How to Make Friendship Bracelets: Step-by-Step Guide

To make friendship bracelets with string, cut four lengths of embroidery floss, tie and secure the top, and work forward knots across the strings in rows. Finish with braided ties. This candy stripe tutorial uses two colors and one knot type to make a slim bracelet, with each step explained from the first knot to the finished ends.

If you’re deciding on colors, the friendship bracelets in understated colors in our collection show how a small palette can work on the wrist.

The part that takes some attention is keeping track of the working string. It travels across the bracelet to make one stripe, then a different string takes over. Once you can see that change, the rows become much easier to follow.

Choose a simple bracelet to start with

A three-string braid is the simplest option if you already know how to braid. For a flat bracelet with a visible pattern, candy stripe is a useful first project: every knot moves in the same direction. Chevron comes next, with strings working inward from both sides.

Design	What you practice	Finished look
Three-string braid	Crossing the outer strings into the center	A narrow, textured braid
Candy stripe	Repeating forward knots across a row	Flat diagonal stripes
Chevron	Forward and backward knots meeting in the middle	Repeating V-shaped rows

We will make the candy stripe with four working strings. Using a small number of strings gives you fewer positions to manage while you learn.

Pick colors you would wear

Navy and cream give this bracelet clear contrast and work easily with denim, a white shirt, or a navy sweater. Black and beige make another restrained combination. Olive and sand are worth trying if your clothes lean toward warmer colors.

The Altiani Friendship Bracelet pairs black and beige, a useful reference when you want the thread pattern to show without filling the bracelet with bright colors. Lay two chosen colors beside something you wear regularly before cutting the floss.

For the tutorial, keep your own starting colors consistent so you can recognize each row.

What you need

• Embroidery floss in two colors
• Scissors
• A ruler or measuring tape
• A clipboard or tape to hold the top still

Keep your thread, scissors, measuring tape, and anchor within reach.

Use the full floss bundle as one working string. The fine plies inside stranded embroidery floss are different from the separate strings in a bracelet pattern. For this project, you need four lengths of the full bundle, not four tiny plies pulled from one length.

If you are comparing floss with other materials, read about thread choices for a knotted bracelet before substituting a thicker cord. A different thickness changes the size of the knots and the way the finished bracelet feels.

Preparation	This project
Cut pieces	Four: two navy and two cream
Starting length	About 36 inches / 91 cm per piece; allow extra for a longer bracelet or longer ties
Working strings	Four, used without folding
Starting tail	Leave about 4 inches / 10 cm above the first knot for finishing

The cutting length is a starting allowance, not the bracelet's finished length. Knots use thread, and the tails need enough length to braid and tie. Measure the wrist you are making it for rather than assuming that every men's bracelet should finish at the same size.

How to make friendship bracelets step by step

1. Cut the floss and secure the top

Cut two pieces of each color. Line up their ends and tie all four together with an overhand knot, leaving the starting tail above it. Clip or tape the bundle down at the knot so the working strings hang freely below.

Put the loose tail above the clip, away from your hands. You will return to it when you finish the bracelet. If the top moves every time you tighten a knot, fix the anchor now; it is easier to control tension when the work stays still.

2. Arrange the four strings

Spread the strings from left to right in this order: navy, cream, navy, cream. Think of their starting identities as A, B, C, and D. A and C are navy; B and D are cream.

The letters help distinguish strings that share a color. They stay with the same physical strings as those strings move across the bracelet. You do not rename them after every row.

Start with four separate working strings: navy, cream, navy, cream.

The Marino Friendship Bracelet uses blue and white, another two-color combination you can use for planning. Two colors can still mean four working strings: repeat each color twice and arrange the pieces in the order your project requires.

For now, keep the four strings separate enough that you can pick up A without catching C. The first row starts with A, the string at the far left.

3. Make one complete forward knot

A is the working string. Hold B straight and use A to make the knot around it:

1. Lay A over B to make a shape like the number 4.
2. Bring the end of A under B and up through the open loop.
3. Hold B steady while pulling A upward until the loop sits against the starting knot.
4. Repeat those movements with A around B a second time.

Those two half-hitches make one completed forward knot. After the second hitch, A sits to the right of B.

Keep the supporting string straight while you move the working string. Pull the loop into position, then snug it up without jerking it. Both hitches belong on the same supporting string; moving to C after only one hitch leaves this knot unfinished.

For the other directions used in bracelet charts, see the four pattern knots explained. Candy stripe only needs the forward knot you have just made.

4. Carry the same string across the row

Keep A in your hand. Make a complete forward knot around C, then another around D. Use two half-hitches each time.

You have now made three completed knots: A around B, A around C, and A around D. A finishes at the far right. The strings are now arranged B, C, D, A.

That is one row. Its visible knots are navy because the navy working string made them. Do not switch working strings partway across just because another color is now on the left.

5. Start the next stripe

B, the cream string, is now at the far left. Use B to make forward knots around C, then D, then A. The order becomes C, D, A, B.

Continue with the new leftmost string each time. The next working string is C, followed by D. After four complete rows, the original A, B, C, D order returns.

You do not need to study the whole bracelet at once. Finish a row, spread the strings, and identify the new leftmost string. That small check is especially helpful when you put the work down and return to it later.

With the alternating starting colors, navy and cream rows repeat down the bracelet. Let several rows form before judging the beginning; the bundled starting knot brings the strings together more tightly than the later rows.

Close-up views make the thread texture and color repeats easier to see.

6. Check the length on the wrist

Release the top from the clip and hold the patterned section around the intended wrist. Decide how much of the wrist you want the stripes to cover, leaving room for the braided tails and the joining tie.

The patterned section does not have to close into a circle by itself. The finish takes up some space too. Check before braiding the bottom tail so you can add more rows if the patterned section is still too short.

Leave enough loose thread to finish comfortably. If you are reaching the end of a working string, stop and assess the length rather than using every last inch in another row.

When you try it against your wrist, look at the colors as well as the length. The Frazeto Friendship Bracelet combines blue, white, and green, a palette to consider for your next bracelet if you want to add a third color.

7. Braid and secure both tails

When the patterned section is long enough, tie the four bottom strings together with an overhand knot just below the last row. Divide them into three groups for braiding: two strings in one group and one string in each of the other two.

Cross an outside group into the center, then the other outside group into the center. Continue down the tail, leaving enough loose thread to tie a small overhand knot at its end.

Return to the starting tail above the first knot. Braid it in the same way and secure its end. Keep both tails long enough to handle while tying the bracelet on. Trim excess thread after checking the fit.

Example of a striped bracelet finished with braided ties.

8. Tie the bracelet on

Wrap the bracelet around the wrist and bring the braided tails together. A friend can help with this first fitting.

For a simple square knot, cross one braid over the other and pass it underneath to make a half knot. Cross the same physical braid over the other again, then pass it underneath and pull the two tails to snug the knot. Because the braids changed sides after the first half knot, the second crossing works in the opposite direction.

Check that the joining knot sits comfortably and that the bracelet can move a little with the wrist. Leave usable tails rather than cutting them flush against the knot, and check the tie again after moving your hand.

This is a tied finish. A sliding closure uses a separate construction, which matters if you want the bracelet to open and tighten repeatedly.

A braided cord bracelet shown on the wrist as a fit reference.

Keep the finished bracelet simple

Try the bracelet on by itself first. A slim stripe is easy to see when it has some space around it. If you wear a watch, use whichever wrist arrangement feels comfortable and keeps the bracelet from sitting underneath the watch case.

Change the color sequence deliberately when you start a new project. Adding another color does not mean you need to make the bracelet wider; the number of working strings and their thickness also matter.

Fix uneven knots and curling

If something looks wrong, check the last completed row before changing the whole setup.

What you notice	What to check
Gaps between knots	Bring each new hitch up beside the previous work before tightening it.
The strip twists or curls	Check that each knot has two half-hitches, then ease overly tight tension. Candy stripe can also have a tendency to curl.
A stripe changes color midway	Confirm that you used the same working string all the way across the row.
The next row is confusing	Spread the strings and find the leftmost one. If the order seems wrong, inspect the previous row.

Pulling harder will not correct a missed knot. If you find the mistake while it is still near the bottom, loosen that small section and redo it. Check the thread order again before continuing.

Try a chevron after your first bracelet

A chevron friendship bracelet sends strings toward the center from both sides, creating a V. It uses forward knots on one side and backward knots on the other, so it gives you a useful next movement to learn.

Before cutting a new set of strings, compare chevrons, diamonds, and other woven designs and choose a pattern with a clear starting arrangement. Follow that pattern's own string count and cutting instructions; the four-string setup here belongs to this candy stripe project.

For a shaped strip rather than a central V, the six-string zigzag tutorial alternates three forward rows with three backward rows.

Friendship bracelet questions

What is the easiest friendship bracelet for a beginner?

A three-string braid is a simple place to start, especially if you already know how to braid. Tie and anchor the top, cross the right string into the center, then cross the left string into the center. Alternate those movements until the braid reaches the length you need, then secure the ends and leave tails for tying.

Should I separate the fine plies of embroidery floss?

Keep the full bundle together for this project. Each cut length is one working string. Separating it into fine plies would change the thickness of the knots and the finished bracelet. Use a different pattern's material instructions if it specifically calls for separated plies.

Can I make this friendship bracelet adjustable?

An adjustable version needs a suitable closure added to the design. Braided tails tied together do not create a sliding closure. Choose instructions that match your thread or cord and leave the required allowance before cutting. A square knot joining two tails is different from a square-knot sliding closure.

How do I size a bracelet when it is a gift?

If possible, measure a wrist before making a gift or use a bracelet that already fits the recipient as a reference. Account for the patterned section and the finish together. Keep the ties usable so the final fit can be checked when the bracelet is given.

Does a friendship bracelet have to stay on until it falls off?

There is no universal wearing rule. Keeping a bracelet on can be a personal custom, but you can remove it for comfort, work, or care. Choose a finish you can undo if you expect to take it off regularly.

What if a working string becomes too short?

Stop while there is still enough thread to handle. An extension creates a join that needs its own finishing method, and it may remain visible. For a first bracelet, allowing extra thread at the start is easier than improvising a repair close to the final row.