Friendship Bracelets
Macraméd friendship bracelets were all the rage when I was growing up in the eighties. All the girls at my school would obsessively make them for one another in a dizzying variety of colors, widths, and patterns. It’s amazing, thinking back, that such young girls could make such beautifully intricate accessories.
I, of course, tried my hand at making them as well. I would ride my bike down to the five-and-dime store and pick out the most sophisticated color combinations of embroidery floss I could find, but when it came to the actual macramé I never got beyond plain stripes. There was nothing wrong with plain stripes, except that the other girls seemed so much more advanced with their diamonds and chevrons. A bit intimidated, I never did become a big friendship bracelet expert.
Fast forward 20 years: Purl Soho started carrying DMC Cotton Embroidery Floss in every conceivable color (including fluorescents! ) and so, clearly, my time with friendship bracelets had finally come! After a bit of research, I discovered that what had eluded me as a child is actually really simple. It turns out that there are only two major friendship bracelet knots, a right knot and a left knot. That’s it. After all these years, they only took me a few minutes to learn!
Making friendship bracelets is a surprisingly easy craft, and best of all, in the end you’ll have a bunch of cute summer bracelets to give to your pals. These are also a great thing to make with kids because they don’t require any pins, needles, or scissors, and you can make them as simple or as complicated as you want. Once you learn the basics there’s no limit to the beautiful patterns you can create!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Molly Schnick. Click here to see even more of Molly’s work!
Materials
Since this is such a free form enterprise the amount of colors of DMC embroidery floss you get is really up to you. We used a package of the DMC Light Effects Fluorescent Embroidery Floss and then picked our individual colors around them. Here is a list of the individual colors we used: Ecru, Blanco, 155, 156, 157, 307, 445, 453, 606, 648, 666, 712, 746, 906, 907, 956, 3033, 3761, 3843. For our full selection of DMC Embroidery Floss click here and for the fluorescent pack click here.
Please not that the fluorescent thread is slightly thicker than the regular DMC floss. So if you are mixing the two together it works best if you pull out and discard one ply of the fluorescent thread.
Beginning
To begin, pick out your colors. For the purposes of this how-to and the following patterns each color will be assigned a number.
For patterns use a doubled length of thread cut each color to a length of 72-inches. Hold the cut pieces together, fold them in half, and then make a 3/4-inch long slip knot at the fold.
Using a safety pin pin the loop to your jeans (or any other stable piece of fabric that you don’t mind getting holes in) to keep it steady.
Arrange the threads as instructed in the pattern. In the example above the thread order would be: 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1
For patterns that use a single length of thread cut a 36-inch length from each color. Arrange the pieces in the proper order. Leaving a 6-inch tail, tie a simple overhand knot to start.
The Left Knot
Place a piece of thread (in this case thread #1) over the piece thread to its right (in this case thread #2) in a sort of a “4” shape as shown above
Pull the end of the thread through this “4” loop creating a knot.
While holding the right thread taut pull up the left thread to form a tight knot as shown above. Repeat once more. Both the Left and Right Knots are actually made up of two knots each.
If you are tying more than one Left Knot in a row you will use the same thread (in this case thread #1) to tie the subsequent knots along the a row from left to right.
Right Knot
The right knot is made in the same manner as the left but in the opposite direction.
Place a piece of thread over its left hand neighbor in the “P” shape shown above.
Pull the thread’s end through the “P” to form a knot.
While pulling the left thread tightly down pull the right thread up to form a taut knot. Repeat this once to make a full Right Knot. Remember both the left and right knots are actually made up of two knots each.
If you are tying more than one Right Knot in a row you will use the same thread (in this case thread 1) to tie the subsequent knots along the row from right to left.
Ending
There are a couple of good ways to end your friendship bracelets.
To end a bracelet that starts with a loop separate the threads into two equal groups. Braid each group and tie a knot at the end trimming the ends to be neat and short.
To wear pull the ends though the starting loop and tie a knot.
To end a bracelet that starts with a knot tie another knot at the end of the macramé. Braid both ends and tied knots. Trim to ends to look neat.
To wear tie the ends together in a bow.
Patterns
Basic Stripes
1. Use a single length of thread and any amount of colors you like. Arrange the color in a pleasing order.
2. Starting at the far left tie a row of Left Knots using the 1st color across the whole width of the bracelet.
3. Repeat step 2 until the bracelet is the desired length.
Chevron
1. Using doubled thread and at least 3 colors arrange the threads in a mirror image. For instance, if you were using six colors as in the example above you would arrange the threads like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
2. Starting at the far left side make a row of left knots stopping in the middle of the bracelet when the colors start repeating. For instance, in the six color example above you would tie five left knots.
3. Starting at the far right side tie a row of right knots to the middle. When you get to the middle of the bracelet you will meet up with the thread from step 2. Tie this with a right knot as well. You will always be tying one more knot in step 3 than in step 2. For instance in the six color example above you would tie six right knots in step 3.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the bracelet is the desired length.
As another option you can change the arrangement of the threads in step one to make a more varied and braided looking bracelet.
Diamonds
The diamond shape is the most complicated one I tackled so here are a step by step instructions to make a 4 color bracelet. Once you get the idea with the 4 color version you explore thinner or wider versions as well.
Here are the four threads and their corresponding numbers.
Using doubled strands start the bracelet with a loop and arrange the colors in a mirror image: colors 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Start by tying a left knot with both strands of color 4 in the center.
Please note, these photos start at the middle of the bracelet just because it’s easier to see the pattern that way.
Then, starting with the right hand thread 4 strand tie a row of 3 left knots as shown above.
Next take the other thread 4 strand from the middle and tie a row three right knots as shown above. This shape will be called the upside down “V” in this pattern.
In this same manner make upside down “V”s with colors 3, 2, and 1 always starting from the center and moving out.
When you get back to color 4 make a left knot in the center.
Using the right hand piece of thread 4 make a right knot with the thread directly to the right.
Using the left hand piece of thread 4 make a left knot with the thread directly to the left.
Tie the two color 4 pieces together with a left knot.
With color 1 make a “V” shape just as you would for the chevron pattern: Starting from the far left side tie a row of 3 left knots. Then, starting from the far right side tie a row of 4 right knots to form the “V” shape.
Make another “V” shape with color 2.
Starting at the far left tie two left knots with color 3.
Starting at the far right side tie two right knots with color 3.
At the far left side tie a right knot with color 4.
At the far right side tie a left knot with color 4.
With the left strand of color 3 tie two right knots in a row to the strands of colors 1 and 4 directly the left.
Do the reverse for the other side: with the right strand of color 3 tie two left knots.
Tie an upside down “V” shape with color 2.
Tie an upside down “V” shape starting with color 1.
Now you’re back at the beginning.
Repeat this until the bracelet is the desired length.
Once you get the hang of all the patterns you can mix and match them like we did in the green bracelet above.
Hi! Thank you so much for these patterns! they are beautiful!!! 🙂 I have one question though, how many strings do you use for the wider diamond bracelet?? do you just double? Thank You!
Hi Sarahliz-
It is just double- it's 8 strands.
Thank you for your question and for your kind words!
Best-
Molly
Hi, I know how to do the basic chevrons, but was wondering how you do the one that is second to the right in your photo, with the non matching adjacent color.
Hi Hannah-
There is a brief description of that bracelet at the end of the chevron pattern. It's done exactly like the regular chevron bracelet but you mix up the order of the threads in the first step so that they are in a random order.
Thank you for your question!
Molly
Wow this really helped thanks!
I LOVE this article!! This was very helpful, as I need to see the steps AND read it.
Thank you for posting this!!!
Thank you for the wonderful tutorial! So easy to follow, I will definitely make some for me and my friends 🙂 Love your blog!
Wow thanks so much!!! I just tried this for the first time after failing at other tutorials so I'm really happy I came across one that actually makes sense (:
Wow I’m so happy I came across your article so very happy
Thanks for the great tutorial! I saw these at an Indian powwow in Chicago and I always wanted to know how to make them. Thanks a lot really cool!
um hello i realy know that i can do this but im broke and my parents dont want to buy me strings:( and i just wanted to ask were they sell them cheap that i can aford
i have a bracelet maker kit its like a clipboard that is specifically made to make a braclet. Would it be OK if I use it instead of a safety pin.
Dear Abby-
That would certainly be fine.
Thank you!
Molly
oh my gosh so cute!!!!!! awesome but i need thread i have miles of yarn but only 2 feet of thread can i use yarn
Hi Violet-
Sure! You can use yarn! Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
This was amazing! I've been making friendship bracelets for years but was never able to figure out the diamond pattern. Thanks for the tutorial!
Hello! Thank you for this great tutorial! Looks super fun, cute and simple. Just wondering, though, did you really mean to say to cut 72 inches? I measured it out,
and that's really long. But anyway, thank you, thank you! I'm dying to try these!
Hi Lily-
Yes 72-inches is correct. You then fold the thread in half so you're working with 36-inch lengths. Thanks for your question!
Molly
i am in love
How do you do the cross bit??? you only told me what i already know! how do you do the actual crosses?!
Hi Kat-
I'm not sure I understand your question. The full patterns for all of the bracelets can be found above. It sounds like you'd like to make the Diamond Pattern bracelet. Please let me know if you have any specific questions about the instructions.
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Great guide! Sometimes when I'm tying the knots I will move on to then next and then when I go back to look at the row, in one or two knots the wrong color is showing! Any suggestions?
Hi Nikko,
I’ve found that problem as well and when correcting it I find you need to either pull all the threads downward tautly because the thread underneath buckles up over it (you’ll actually feel a little pop when you pull down and it corrects itself). The other possibility is that you unknowingly knotted with the opposite thread/thread that was supposed to be pulled straight and knotted over. 3rd thing that happened sometimes is doing a right knot when you were supposed to have done a left knot 🙂 Hope that helps!
Hi Nikko-
The only thing I can think of is to make sure that the knots are tight and not showing the thread underneath. Sorry we can't be of more help!
Thank you fro writing in!
Molly
my name is Getinet.from addis ababa Ethiopia.i just began bracelets friendship.i got the material now.but who can each me through video(Skype) or any other method?iam waiting your response.
Thank you
Hi Getinet-
We don't offer video or skype classes but the full pattern and instructions are included in this story. If you have any specific questions about the pattern we would be happy to help. Thank you!
Molly
Love this post so much! Found it on Pinterest while looking for friendship bracelets my daughter and I could make as Valentine's Day gifts. Blogged about and linked this post here:
http://www.noshtoknitting.com/2013/04/friendship-bracelets-and-valentines-day.html?m=1
i love the diamond patterns but how do i make the bracelet wider?
thanks for the great tutorial 🙂
Hi anonymous-
You can make it as wide as you like. Just use more colors (or more strands of the same colors.)
Thank you!
Molly
Love the neon pink diamond bracelet! What's the pattern for the diamond part though. How would you modify for more threads? I'm just getting a little tripped up on how to add more threads and modify the pattern? Thanks for the help and great tutorial!
Hi Clara-
The full instructions for the diamond pattern is listed under the "Diamond" heading of the pattern. To add more colors to this particular pattern simply cut your extra colors and arrange them in mirror order, just as instructed. For instance, if you had six total colors you'd arrange them as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
If you have any other questions please let us know!
Molly
Regarding the spiraling/curling, make sure you're remembering to knot two knots each time, too. Otherwise they will curl. These are beautiful and thanks for the diamond pattern!
Karen
Those bracelets are really nice ! I love it ! I put it in my last DIY selection ! I hope you don't mind 😉
http://dododo.fr/selec-diy-bracelets-dete-2/
Hello. How did you tie a loop to begin the purple, blue, white and grey bracelet that you made with a single length of thread for each colour?
You fold the threads in half but arrange the pattern so it’s 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4 but still has a loop
Hi,
I’m just starting to make these bracelets and their AWESOME! my brother keeps asking me to show him (i do show him) How i do it. It’s a bit hard at first but it’s amazing what the pattern comes out to be., these are amazing and i love them.
These are very beautiful… Thnx
Thank you this helped a lot! These are very pretty. I finally found a good website for making friendship bracelets! I have one question. When I make the basic stripes bracelet it always gets twisted up and it isn’t straight when I put it on. Do you know how I could fix this? Thank you.
Hi Bella-
They can get twisted up- it’s just kind of the nature of the macrame. To stop this you can press the bracelets between two heavy books for a few days to train them to lay straight.
Thanks for getting in touch!
Molly
Once both the left and right sides have been knotted how do you knot the middle ie the same colour strings. If it was in the instructions i didn’t understand it or missed it sorry.
Is it just a regular knot and is it 1 or 2 knots ?
Hi Toni,
Thanks for writing in! For the middle knot on the chevron, you will use the rightmost cord to make a right knot. This will form the center knot. It should also be a double knot to mimic the rest of the knots.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
What color is number “3”?
Hi Tyler,
Thanks for writing in! Color number 3 is DMC 453!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
hi i’m wondering if when you are making the thicker diamond bracelet, do you just do two of each color or is it more than 4 colors?
Hi Lucy,
Thanks for writing in! For the thicker diamond bracelet we use the thread doubled and to get a wider bracelet, we used more colors. You can certainly repeat colors in a wider bracelet. For the largest, we used 6 colors!
Best,
Cassy
Hi,
Will you ever end up selling these bracelets. Please do. They are so beautiful and if you do I will for sure buy them.
Thanks,
Caitlin
Hi Caitlin,
Thanks for reaching out! Although we do not have plans to sell finished bracelets, we do sell kits for both our Classic Friendship Bracelets and Super Easy Friendship Bracelets! The bracelets and very fast and fun to make for kids and adults alike, so I encourage you to give them a shot!
Best,
Julianna
Some people’s left and right knots are different than yours. I used this tutorial, then went into YouTube, and people do them all different ways. 🙂
The instructions on the box that I bought said to do 2 knots instead of one. So do I use 1 knot or 2 knots for the diamond bracelet?
Hallo Alina,
Thanks for reaching out! You can do either 1 or 2 knots for the diamond bracelet.
Happy crafting!
-Marilla
Hi I was wondering when you knot the strings together how do you get the knot to be one colour not the other because say I was knotting the purple string to the blue and I wanted to purple to show up not the blue, but the blue keeps showing up?
Hi Libby,
Thanks for reaching out! The color you are using to work the left or right knots should be the one that shows up, so if you are working a left knot with the purple thread around a blue thread, the purple knots will show in the finished bracelet. It may show up better after working the full row of knots with the purple thread, so I would suggest carrying on to see if it starts looking the way you want it to. If not, please feel free to send us a picture of your work to customerservice@purlsoho.com and we will be happy to take a look!
Best,
Julianna
Love this tutorial! Just wondering but for the varied color chevron bracelet, how did you make it look not too wide if that makes sense? It looked like there were more 6 colors used for that bracelet but I probably miscounted. I tried to use similar colors like the one in the picture but I messed up really badly. Also what specific threads were used for that bracelet I love how the colors look with each other.
Thank you so much!
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out! This project was made many years ago and honestly I’m not sure which exact colors were used for the multi colored bracelet. It looks like eight colors to me, there is a neon green, darker green, pink, red, royal blue, baby blue, yellow, and white. I hope this helps and let us know how it goes!
Best,
Marilla
I can’t find out how to start it help!
Hello Grace,
Thank you for reaching out! To begin, pick out your colors. For the purposes of this how-to and the following patterns each color will be assigned a number. This is illustrated in the photo. The instructions continue after this how to tie your knot and secure with a safety pin.
I hope this helps and let us know if you have any further questions!
Happy crafting,
Marilla
Hi I just started but I really need help is there and easier way of making the diamond bracelet for my friend as a birthday gift.
Hi Bee,
Thanks for writing in! The instructions above are the only way to achieve the diamond pattern; however, if you would like to make an easier bracelet, you may be interested in our Breezy Friendship Bracelets!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Since I’m stuck at home bcuz of COVID-19 I decided I would start making friendship bracelets and this rlly helped. It’s been 9 years since this was published but if you could make like a part 2 that would be great! 🙂
Hi Juliana,
Thank you so much for the kind words – it’s wonderful to hear that you are enjoying our tutorial! You might also be interested in our Valentines Friendship Bracelets and Braided Friendship Bracelets if you need a few more ideas for keeping busy!
Best,
Julianna
About how long does it take to make a friendship bracelet in general? One hour? or less? Or the chevron pattern friendship bracelet?
Hi Jay,
Thanks for writing in! It really depends on how comfortable you are with the knotting process and how many strands are in your pattern! I have made several bracelets from our Classic Friendship Bracelet Pattern, and the first few probably took closer to two or three hours, but I hadn’t done any macrame or friendship bracelets before. As I memorized the patterns and became more proficient with the knots, the time per bracelet got closer to one hour, and probably would have been even faster with more practice. If you are in the habit of making friendship bracelets, I’m sure you will breeze right through these!
Best,
Julianna
love this! Can you do diamond with more then 4 colors
Thanks for reaching out! Yes! You can work the diamond pattern with as many colors as you would like!
Warmly,
Gianna
love and thank you
Hi guys!
How long should the strings be for the basic stripes if you are also going to do the plait at the top and the bottom of the bracelet?
I love this and I am making them for all of my family members.
-Braceletgirl25
Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out. You can cut the strings to 36-inch lengths for the Basic Stripes pattern! Hope this helps clarify things.
All the best,
Lili