This Friendship Bracelet Is EASY… Starting It Is the Hard Part!
Friendship-bracelets.net pattern #3177 is SUPER easy to make… once you figure out how to start it!
In this video, I’m breaking down this 12-string friendship bracelet pattern and working backwards through the design to find a clean, attractive starting point.
The pattern uses three colors with four strands of each, and once everything gets into position, the strings follow a wonderfully simple repeating path. It creates a design that looks almost like traditional braided material—and you could easily keep repeating it until your strings run out.
Bracelet? Absolutely.
Anklet? This would be a great one!
The interesting part is getting those strings into the correct positions at the beginning. Some colors need to move from one side of the bracelet to the other, which means choosing the right starting technique matters.
And there’s a clue for tomorrow’s video:
🔺 TRIANGLE START.
A teardrop start won’t give me the flexibility I need to shift these strings around, so when I actually make the bracelet, I’ll show you how I use a triangle start to get everything where it belongs.
This would also be a fantastic pattern for experimenting with COLOR. Try primary colors—red, yellow, and blue—or whatever combination you can dream up.
I’m using shades of gray while mapping everything out, but there’s no reason to stop there.
I’ll also finish drawing out my version of the pattern so you can find it over at akaawol.com.
💬 What three colors would YOU use?
If you like this pattern and would like to support my work >>>
If you’re ready to move beyond the candy stripe, this might be one of the EASIEST friendship bracelet patterns you can try!
Today I’m making friendship-bracelets.net pattern #3177. It’s a 12-string, three-color bracelet that creates a surprisingly convincing braided look—and once you get past the beginning, the pattern is incredibly easy to follow.
The trickiest part happens before we really get started.
Using a triangle start, I shift the white strings to the right and the black strings to the left while leaving the gray where it is. Once those strings are in position, everything becomes MUCH easier.
The bracelet practically gives you a visual guide for where every string needs to stop!
Black crosses the white.
Gray comes across from the other side.
White crosses the gray.
Then the cycle continues.
If you already know the candy stripe and want to practice making knots in BOTH directions, this could be a fantastic next bracelet.
⏱️ My finished bracelet took about 1 hour and 21 minutes to make.
I also share a few tips for getting a straighter finished bracelet. This pattern can start curving as you work, so keep an eye on it and gently bring it back into alignment instead of allowing that curve to build. Working closer to your clip and keeping your tension consistent can make a big difference too.
The version of pattern #3177 that I laid out specifically for this start will be available at:
🌐 akaawol.com
And don’t think you’re limited to three colors! I think this could look AMAZING using six colors—for example, darker and lighter shades paired together to create stripes through the braid. With the right colors, I think you could even give it a Celtic feel.
🎨 What colors would you use?
If you’re a beginner, let me know if you’d like to see more simple patterns like this mixed in with the giant projects and complicated designs!
A huge THANK YOU to my YouTube Members for helping support the channel. If you’d like to become a Member, hit the Join button next to Subscribe on YouTube.
👍 Like the video if it helped, leave your questions in the comments, and subscribe for more friendship bracelet tutorials.
And as always…
Don’t get your strings in a bunch!
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