Unique Graph Paper For Friendship Bracelets

I’ve spoken often of how I started making bracelets long before there was an internet. Well, many times I can work out a design in my head, but there are times when the design is just too complex. That’s when I’ll turn to graph paper. But even regular graph paper has its limits when it comes to making bracelets as you can’t easily tell what is going on under the knots, like what color will pop out after the ones you can see.

Here is an example of using graph paper on a pattern I knew and understood. I made this diagram to help me in setting up for the new bag I’m making. It helped me in avoiding mistakes as I started the 16 loops of the bag.

It’s not always so easy if you’re dealing with a new pattern, or trying to make up a new one. Back in the day I made a bracelet specific graph paper that I would take to the copy place and get printed. Today I’m using its design electronically by using the application Gimp (you may prefer Photoshop or the like) and using the fill bucket tool to color it in rather than a box of colored pencils.

Whether you print it or use this on a computer, it should help you to discover new designs.

Here you can see an example of me working out a pattern I’ve never before done that I plan to use for my next bag. I don’t have to complete the design as I really only had to work out the areas in question and the rest I can work out with the strings.

I hope you will find this post useful and I hope you will submit your design ideas, so that I may post ‘em to share with others.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions of what you’d like me to cover next, please add your thoughts in the section below. I’d love to hear from you and it could help make this site more useful for other knotters too!