How To Make A Hemp Bracelet Without Making Beginner Mistakes

Hemp bracelets aren't just for hippies anymore! As micro-macrame jewellery has gained fashion traction in recent years, hemp bracelets have also seen rising and widespread popularity, and no wonder! They are easy to learn, cheap to make at home, and great for wearing during activities where you wouldn't take your gold or silver, such as travelling overseas or surfing.

Unlike traditional micro-macrame jewellery which uses waxed string, making a bracelet out of hemp gives a more rough and natural look. Hemp is also easier to work with for beginners, simply because the string is thicker and less fiddly.

If you're just getting started making hemp bracelets, then the square knot hemp bracelet pattern is the best bracelet to begin with. It's simply a repetitive tying of the square knot onto a guide string. While the basic bracelet pattern is fairly plain, the great thing about it is that it's really easy to spruce up the design once you're comfortable with tying the square knot.

The square knot hemp bracelet was one of the first bracelets I learned how to make, so I ran into a few fairly typical beginner problems. So, before you even get started on the actual pattern, you can learn from my mistakes and keep the following points in mind to keep your knots even and your bracelet neat:

String Types

Differences in density, quality, width, and brand can make your knots uneven and your bracelet look messy and amateurish. It's best to always use exactly the same type of string for the most uniform results.

String Tension

Your first few bracelets will probably have crooked knots. Don't worry – everyone who is learning experiences this! To overcome this problem, you need to keep a consistent string tension while tying your knots. You don't want to pull so tight that your bracelet bunches up, but you don't want to leave your knots so loose that you have gaps everywhere. Also, just take your time. It's much faster to do your knots slowly and get them right than it is to rush through them and have to unpick them. Trust me on this, I've done it many times!

Guide Location

Your guide string is key to neat knots. In the square bracelet, the guide will be the backbone that you tie your square knots onto. You need to hold it with enough tension that the knots can be tied easily onto the string without causing the bracelet to bunch. A loose guide is one of the most common causes of irregular knots.

Finally, don't worry if your first few hemp bracelets don't look as neat as the pattern you are working from at first. It takes patience and practice to develop the skill of tying consistent and even knots. Keep practicing and most importantly, have fun!