chevron friendship bracelets

I stumbled upon these woven bracelets while surfing the internet, and they just reminded me so much of my childhood when I could sit and braid friendship bracelets for hours.

The tutorial I found showed how to weave chevron patterned bracelets.
They looked so very cute and cool.
And this was another craft that would cost me nothing! All you need is embroidery floss* and scissors.

Have I mentioned how fabulous I think free is?
I have?
Okay, sorry. I just really, really love something for nothing.

*A note on the embroidery floss. I think it's actually pretty important to use this when making these bracelets. I didn't think so at first, so I attempted to make one with colored hemp I had lying around. It was cute, but the hemp was so rough and hard that it didn't stay long enough to fit around my wrist and was pretty un-pliable. I'm now using that trainwreck as a bookmark :)
It did give me time to practice the weave though, which was a plus.

Here's how to do it (you can also find the original tutorial here: http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-friendship-bracelet/):
1. Pick 4 colors of embroidery floss. I choose bright colors that show up well against each other. Cut 2 strands of each color, at least 24 inches long.

2. Make a knot, leaving about 3 inches of thread hanging free on the end. Tape or anchor down this end to something to hold it while you weave.

3. Alright, we are ready to weave. I didn't start taking pictures until I had done several rows, so you can see what it is supposed to look like.

Choose which color will be your "outside" color. Mine is purple. You want to have an order for your colors, so that the same colors are on the outside left and outside right, with the same colors next to them, and the next color beside them, with 2 of the same color in the middle.

Sorry, I know that is really confusing. Here is my order from left to right: String #1 Purple, #2 Yellow, #3 Blue, #4 Pink, #5 Pink, #6 Blue, #7 Yellow, #8 Purple.

4. Take the outside string on the left and hold it over the string next to it in a 4 shape. ^^^

Now take the end of your outside string, loop it under the second string, and pull it up slowly, knotting it at the top (make sure your outside color is on top of the knot!)

Do this twice on each string. You have to remember to knot each string twice, or else your bracelet will have some problems (like mine does.) If you think you haven't knotted twice, be sure to check before going on weaving. I didn't catch some of my knots were missing until I was way past the point of tearing them all out (which is a real pain) so now my bracelet has a couple of, um,....funks in it. 

See, here I am knotting my outside string on the next color in the sequence, which is blue. Remember to use the 4 shaped knot for your left side strings. Knot each string twice until you get your outside purple string to the middle. THEN STOP. I didn't stop the first time (okay, so I made a lot of mistakes. Sue me :P )

5. Okay, repeat this knotting process from the RIGHT side now. When going from the right side, use a P shaped knot instead of the 4 shape. It's backwards.

^^ Here is my outside right string making the P shape over the string to its left.

6. Once both of your "outside" strings are in the middle, it should look something like this:

Now, make the P shape with the right middle string over the left middle string, and knot it twice, just like all the others.

7. Repeat this process, over, and over, and over, with each color.
It's hard to remember which color goes when at first, but as the pattern comes out you'll be able to see it much easier.

8. Once your chevron pattern is long enough (I measured mine on my wrist, and when it had just covered my wrist around the sides but not all the way around to the back I stopped weaving) knot the strings again, close up to the pattern. Now you can braid the loose strings (or not!) and just tie the bracelet on.

Finished product? A simple, cute and comfortable (the embroidery floss is really soft!) bracelet that didn't cost me a dime. :)

Some thoughts on this project: This takes a long, long time. Once you get used to the weave and get a rhythm it gets faster, but it is still kind of frustrating. I'd recommend doing making these bracelets while watching tv, riding in the car (please, not while driving though :P) or maybe while your daughter throws tantrums that you are "ignoring" in the background.

I mean, it's a whole lot of weaving. You're gonna weave until you fingers get tired, and then you're gonna have to keep on weaving.

Once you get your pattern good and established, it is possible to put the bracelet aside to finish later. Which might be wise, cause I swear your fingers will  get tired.

So what I'm saying is, if you make these as true-to-your-4th-grader-inside-yourself friendship bracelets, I assume you're making at least 2 of them. And they must be for someone you really consider a great friend, because it is gonna take you forever.

But, I am usually oh-so-bored....so I've already picked out my colors for bracelet number 2! I need to get the technique down perfect before I make any for friends....and I'm sure I'll end up wasting about a 1/3 of my life braiding these things. 

I admit, they look better the more of them you are wearing. Go checkout the post that inspired my post and you'll see their gorgeous pictures of some very stylish lady sporting several of these babies at once. I love the look of them! http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-friendship-bracelet/

In conclusion, throw-backs to your childhood are fun....and this one made me think I had a lot of patience as a kid! If you yourself are oh-so-bored-and-crafty, I suggest making these bracelets. Possibly with friends. Or by yourself with a glass of wine and some trashy tv, like I did. :)

xo
Rachel