Beaded Friendship Bracelet

Crochet isn't just for afghans and doilies anymore! Crocheted jewelry has become pretty popular on the internet; sites like ravelry.com and etsy.com have pages and pages of crocheted bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Some of those jewelry pieces can be pretty intricate, so I thought I would start with something sweet and simple.

Friendship Bracelets!

I started with some vintage "Bucilla Twinkle-Sheen" doily yarn that was buried beneath my craft supplies. Doily yarn or even embroidery floss works just fine for this project. Because the label on the yarn didn't specify what size hook to use, I had to experiment. I ended up using a number 3 steel hook.

 

The beads I used came from a good friend of mine who was sorting through her jewelry collection. This delightful bracelet had a badly broken clasp and was about to be thrown away, so I volunteered to take it home and find a good use for it.

I started by threading the beads onto the yarn. Fortunately the beads I was re-using fit the yarn pretty well. If you're buying beads, make sure they will fit around the yarn you've chosen. If you're using embroidery floss, you can always separate the strands if the beads are too small.

Pushing the beads away from the end, I set up my crochet hook as usual. I made a chain long enough to wrap around my wrist. Because my stitches were a little on the loose side, I ended up with 40 chain stitches. Chaining one extra, I turned the chain over to start on the second row with a single crochet stitch.

To add a bead, I slid one of the beads along the yarn so that it sat against the hook. Working around the bead, I made a single crochet stitch into the nearest loop.

For the pink bracelet, I crocheted a bead into every other stitch. At the end of the row, I tied off the end and trimmed the leftover yarn. There was still a tail of yarn on that end of the bracelet, so I left it there and tied a long piece of yarn to the opposite end so that I would have a way to tie the bracelet around my wrist.

Ta-da! A quick and simple project made with items that are probably lurking around your craft closet. Have fun experimenting with different stitches and different colored beads!

Beaded Friendship Bracelet

Doily yarn or embroidery floss
Number 3 steel crochet hook (or whatever size works best with your choice of yarn)
Beads

Pattern

Thread beads onto yarn, Ch 41 and turn.
SC into second loop.
Slide the first bead so that it sits against the hook. SC around the bead.
SC into next loop. SC around the second bead into the following loop.
Continue to the end.
Trim (or weave) the new end and add a piece of yarn to the opposite end for tying.