bracelet afterA girl can never have too much jewelry, right?  Make faux raffia bracelets using $1 poly rope, a pendant or charm and some jewelry findings for an easy summer jewelry project.  This project was inspired by raffia kumihimo bracelets at the blog El Cuaderno de Ideas. I substituted an easy lanyard knot for the kumihimo and replaced the raffia with colorful poly rope found at Dollar Tree.

Project estimate:

  • Poly rope, $1
  • Small pendant or large charm, on hand
  • Two jump rings, on hand
  • 9mm or larger end cap, on hand
  • Lobster clasp, on hand

Total: $1 and up

bracelet 1

Start with one or two packages of poly rope.

bracelet 2

Cut a six-foot piece of rope, then separate the individual strands.

bracelet 3

Take two strands and fold in half and mark the halfway point. Cross the two pieces at the half mark.

bracelet 3.5

Begin tying a series of lanyard (or crown) knots. For a step-by-step photo and video tutorial on how to tie this knot, see this article at examiner.com.

bracelet 4

Tie enough knots to make a bracelet that fits comfortably around your wrist. Slide a jump ring over one strand and add a lobster clasp and a pendant or charm to the ring. My pendants were left over from a Martha Stewart Jewelry project but you can also use a small pendant from an old necklace.

Tie one last knot and add a dab of glue in the middle of the knot before pulling it tight.

bracelet 5

bracelet 6jpg
bracelet 7

Glue an end cap to the other end of the bracelet and allow to dry. Add a jump ring to the end cap.

bracelet 8

On the pendant end of the bracelet, cut a strand of rope and wrap just after the final knot and glue. Trim off the ends of the rope strands and fluff for a raffia tassel look.

bracelet after 4

Make more than one for a summer arm party.