DIY Herringbone Bracelet

One of my good friend's birthday is soon, so I wanted to make her a cool bracelet. I've seen many different herringbone bracelets, but I wanted to make a very simple one that is plain, but yet still has character. So I came up with the one up above, and I'm very happy with it! Being very easy and quick, I'm sure you guys will like it too ;)

Materials

You will need these items to create this bracelet;

Embroidery Floss(you can use a thicker string if you like, this is just what I chose)

Rat Tail String

Scrap String

Scissors

Button

Box Lid

Optional;

Super Glue

Lighter

Let's Talk Lengths

My friend has a very small wrist, as it is roughly five and a half inches! But that made it easier for me since it is less work, haha :) I always like to make bracelets a half inch bigger than the wrist because it will always stretch out over time. So I made this bracelet about six inches long. The length of my rat tail string(the black string that is underneath the blue on mine) was thirty inches long, but you fold it in half so then it was fifteen inches long. I would suggest adding another two to four inches of string for each extra inch your wrist is. For example, my wrist is six and a half inches, so my rat tail string would be about thirty three inches long(sixteen and a half inches folded in half). Now for the embroidery floss string(the one that is the herringbone design). I used a blue peice that was sixty five inches long. It was the perfect length for this bracelet. For this one, I suggest adding ten to fifthteen inches for every extra inch you have. Again, if my wrist is six and a half inches, my peice of embroidery floss should be around seventy eight inches long. Last but not least, the peice of scrap string. It does not matter how long this peice is, as long as it fits around your box lid in step four.

The Setup

First, you are going to take your rat tail string and fold it in half(pic 1). Then take the loop and tie a knot underneath it(pic 2-5). Now we need our scrap rat tail string. Put it through the loop we just made on our main rat tail string, and pull it through until it is even on each side(pic 6). After that, take your box lid and lay your connected rat tail strings on the inside of the lid(pic 7). Bring your scrap rat tail around the lid until it meets your main rat tail string and tie a knot so it is secure(pic 8-9). Make sure not to tie it too tight, because we will need to take it off. Our setup is now complete!

Let's Start Weaving!

This is the best step! Slip your embroidery string, or whatever other string you are using, right underneath the knot(pic 1). Make sure each side of your string is equal. Now, this next part may seem a little confusing, but trust me it is very simple and you'll get the hang of it. I will also put important words in caps ;) Take the LEFT side of your weaving string (pic 2) and bring it OVER the left strand of the rat tail and UNDER the right strand of the rat tail(pic 3). Pull it snug(pic 4). Next, take the RIGHT side of your weaving string, making sure to bring it OVER the previous string we just wove(pic 5). Then bring it OVER the right strand of rat tail and UNDER the left strand of rat tail(pic 6). Pull it snug(pic 7). We are now back where we started. I will walk you through it another time just to make sure you understand how do it. Again, take your LEFT weaving string and bring it OVER the left rat tail strand and UNDER the right rat tail string and pull it snug(pic 8-9). Take you RIGHT weaving string, remembering to go OVER the previous weaving string we just wove, then bring it OVER the right rat tail strand and UNDER the left rat tail strand(pic 10). Lastly, pull it snug once more(pic 11). You have now completed two rows. The only thing left do is keep weaving until it is long enough!

*IMPORTANT NOTE: When the pattern is starting to become long, make sure you slide all the rows up so you have no spaces. If you do not do this, your bracelet will have a lot gaps and it will not turn out.

Securing the Pattern

Remove the bracelet from the box lid(pic 1). Tie a knot on each strand(pic 2-3), then flip it over to the other side. Tie another two knots with only your weaving strands(pic 4-7). Then you can cut the excess of the weaving strands off, NOT the rat tail. I also suggest putting a dot of super glue on those knots so the pattern will not slip down. Next step!

Adding a Button

Find a button that fits through the loop at the top of your bracelet. Slip one of the rat tail strands through any of the holes in the button(pic 2), the slip the other rat tail strand through the opposite hole the other strand is in(pic 3). Slide the button where you want it to be(pic 4). Tie a normal knot right above the button(pic 5), but don't pull it as it will only push the button down further. Tie a second normal knot(pic 6) and carefully pull it snug(pic 7). Make sure it is secure and won't come undone. After you have done that, you can cut off the excess rat tail. I do recommend you do this because it will keep the knot from coming undone, but you don't have to. Rat tail is actually plastic so that means you can melt it. If you take a lighter you can fuse the knot together and make extra secure!

Final Thoughts

You can experiment with different kinds of weaving strings, such as thick strings, multi-color strings, hemp strings, etc. I hope you enjoyed this instructable and learned something new! Let me know in the comments if you made the bracelet or have any ideas.

See ya'll next time ;)