How to Make a Heart Friendship Bracelet

You only need a handful of things to make a heart bracelet. Pick two colors of six-strand embroidery floss - one for the hearts and one for the background. Bright colors against white show the hearts off best, but any two contrasting shades work.

Grab a small button (slightly bigger than the loop you'll tie at the top), a piece of masking tape, scissors, and an embroidery needle. The needle is for fishing out a tight knot if you slip up midway. You won't need it most of the time, but it saves a bracelet when you do.

Cut two strands of each color at about 50 inches (1.2 meters) long. That gives you four strands total - two heart-color, two background-color.

Stack the four strands so the ends line up, then fold the whole bundle in half. The fold creates a small loop at the top - that loop is your button closure. Tie a single overhand knot right below the fold to lock the loop in place. The loop should be just barely bigger than your button.

Stick the knot to a flat surface with the masking tape - a table, a clipboard, even a hardcover book. Anything that holds the top still so both your hands stay free.

Now spread the eight strand ends out below the knot in a fan. Divide them into two sets of four. Here's the important part: the colors have to mirror each other. The outermost strand on each side should be the heart color, and the two innermost strands on each side should be the background color. Left side and right side should look like reflections.

Start with the outermost strand on the LEFT. Lay it across the next strand to make a 4-shape, loop the end under and back through the opening, then pull tight. That's one forward knot. Always knot twice on the same strand before moving on. Repeat across the remaining two left-side strands until the working strand reaches the middle.

Now switch to the right side. Take the outermost strand on the RIGHT and do the same thing in reverse - a backward knot (mirror 4-shape, loop under, through, twice). Work toward the middle. Tie two final backward knots in the center to join the halves. That's one chevron row. Do it again exactly the same way for row two.

The special rows are what carve the heart shape into the pattern. On the LEFT, take the second-outermost strand (background color) and make a backward knot over the outermost strand (heart color). Knot twice, then leave that outer heart strand sitting in place - don't touch it again this row.

Switch to the second strand and forward-knot it toward the middle, over the remaining two strands. Now mirror it all on the right side: second-outermost makes a forward knot over the outermost, leave the outer alone, then backward-knot the second strand toward the middle. Join the halves in the center. Do this twice. After the second special row, you'll see the first heart appear.

From here, the pattern is just a loop: two normal rows, then two special rows, then two normal, then two special. Every set of four rows produces one heart. The rhythm clicks after the second or third repeat and your hands take over.

Keep going until the bracelet wraps around your wrist with about half an inch to spare. Sara mentions hers takes about three hours total - that's normal. Put on a show, settle in, and don't rush. Even, snug knots beat fast and messy.

When the bracelet is the right length, tie a tight overhand knot with all eight strands to lock the work in place. That single knot keeps your hours of knotting from unraveling.

Now pick one strand of embroidery floss and thread it through both holes of the button. Push the button up against the end of the bracelet and tie two or three knots to anchor it tight. Trim every loose end. The button slips through the starting loop at the top to close the bracelet on your wrist.