Sunday, September 15, 2013

Now FREE: the Crisscross Bracelet




(copyright 2004 Deborah Roberti)

MATERIALS (for a 7-inch bracelet, not including clasp)

• 4 yards waxed Nymo or C-Lon thread, size D, or 6 lb. FireLine

• About 350 size 11/0 seed beads. I used size 11/0 Delica beads: Lt. Gold DB-34. Can be purchased at FireMountainGems.com and WhimBeads.com.

• About 164 size 4mm beads (they can be bicone crystal beads, fire-polished beads, round beads or any size 4mm bead). I used Swarovski Montana AB. Can be purchased online at FireMountainGems.com.

• Clasp



Step 1: Thread your needle with 4 yards Nymo, C-Lon or FireLine (or start with a length that you feel comfortable with and add more later).

String a seed bead, a 4mm bead, a seed bead, a 4mm bead, a seed bead, a 4mm bead, a seed bead and a 4mm bead.

Leaving about a 12-inch tail for attaching the clasp, tie the beads in a circle with a double knot:


Step 2: Go back around through the beads highlighted in RED:


Step 3: String three seed beads. Go around and back down through the seed bead you that exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED), forming a circle of four seed beads:


Step 4: Go back around through the 4mm bead, the seed bead, the 4mm bead and the seed bead highlighted in RED:


Step 5: String three seed beads. Go around and back up through the seed bead that you exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED), forming another circle of four seed beads:


Step 6: Go through the next two seed beads on the circle of four seed beads that you created in the last step (highlighted in RED):


Step 7: String a 4mm bead, a seed bead, a 4mm bead, a seed bead, a 4mm bead, a seed bead and a 4mm bead. Go around and back down through the seed bead that you exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED):

To add some extra strength to your bracelet, go back around through the beads you just added (highlighted in RED):


Step 8: Go back around through the 4mm bead, the seed bead, the 4mm bead and the seed bead that you added in the last step (highlighted in RED):


Step 9: String three seed beads.
Go around and back up through the seed bead that you exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED), forming another circle of four seed beads:


Step 10: Go back up through the 4mm bead and the seed bead highlighted in RED:

You’ve just created Row 1 of the bracelet.

Step 11: Flip the bracelet around so that you are working left to right:


Step 12: To begin Row 2, string a 4mm bead, a seed bead, a 4mm bead, a seed bead, a 4mm bead, a seed bead and a 4mm bead. Go around and back across through the seed bead that you exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED):

Again, to add some extra strength to your bracelet, go back around through the beads you just added (highlighted in RED):


Step 13: Go back around through the 4mm bead, the seed bead, the 4mm bead, the seed bead, the 4mm bead and the seed bead that you added in the last step (highlighted in RED):


Step 14: String three seed beads. Go around and back down through the seed bead that you exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED), forming another circle of four seed beads:


Step 15: Go back around through the 4mm bead, the seed bead, the 4mm bead and the seed bead that you added in Step 12 (highlighted in RED):


Step 16: String three seed beads. Go around and back up through the seed bead that you exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED), forming another circle of four seed beads:


Step 17: Go through the next two seed beads on the circle of four seed beads that you created in the last step (highlighted in RED):


Step 18: String a 4mm bead. Go through the seed bead on Row 1 (highlighted in RED):


Step 19: String a 4mm bead, a seed bead, a 4mm bead, a seed bead and a 4mm bead. Go around and down through the seed bead highlighted in RED:


Step 20: Go back around through the 4mm bead, the seed bead, the 4mm bead and the seed bead highlighted in RED:


Step 21: Go back around through the beads (highlighted in RED):


Step 22: String three seed beads. Go around and back up through the seed bead that you exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED), forming another circle of four seed beads:


Step 23: Go back up through the 4mm bead and the seed bead highlighted in RED:

You’ve just created Row 2 of the bracelet.

Step 24: Flip the bracelet around so that you are working left to right:


Step 25: Repeat Steps 12 to Step 24 until your bracelet is as long as you want, minus about a half-inch and the length of your clasp.


Step 26: To attach the clasp, string a 4mm bead, a seed bead and a 4mm bead.
Go back down and around through the 4mm bead, the seed bead in the middle circle of four seed beads and up through the 4mm bead highlighted in RED:


Step 27: Continue on up through the top-left 4mm bead and middle seed bead highlighted in RED:



Step 28: String five seed beads, go through one end of the clasp and back around through the seed bead the you exited at the end of the last step (highlighted in RED), forming a ring of seed beads that encircle the clasp:


Go around through this ring of seed beads several times to reinforce the clasp and then weave your way back into the bracelet, knot in several places and cut your thread.

Repeat Steps 26 to 28 to attach the other end of the clasp.

More FREE patterns at AroundTheBeadingTable.com.