Here is an instructable for a nice personalised bracelet you can make for yourself, friends and family. It’s relatively easy to make although it requires some patience because it takes quite a while to finish. The end product though is worthwhile and soon after you finish you may want to make another.

Supplies

-Yarn(or embroidery floss) in two(or three) different colours
-A pair of scissors
-Cardboard

Step 1: Getting Everything Ready

Cardboard
Cut a rectangular piece of cardboard approximately 20cm wide. Make it as long as you want; whatever you’re comfortable with(mine is 30cm long). Cut slots that are at least 1cm apart at the bottom of the cardboard as shown in the picture.

Yarn
The template I used had required 17 strands so I cut 8 120cm strands and 1 65cm strand. I then folded the 8 long strands in half, joined it with the shorter strand(total of 17 strands) and tied a knot as shown in the picture. You can choose any colour for these strands. They only appear at the top and bottom(the black strands in this particular bracelet). Next, cut long strands of your main colour(red) and your letter colour(white). (From this point onwards, I’m going to the colours in the manner in which I used them i.e. main colour as red. Next, take the black strands you tied in a knot and attach them to the top of your cardboard. I used a stapler to keep them in place but you can use tape or whatever you think would hold it firmly in place. Arrange the strands in the cardboard slots and get ready to begin.

Step 2: Knotting

Take the red string and tie a knot onto the first black string from the left. Don’t tie it tightly at first. Make it just loose enough so you can slide it to the top. Slide it to the top so it touches the big knot at the top and then you can tighten it. Since we are working from left to right on the first row, we are going to make a ‘forward knot’ on the second string. The first picture above (which I found on Pinterest) depicts very clearly how to do a forward knot. After doing a forward knot on the second string, do a forward knot on the third string and all the strings that follow until you reach the end of the row. Next, do a backwards knot on the last string(same one you did the last forward knot of the first row on). The backwards knot is exactly like the forward knot but in the opposite direction just like in the pictures above. Do a backwards knot on the second string from the right and move leftwards, doing backwards knots on each string. Do 2-4 more rows with the red string.

Step 3: Following the Grid

You will see a picture of the grid of the font I used. You can find many fonts of different types and sizes on braceletbook.com. The first letter I did was ‘S’ so I’ll show you how to follow the grid using it. The white and black on the grid represent red and white on the bracelet respectively.
For the ‘S’:
Working from left to right, do two forward knots on the first two strings. Then join the white string to the third string the same way we joined the red string at the beginning. Move the red string under the third string and do a forward knot on the fourth string as well as each of the remaining 13 strings. Move the white string under the bracelet. Do a backwards knot with the red string on the first string on the right and each of the 13 strings to its left. Bring the white from underneath string between the 14th and 15th string(counting from the right). Make a backwards knot with it on the 15th and 16th string (again counting from the right). Take the red string under the two backwards knots you just made and do a backwards knot on the last string. Follow this process, using the grid as your guide. After every letter you may want to make a blank red row to separate the letters. You can do squared knots to hold the strands in the loop together to give it a better finish and make it easier to put on. Alternatively, you can single crochet around the loop. If you don’t like this fastening method, you can use a lobster clasp or a button or any fastening method you prefer.

Step 4: Finishing Off

Once you are done adding the letters, you can do 1 or 2 more blank rows. Then, cut off the excess strands(red and white only). Don’t cut the black strings just yet. Separate the black strings in two and braid a pair of long strands( the length would depend on the length of your bracelet and the hand size of the person who it’s being made for. Knot the ends of the braids and cut off the excess strands.