How to Make a Rosary Out of String

Beautifully handcrafted rosaries can be made with simple items, such as string and a few beads. They are relatively easy to make, and you can choose what your rosary will look like, based on the color of string that you choose and the color of beads that you use. You can also purchase a small cross to put at the end of your rosary, or you can make your own using the string and beads.

Things You'll Need

• String
• Scissors
• Beads
• Cross (optional)

Instructions

1. Decide how long your rosary will be. The size of your rosary will determine the size of your beads -- keep in mind that two sizes of beads will be needed. You will need larger ones for the Our Fathers and smaller ones for the Hail Marys. In all, you will need six larger beads and 54 smaller beads.
   A rosary typically has 54 beads; however, some Anglicans and Roman Catholics have added an extra five prayer beads to their rosaries. The purpose of the rosary is to combine meditation and prayer in sequences known as "decades." The decades combine an Our Father prayer with 10 Hail Mary prayers, in addition to a Glory Be to the Father prayer. In addition to these prayers that are signified by the beads of a rosary, the Hail Holy Queen and Apostle's Creed prayers are also said at the end of praying the rosary. A traditional rosary involves completing 15 decades, but another five were added by Pope John Paul II.

2. Cut the string according to the length that you want your rosary to be. When cutting the string, cut it a little longer than you would like to allow for knots to be tied into it as you place the beads on the string.

3. Start at the bottom of the rosary and slide ten small beads onto the string. Lay the string and beads on a table or other flat surface and form a circle with the string. Leave enough string hanging down at the bottom of the circle, as you'll need this for later. Slide the beads all the way to the top of the circle and form a knot at the end of each of the beads on either end. You may have to make a few knots side by side. The idea is to put space between the end beads and the Our Father bead.

4. Still using the flat surface, slide a larger Our Father bead to each end of the knots you just made. Secure the beads by creating the same kind of knots that you just made for the smaller beads. Be sure to leave some space between the Our Father beads and the Hail Mary Beads.

5. Repeat Step 3. Each side of the string should have equal amounts of beads, both large and small. When you come to the end, make sure that you make final knots in the ends of the last beads so they don't fall off. Take both pieces of string and join them together. Knot the string and place the very large bead on the string. Form another knot to secure it, then place four big beads beneath it and form a knot at the end of the last bead. At this point, you can run the string pieces through the opening at the top of the small cross you purchased. Otherwise, you will need to make a bead and string cross to attach to the end of the rosary.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are not sure how the rosary should look, refer to the photo on this page. Make sure that you use the proper amount of beads for each section. Roman Catholics and some Anglicans prefer that their rosaries be blessed by a priest prior to them being used. This is something that you may want to consider, if you would like to have a "holy" rosary.