BLENDING in with the “in thing” is what any ordinary young person would like especially if it captures our attention and interest with the “I have got to get me one of those” lines.
This week, we look at the latest buzz with the very own hand-made creative wrist bands or friendship bands.
Website www.wikihow has some easy to make steps to help you create a wrist band.
Instructions
* Choose several strands of embroidery thread in a variety of colours. Choose as many strands of thread as you like, as long as you’re using three or more and pick any number of colours that would look good together in a pattern.
If you only use one colour of thread, you won’t be able to create a pattern.
Four to six strands will make a narrow bracelet, and 8-10 strands will make a thicker one.
* Measure and cut your first strand. Measure a length of thread slightly longer than the distance from your fingertip to your shoulder and then cut it.
This will be long enough for the bracelet to stretch around your wrist to create a pattern. It’s better to cut the string a bit too long than too short.
* Use the cut strand to measure and cut the remaining strands. Hold the cut strand up to the remaining strands and cut them to be the same length as this strand.
* Tie the strands in a knot and pin them to a stable surface. You can pin the bracelet to your pants, to a pillow, or to another stable cloth surface that you won’t damage.
You can also get creative and tie it around your toe instead, but pinning the knot to a surface is your best bet. Pinning is better than taping because the pin ensures that the bracelet will stay in its position.
* Spread the threads out. Before you start the system of knotting that will create a pattern in the bracelet, spread out the threads so that the colours are in the order you’d like the striped patterns on the bracelet to be.
* Make a few short braids in the bracelet before you begin making the pattern (optional).
You can start the bracelet by creating three separate threads from the threads (you can group them in groups of two or three) and then braiding them just as you would braid a three-strand bracelet or braid of hair.
* Knot the thread on the far left around the thread immediately to its right. You need to make the “half-hitch” knot to do this correctly. First, move the first thread (the green) over the front of the second (the pink), leaving a loop on the left, to create a figure “4” look. Then, pull the first thread around the second, and thread it through the loop you created and pull it up, until a knot moves up to the top of the second thread.
* Knot the thread that was on the far left around the remaining threads from left to right.
Now, repeat making the “half-hitch” knot with the green thread you started with around each of the remaining threads from left to right.
Make two of the same knot on every thread before you move on. When you’re done, the green thread you started with on the far left will move all the way to the far right.
* Continue knotting the thread on the far left around the remaining threads from left to right. Every thread will end up on the right when you’re done, and you’ll start with a new colour of thread every time, unless you’ve placed two threads of the same colour together.
* Continue knotting the thread until the bracelet is long enough for your wrist.
* Braid the ends of the bracelet (optional). If you braided the first few strands of the bracelet, you can do the same before you finish the bracelet.
Braid as many strands at the end as you braided at the beginning.