How to Make a Friendship Bracelet with Hemp

I made this friendship bracelet today while watching some old episodes of The Office (Michael just started his own paper company!).  I find braiding these friendship bracelets fun and calming... And it makes me feel ultra zen because I am braiding natural material into jewelry and thus feeling extra eco-cool!

Here are the steps:

1. It is probably easiest if you choose two different colors to begin with because it will be easier to identify which string belongs to which set.  But once you become familiar with braiding this braid, you can always make the bracelet using the same color of string.

2.  Cut out one long strand of each color:  Generally you would want each strand to be 4x the desired length of your bracelet.

3.  Align your two colors of strings together, fold it in a half, and at the half mark tie a knot:

You can use the knot as a button loop at the end so that one end of your bracelet will have a big bead (like the bright pink mother-of-pearl bead I have in the pink bracelet up top).  But while you are making the bracelet, you can also look the knot onto a safety pin and pin it somewhere to stabilize your bracelet as you braid.

4.  

Strand 4 goes under 2 and 3

5.

Strand 4 goes under 2 and 3 once again

6.

Strand 1 goes under 2 and 3

7.  In the next loop strand 1 will go under 2 and 3 again, but you basically repeat the same loops.

Strands 2 and 3 just remains in the middle throughout the entire bracelet for this pattern,

it is only strands 1 and 4 that moves and round.  So to recap:  

Loop 1: Strand 1 goes under 2 and 3

Loop 2: Strand 1 goes under 2 and 3

Loop 3: Strand 4 goes under 2 and 3

Loop 4: Strand 4 goes under 2 and 3

Loop 5: Strand 1 goes under to and 3

Loop 6: Strand 1 goes under to and 3

Loop 7: Strand 4 goes under to and 3

Loop 8: Strand 4 goes under to and 3

See the pattern?

8.  Now, if you want to add some beads in the bracelet like I did in the pink bracelet, you can string strands 2 and 3 through the bead and slide the bead up to the last knot created by strands 1 and 4, and then continue to loop strands 1 and 4 as usual underneath the bead.