Make a Cross Knot Friendship Bracelet

Do you want to give a friend the perfect gift? Friendship bracelets are a simple and enjoyable project to make and only require some thread. Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started, with easy, medium and advanced bracelet patterns.

Steps

Six-Strand Knot Pattern (Easy)

  1. Cut three pieces of string or embroidery floss. Choose any color you want. Using a ruler, make each thread 28 to 30 inches (71 to 76 cm) long for a bracelet; add length for an anklet or necklace.
  2. Tie a knot at the top. Lay out all three threads evenly. Grab the middle of the bunch (make sure it's the middle by seeing if the bottom threads line up). Pinch the threads about two inches down from the center point with your other hand, so that the bundle looks like one thread. Make a loop with the bundle, then pull the rounded center of the bundle through the center. You should have a small loop of thread above the knot, and six threads coming down from the knot.
  3. Secure the knot. Use masking tape to attach the small threads coming out of the knot to a table or counter, or put a safety pin through the knot and attach it to the top of your jeans (while sitting down). A secured knot will help you maintain consistent tension.
  4. Start tying your bracelet. Separate your threads into two even groups, with three threads on each side. Take the threads on the right (pink in the photos) and loop them over and under the threads on the left (blue). Then put the pink threads through the loop you just created around the blue threads. Pull horizontal pink string and blue string keeping them parallel to your knee or the table, and vertically on the pink threads, keeping them perpendicular to your knee or the table. As you do so, the pink knot should move up to your large knot at the top. This is called a cross knot.
  5. Repeat the knot with the blue threads. Loop them over and under the pink threads, then pull them through the loop.
  6. Alternate tying knots on each side until your bracelet is finished.
  7. Braid to the finish. Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) of untied thread at the bottom of your bracelet, keeping each tail one color. For each color, make a three-strand [[Braid|braid] until you have about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) of free thread left. Tie an overhand knot at the end of each braid.
  8. Tie on the bracelet. Draw one of the braids you just finished through the loop above your top knot, then tie it to the other braid in a double knot. Your friend should be able to remove it at the end of the day with one hand.

Four-Strand Candy Stripe Pattern (Medium)

  1. Cut two pieces of string or embroidery floss. You can use two different colors, or two threads of the same color. Using a ruler, make each thread 28 to 30 inches (71 to 76 cm) long for a bracelet; add length for an anklet or necklace.
  2. Tie a knot at the top. Lay out the two threads evenly. Grab the middle of the bunch (make sure it's the middle by seeing if the bottom threads line up). Pinch the threads about two inches down from the center point with your other hand, so that the bundle looks like one thread. Make a loop with the bundle, then pull the rounded center of the bundle through the center. You should have a small loop of thread above the knot, and four threads coming down from the knot.
  3. Secure the knot. Use masking tape to attach the small threads coming out of the knot to a table or counter, or put a safety pin through the knot and attach it to the top of your jeans (while sitting down). A secured knot will make it easy for you to keep consistent tension as you make your bracelet.
  4. Start tying your bracelet. Hold your four strands separately. Take the one on the far right and loop it over and under the strand second to the right. Put the end through the loop; pull the thread creating the knot vertically, or perpendicular to your jeans or the table, as you pull the other three threads horizontally, or parallel to your jeans or the table. This should cause the knot you just tied to run all the way up to the top knot.
  5. Tie a cross knot on the next two threads. Still using the far-right thread, loop over and under the second-left thread. Pull the knot up as you did before. Repeat the process on the far-left thread.
  6. Begin the process again. Now, the thread that was on the far right should be on the far left. Grab the new far-right thread and begin the process again, tying cross knots on each thread going left. Keep going this way.
  7. Tie the finishing knots. Stop when you have about 2 inches (5 cm) of thread left. Tie an overhand knot as close as possible to your last knot. Then tie another overhand knot about a half-inch (1.3 cm) away from the end of the tail.
  8. Complete the bracelet by tying the two ends together. When the bracelet is on your friend's wrist, pull the tail you just finished through the loop above the top knot. Then double the tail back on itself and tie an overhand knot to finish. Your friend should be able to remove the bracelet with one hand at the end of the day.

Eight-Strand Chevron Pattern (Advanced)

  1. Cut four pieces of string or embroidery floss. Two strands should be in one color, and the other two strands should be another color. For this pattern, approximately 65 inches (165 cm) of thread will produce a 6-inch (15.2 cm) bracelet. Adjust for size accordingly.
  2. Tie a knot at the top. Lay out all four threads evenly. Grab the middle of the bunch (make sure it's the middle by seeing if the bottom threads line up). Pinch the threads about two inches down from the center point with your other hand, so that the bundle looks like one thread. Make a loop with the bundle, then pull the rounded center of the bundle through the center. You should have a small loop of thread above the knot, and eight threads coming down from the knot.
  3. Secure the knot. Use masking tape to attach the small threads coming out of the knot to a table or counter, or put a safety pin through the knot and attach it to the top of your jeans (while sitting down). A secured knot will make it easy for you to keep consistent tension as you make your bracelet.
  4. Arrange your threads. For this design, the thread colors will need to be in a certain pattern before you start. Alternate them so that the first and second colors run 1212 2121 across. Your two middle threads should be the same color; your two outside threads should be the same color, and the opposite color of the middle threads.
  5. Start tying the first round of knots. For this pattern, you'll need to know the difference between a forward and a backward knot. Basically, a forward knot is when you use a thread to tie a cross knot on a thread to the right. A backward knot is when you use a thread to tie a cross knot on a thread to the left.
    • Starting with the thread on the far right, tie three backward knots. Take the thread on the far right, and loop it over and under the thread next to it on the left. Pull the end of the far-right thread through the loop. Then pull the far-right thread vertically, or perpendicular to your leg or the table, while pulling the second-right thread horizontally, or parallel to your leg or the table. The thread that was on the far right will now be second to the right. Using this same thread, tie backward knots on the next two threads. Stop when the thread that was on the far right is in the middle, with three threads to the right of it.
    • Starting with the thread on the far left, tie three forward knots. Take the thread on the far left, and loop it over and under the thread next to it on the right. Pull the end of the far-left thread through the loop. Then pull the far-left thread vertically, or perpendicular to your leg or the table, while pulling the second-left thread horizontally, or parallel to your leg or the table. The thread that was on the far left will now be second to the left. Using this same thread, tie forward knots on the next two threads. Stop when the thread that was on the far left is in the middle, with three threads to the left of it. Your color pattern should now be 2121 1212.
  6. Tie the second round of knots. The second round will be just like the first, only with the opposite colors. Start on the right and tie three backward knots; then tie three forward knots starting on the left. Your color pattern at the end will be back to 1212 2121.
  7. Tie the third round of knots. With the thread that's second to the right, tie a forward knot over the far-right strand. With the thread that's second to the left, tie a backward knot over the far-left strand. Your color pattern should now be 2112 2112.
  8. Tie the fourth round of knots. With the thread that's now second to the right, tie two backward knots over the two strands to the left. With the thread that's now the second to the left, tie two forward knots over the two strands to the right. Your color pattern should now be 2121 1212.
  9. Tie the fifth round of knots. With the thread that's now second to the right, tie a forward knot over the far-right thread. With the thread that's now second to the left, tie a backward knot over the far-left thread. The color pattern is now 1221 1221.
  10. Tie the sixth round of knots. With the thread that's second to the right, make two backward knots over the two threads to the left. With the thread that's second to the left, make two forward knots over the two threads to the right. You should be able to see the heart pattern clearly now. Your color pattern after this step should be 1212 2121.
  11. Repeat Steps 5 through 10. Keep tying until you have about a 2-inch (5 cm) tail of untied thread or have finished the heart closest to that length. Separate the threads into two groups of four, on the right and left, and braid into two tails. (To braid with four strands, simply hold two threads together and treat it like one strand when braiding.) Tie off each braid with an overhand knot about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) away from the end.
  12. Tie on the bracelet. Draw one of the braids you just finished through the loop above your top knot, then tie it to the other braid in a double knot. Your friend should be able to remove it at the end of the day with one hand.



Tips

  • Try attaching a safety pin to the top loop. You can attach it to your pants and help it stay in place, if you don't have a table.
  • Try to keep your threads straight and untangled.
  • It may take you a while to make the first bracelet, but it should get easier with practice.
  • Friendship "bracelets" may be used as anklets or necklaces. For a necklace, simply use longer strands.
  • These bracelets can last a long time and are great for a birthday gift!
  • Get creative - try out different numbers of thread or different knot patterns for unique results.
  • If you must undo a knot, carefully use a safety pin to get underneath it.
  • Depending upon the size of your friend’s wrist, you might want to cut the strands longer or shorter.
  • The ends of your string may become frayed over time. To remedy, cut off the damaged area or tie a knot to separate the frayed ends from the rest of the bracelet.

Warnings

  • Swallowing little bits of string can be bad for young children and pets. Clean up your scraps.

Things You'll Need

  • String or thread (multiple colors optional)
  • A ruler
  • A pair of scissors
  • Tape or a safety pin

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Sources and Citations

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