Molly's Sketchbook: 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! If you'd like to make your own please visit my Friendship Bracelet Project Journal here! --Molly

Comments

[Beverly]

This is a timely tutorial; I'm running a friendship bracelet swap! http://www.pomogolightly.com/2011/07/friendship-bracelet-swap-update/

[Luisa]

Love the friendship bracelets and I'm so glad they are back well actually can they ever really go out of style? My girls love making them too. I was never good at it but love that we can still them today.

[anna]

these are awesome! I made so many growing up. I never really considered making more, but a sophisticated color palette is awesome!

[Clare]

They would also make beautiful bookmarks.

[Sarvi]

Memories! I had so many of these, worn so long, that my grandmother finally paid me $5 to get rid of them!

[amy]

I made so many of these in high school! I started with simple stripes and then fooled around until I got chevrons and diamonds--such a thrill, to work it out for myself. I'd pin the bracelet I was working on onto one of my Keds, hook my foot up, and start knotting. I've been thinking lately it would be nice to make some again. They're so summery.

[Rose]

I used to make these by the zillions! If I REALLY liked you, you got a super wide bracelet. Looking forward to making these with my own kids when they're old enough. Thanks for the memories!

[Kerstin]

Yes, I remember them and I made them, too. I thought about them too in the past years, but never actually could bring myself to revive it. Actually, I do have a number of books which explain patterns.

[MommaFire]

Love me some friendship bracelets!
I remember making these in grade school and having soooo many on my arms - we didn't take them off to bathe and after a while they started to stink! Hahaha
Thanks for the throwback

[LaBean]

Oh wow, this took me back about 20-some-odd years. I used to love making these!! No No No, I don't need any more hobbies! :)

[Pam]

Me and my seven year old boy loooooooooove to make bracelets!! We can't wait to try these too :) Thanks for sharing!

[Skaldi]

I still have one of the instruction pages DMC put out in the early 90s.

[Misha]

Haha, this is AWESOME! I still have the little plastic box with all friendship bracelet stuff in it from when I was 10... along with a few unfinished bracelets. But I never could get the chevrons either. This is perfect. Thanks!

[Brooke]

I remember sitting for hours making bracelets for my junior high friends. I would safety pin my bracelet to a pillow so I could work on it while I watched TV and then set it aside and work on it some more before I went to bed. I think yours are way prettier than the ones I made!

[Ghana]

This is not about the friendship bracelets. This is about the copy in the newsletter.

"treat ourselves to the forgotten pleasures of leisure" -- that got me right in the heart.

Boy did I need to hear that right now!

[karen]

Thanks for the walk down memory lane here :>)) I used to find these old worn bracelets around the house--my kids could never bear to throw them away!

[Julie]

Found some of mine from around 1986 in a drawer at my mom's recently and thought about how I should show my eight year old boy how to do them - thank you for the little nudge to actually follow through! We already have a beautiful stash of threads that we couldn't resist buying, but had no project in mind! Good memories! :)

[Mandy]

Oh the hours I have spent making these! I tried to teach my daughter once, but she much preferred playing on her ipod! Yours are beautiful and I adore the color combos!

[Jackie]

They are so cute. Us, friends, used to make them in high school and put on each other's wrists as "friendship band". Sweet memories, thanks for reminding them.

[Tania]

I remember making these as a little girl, probably late-80's!

[MB@YarnUiPhoneApp]

I never made these but this a great project to do with my nieces. Must do ASAP before they return home at the end of the month. FWIW, if you made these longer they would make nice trim on a blouse.

[Sanne]

I was just talking about these with some of my friends the day before yesterday! I had the same issue as a little girl that I was never very good at making these, but now that I am a bit more crafty, I should be able to pull it off. I'm going to give them a go, what a perfect summer-holiday hobby!!!

[Lisa]

These are wonderful and creative, my grand daughter is into braclets and beeds she would love this. Thanks for sharing.

[clare]

ha ha - these take me back - spent most of my 80s childhood making these and selling them for 50p to my friends, a right little cottage industry I had!

[Regular Day Company]

I was just thinking about making these again! I spend so many hours with my little box of DMC floss knotting and snipping and tying them on friends. What a time! I might just go make another one now!

[Andrea]

I remember making these as a kid in the 80s and 90s. It took me many years to figure out the right stich, too. I love your colour combos

[Alicia]

My daughter just discovered friendship bracelets, but I had never learned how to make fancy ones, like these. Your post is perfect timing, I think we will embark on a friendship bracelet making adventure tomorrow!

[Jessica]

I was obsessed with making these back in the 80s. I even figured out how to write names in them!