DIY: simple summer beaded bracelet and anklet

Every year around Memorial Day, for as long as I can remember, I've made a trip to the craft store to pick out bunches of those little skeins of embroidery thread. I would spend ages pouring over the thread, picking out my favourite colours and comparing them to each other until I had just the right colour combinations. Once I got my beauties back home, I carefully sorted them and would begin to braid them into all different lengths and styles of bracelets and anklets. Tied onto ankles and wrists, there they stayed until the threads eventually wore and they fell off; frequently in the shower.

Each of these bracelets are linked in my mind to their particular summers and bring back many fond memories. My favourite anklet ever was a thin, simple four strand braid. It had dark turquoise, dark pink, dark purple, and dark gray threads. Thin and delicate, it wrapped around my ankle twice and lasted for almost a year before eventually wearing out.

This year I decided to change things up a little and I made some simple beaded and knotted bracelets/anklets. I'm loving these a lot so far! (Although I have plenty of leftover thread that's calling my name too!) I bought thin leather cord and coloured wooden beads at my craft store and whipped these up in less than an hour. They were super simple and came out even better than I hoped they would! The hardest part of this project is picking out what beads and cord you want!

I used a combination of beads and a knot called the triple overhand knot. It looks much more complicated than it is. The trick is just to pull the knot very slowly and work on easing it down close to the bead. This required a bit of practice for me but was totally worth it! These designs could definitely be fun switched from how I wear them. You could make the bracelet as an anklet and the anklet as a bracelet! Just make sure you cut your cord to the appropriate length for whatever you're trying to go around.

Simple DIY beaded bracelet and anklet

Gather:
Cord/Thread (I used 1mm leather cord)
Beads (any color/size. Just make sure they have a big enough hole for your cord!)
scissors

Knots:
Triple Overhand Knot (the large pretty one)
Square Knot (for tying to your wrist/ankle)

Bracelet

1. Cut a length of cord long enough to go around your wrist (or ankle) twice.
2. A little off the center of the piece of string, tie a triple overhand knot.
3. String a few beads onto the longer side and let them drop down to the knot. I used three beads.
3. Tie another triple overhand knot and try to slide it as close to the beads as you can.
4. Get a friend to tie it onto your wrist with a square knot. Otherwise tie each end to a clasp.

Anklet

1. Cut a long length of cord, approximately 3 feet or so at least.
2. Leaving about 4 inches, tie a triple overhand knot.
3. String a bead onto the cord and tie another triple overhand knot close to bead.
4. Repeat step three until you reach your desired length.
5. Tie ends together with a square knot or tie each end to a clasp.



And there you have it! A simple, inexpensive, fun summer bracelet and anklet. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments and I'll try to answer as best as I can.