Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

The best summer project around? Friendship bracelets… So portable, so cute and so easy! And you don’t need to be intimidatingly crafty to make them. In fact, even if you have two left thumbs, these Breezy Friendship Bracelets are perfectly do-able.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Over the past few years, we have featured several knotted bracelet designs here on the Bee (click here to see them all), but this season’s version is the easiest and breeziest. Made with two very simple knots, these bracelets work up so quickly you can make several in an afternoon and a whole armful in a weekend.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho 

The Breezy Friendship Bracelets also have a new streamlined, adjustable closure for easy on and off. And for the first time, I used our 1 mm Chinese Knotting Cord, a durable nylon cord made for, well… knotting! You only need two colors to make a bracelet, but wheres the fun in that? Make a whole rainbow!

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Kids can easily get in on this friendship bracelet action. We’re thinking tokens of friendship for the end of the school year and hours of entertainment for summer road trips. But, honestly? We make and wear friendship bracelets too! -Molly

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Materials

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

  • A least two colors of 1mm Chinese Knotting Cord. I used Yellow, Light Grey, White, Aquamarine and Neon Pink.

You will also need a lighter and a safety pin.

Finished Size

7 inches around with two 3-inch ties. These bracelets adjust to fit most adult women, but the pattern can easily be altered to fit anyone!

Pattern

One Sided Wrap Bracelet (Narrower)

Pick two colors: an Under Color and an Over Color. From the Under Color, cut three 18-inch lengths. These are the Base Cords. From the Over Color, cut one 68-inch length. This is the Working Cord. From the Under Color (or any color you like!), cut a 10-inch length. This is the Tie Cord.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Line up one end of the Base and Working Cords and tie them together in a simple overhand knot, 5 inches from the aligned ends. (Do not pull this knot too tight because you will be pulling it out later.) Safety pin the knot to your pants or to another secure location.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Pull the Working Cord to the right side of the beginning knot, while keeping the Base Cords grouped together, hanging straight down. Keeping it slack, pull the Working Cord to the left over the Base Cords and then bring the Working Cord under the Base Cords and over itself to create a loop, as shown above.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Pull the Working Cord upwards around the Base Cords, tightening it as you pull. Tug fairly firmly on the knot so that it’s snug at the top of the bracelet. This is a Half Right Knot.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Next you will create a Half Left Knot… Keeping it slack, pull the Working Cord to the left over the Base Cords, and then crossing over to the right, bring the Working Cord under the Base Cords, and then back over itself to create a loop, as shown above.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Pull the Half Left Knot upwards and to the right.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

When the new knot meets up with the previous knot, pull the Working Cord taut so that the little nubs created by the knots are both facing to the right and the left sides are smooth. If you look closely you can see that a small “V” shape is formed by the Half Right and Half Left Knots meeting one another.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Continue in this same manner, alternating a Half Right Knot with a Half Left Knot, while making sure that the knotted edge is on the right and the smooth wrapped side is on the left.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Stop when your bracelet measures 7 inches (or however long you like) from the beginning knot and then tie two Half Left Knots in a row and pull them very tight.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Snip off the ends of the Base Cords a few millimeters beyond the last knot, and cut the tail of the Working Cord to 3 inches. Tie a simple overhand knot at the very end of the 3-inch tail. Use the lighter to melt the ends of the Base Cords, as well as the knot at the end of the Working Cord tail.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Untie the beginning knot, tie two Half Left Knots and then finish that end in the same manner as the first. Arrange the bracelet in a circle, making sure it’s not twisted and the two 3-inch tails are overlapping and parallel to each other with the knots facing in opposite directions.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Tie the center of the Tie Cord in a tight over hand knot around the center of the two tails.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Tie one Half Left Knot at each side of this overhand knot using each tail of the Tie Cord. This is the Tie Closure.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Then turn the whole bracelet over and tie another overhand knot on the other side of the Tie Closure.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Snip off the tails of the Tie Cord and melt the ends to create a neat, button like closure. Pull the knotted tails away from the Tie Closure and the bracelet will close!

Two Sided Wrap Bracelets (Wider)

Pick out two colors, one for the left hand side of the bracelet and one for the right. Cut each of these into one 53-inch length. These are the Left and Right Working Cords. From the lighter of these two colors, cut four 18-inch lengths. These are the Base Cords.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Line up one end of all six strands and tie them together in a simple overhand knot, 5 inches from the aligned ends. (Do not pull this knot too tight because you will be pulling it out later.) Safety pin the knot to your pants or another secure location. Arrange the cords so that the Left Working Cord is to the left, the Base Cords are gathered together in the middle, and the Right Working Cord is to the right.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Create a Half Left Knot with the Left Working Cord by crossing it right over the Base Cords and then left under the Base Cords, coming out over itself. Slide the knot up and to the left, pulling it taut at the base of the beginning knot.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Next, using the Right Working Cord, create a Half Right Knot by crossing it left over the Base Cords and then right under the Base Cords, coming out over itself.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Slide this knot up and to the right until it bumps up against the previous Half Left Knot.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho

Repeat these steps, tying a Half Left Knot with the Left Working Cord, followed by a Half Right Knot with the Right Working Cord until the bracelet measures 7 inches from the beginning knot (or however long you want). Make sure to keep the nubs of the knots facing in their respective directions so that the bracelet lies flat.

Breezy Friendship Bracelets | Purl Soho
Finish in the same manner as for the One Sided Wrapped Bracelets, explained above.