Friendship Bracelets

My daughter has been going to a lunch time craft club at school for the last few months ~ where she has been learning how to make Friendship Bracelets. I am always amazed at how lovely her creations are and how intricate ~ and complicated ~ some of these braided bracelets look.

Anyway, as we had a few spare hours during the half term holidays, I asked her if she would mind showing me how to make them. We gathered together a few skeins of embroidery thread and a bracelet making wheel and started braiding. It wasn't as difficult as I had imagined it would be and soon after tying a few simple knots in some embroidery thread I had something that resembled a friendship bracelet.

This first one was made by attaching six lengths of thread to the wheel and then tying a forwards knot all the way down. Somehow it produces this wonderful spirally effect which I love.

My second attempt was made by combining a forwards knot and then a backwards knot all the way down the threads. I decided to pretty this one up a bit by adding some brightly coloured beads to the ends. I really like how this one looks too.

Once we got started there was no stopping us ~ the possibilities and combinations of these simple braided bracelets are endless. You don't always have to use embroidery thread either ~ you could use any scraps of yarn that you have lurking around the house that need using up. There are also plenty of ways that you can pretty these bracelets up by adding brightly coloured buttons and beads into the mix.

We all spent a really fun afternoon making these friendship bracelets ~ even small boys can join in the fun ~ and it was a fairly cheap and cheerful way to keep the kids entertained for a few hours during the half term break too :O)xx