when folded over to make it more secure and continue on with pattern, that will cover the glue and no one will know. Cut off the excess if you have any and wrap up for someone else or enjoy yourself.

4. 
   a sample of the 3 different basic ways to make the bracelet

   You can always change the style of how you are working your pattern. If you want to make it one color on the outside and one color on the inside, then the main color with always be the “under” and other color will always be “outer”, but you will be splitting up the 2 colors which will look a bit funny. You will have two different colors as the outer pieces and the two different colors for the inner pieces as well. See picture. What is nice about this style is that you can flip it and have a different color the next day.

Tips & Warnings

• There are so many more ways/patterns to make these, so go hunt down the inexpensive books and have away. It is a great, fairly inexpensive way to make gifts; I like to make these also as book marks. For those I use DMC floss or Ribbon. This will take time to get the hang of but you can do it. It won’t take too long to figure out the coordination. So if you get frustrated, take a break and go back later and try, try again.
• Be aware, hemp does stretch in time so whether it is a necklace or bracelet or even a ring if you choose (it is possible, I made one with a single little bead and waxed hemp). If hemp is to itchy at first for you or even too tight at first, you can soak it in water over night or go ahead and wear it in the shower or bath with you and it will start to relax and stretch and get softer just a bit.

[ceholmes]

on 7/27/2009 good info that is needed, thanks so much for sharing! 5*

[juliemcmurchie]

on 3/13/2009 Good job. 5*

[incharity]

on 3/12/2009 5***** and recommend!