Making them as even as possible will ensure you don’t run out of any single cord when you’re making square knots.
If any of the cords are drastically shorter than the others, you may need to recut a longer string and try again.
Don’t pull it too tight because you’ll be undoing it later on.
This will make it a lot easier to tie square knots and keep the ends of the cords from tangling together.
The bracelet is made using macrame to make square knots.
You’ll end up with a shape that looks like 2 triangles side by side.
It may help to hold cords 1 and 2 in place with your left hand while you reposition cord 3.
It may help to hold down cords 1 and 3 with a finger while you pull the end of cord 3 through the loop.
This completes the first half of a single square knot on the shamballa bracelet.
Pull the cords tight just like you did before, keeping cord 2 running straight down the center. This completes a single square knot.
The more knots you do, the longer the bracelet will be, so keep that in mind if you have a small or large wrist circumference.
If the bead has flat or decorative sides that you want to be showing while you wear the bracelet, make sure to rotate the bead into the proper position at this time.
The idea is to trap the bead within the square knot.
You may want to measure the bracelet around your wrist as you go to ensure that it will be the right size. You don’t have to undo the tape, just carefully lift the bracelet up and lay it across your wrist to gauge how much longer it needs to be. Add in each bead as before, trapping each bead within a square knot. Use a total of about 5 or 6 beads, depending on your wrist size or the desired size of the bracelet. Keep the gaps between beads and the lengths at either end symmetrical for a professional-looking bracelet. Note that the size of the beads may impact how many you add too, so adjust your plan accordingly.
If you discover the bracelet is going to be too long, you can backtrack by undoing some of the knots and a bead. You may need to use a dull nail or other small tool to undo the knots.
This is a regular knot (not a square not), made by looping the cord around your finger, running the end through the loop, and pulling it taut.
It may help to use the head of a small nail or toothpick to push the glue into the small crevices between the cords. It may take more or less time for the glue to dry—refer to the instructions on the package.
The 2 middle cords at either end of the bracelet should now be the only cords left.
Leave at least 5 inches (13 cm) of cord on either side so you don’t accidentally make it too short to fit around your wrist.
It’s okay if your extra cord is a little less than 1 metre (3. 3 ft), it’s just helpful to have extra if you can.
Remember, you’ll be making 1/2 of the square knot but running the cords over the top first then underneath.
Skip gluing the final knots because you’ll need them the cords to be able to slide around.
Leaving extra cord on either end will allow you to make the bracelet larger so you can slide it on and off.
Use a regular knot for this step, looping the single cord around your finger, running the end through the loop, and pulling it taut. You can use any bead for the end pieces—regular beads or shamballa beads if you want a monochromatic bracelet.
