Learn how to tie a Brazilian bracelet knot

Charming, colorful and easy to wear (especially in summer), the Brazilian bracelet is the timeless summer bracelet par excellence. It's reminiscent of our childhood, when we made friendship bracelets and gave them to our best friend for her birthday or during recess. We still wear them proudly on our wrists, but nowadays they're bracelets we've made ourselves for our own pleasure, or those given to us by our children.

When a person attaches a Brazilian bracelet to their wrist, they must make a wish and never leave this lucky charm. The wish is supposed to come true when the bracelet's threads break naturally with wear. This famous braided bracelet adds color to our outfits and has a lucky, summery, surfer-like quality. It appeals to men, women and children alike.

How to make a Brazilian bracelet

To make a Brazilian bracelet, you need to tie a succession of knots. Whether it's a classic, herringbone or cross bracelet, the knot is always the same, whatever the pattern. It's done in 3 steps and always in duplicate (to show you better, we've taken the photos with an already-started bracelet, but it's exactly the same for each row). It's the order of your threads that will change and create the desired design.
There are two kinds of knots: right-side up and upside down.

Right-hand knots (left to right)

1. Take the leftmost 1st thread and pass it over the 2nd thread to form a 4.
2. Iron your thread (always the 1st) under the 2nd thread.
3. Pull and tighten your knot. Always repeat these 3 steps a second time.

Upside-down knot (right to left)

The steps are the same as for the right-hand knot, but your last thread will come over your penultimate thread, then underneath to form a knot.

Now that you know the basics of how to make a Brazilian knot, let's get practical! Follow the tutorial: Basic Brazilian bracelets, herringbone, herringbone, to see the step-by-step instructions and learn how to make those friendship bracelets we love so much.
Once you've got the technique down, braid your wires and customize your friendship bracelets with charms, beads, chains... The rest is up to you!

Which thread to use to make Brazilian bracelets?

Choose cotton yarn on skeins in the color of your choice. There are so many possibilities, the best thing is to use them over and over again!
You can also use waxed thread such as Linhasita or Slam cord, or C-Lon Beading Cord 0.5 mm. Please consult our technical data sheet to find out which thread to use to make Brazilian bracelets.

The number of Brazilian bracelet wires you need depends on the size you want. If you want a large bracelet, but with few colors, simply double, triple, etc. the few colors you've chosen. The more wires you use, the wider your bracelet will be.

For a simple, angled Brazilian bracelet, you can use as many colors as you like.
For a chevron Brazilian bracelet, you'll need two of each color.
For a friendship bracelet in a herringbone pattern, you'll need one main color and as many colors as you like.
For a Brazilian heart bracelet, you can adapt the Brazilian bracelet knot technique with the thread of your choice.

Copyright Marion pour Perles & Co - 2016.
All rights reserved. Reproduction, even partial, prohibited without the author's consent.