The "Candy Stripe" is the easiest friendship bracelet pattern for a beginner.
Here's how to make it:

	What you need: Embroidery floss in your choice of colors Masking tape, a safety pin, or a clipboard Scissors Measuring Tape
	Fig. 1	Fig. 2	Fig. 3

Step 1:

Cut 3 strands of each of your 3 colors of floss to about 3 feet each.  (I know, a lot of 3's.)

Step 2:

Gripping all strands together, tie an overhand knot, leaving a tail of about 3 inches

Step 3:

Attach your floss to something - you can use masking tape to tape it to a table, clip it to a clipboard, or (my personal favorite) use a safety pin to attach it to your pant leg.  (This last way makes it really portable.  I like to make bracelet on my bus ride to school.)

Step 4:

Spread out your floss strands (see fig. 1).

Step 5 (a.k.a. Row 1):

Using your left-most strand of floss, bring it over strand 2, behind strand 2, and back in front of strand 1.  This is called a half hitch knot.
It's a lot easier to show you this than to describe it: see fig. 2.
Make sure you are holding strand 2 taut when you make the knot, and pull strand 1 up and slightly to the right, gently but firmly to tighten the knot.
To continue down the row, use the same strand you knotted over strand 2, and use it to form the same knot on strand 3.  Continue using strand 1 to make a knot on strand 4, then 5, etc., until you have made a knot on each strand all the way across.
If you completed the row correctly, the strand that was the left-most strand at the beginning of Step 5 is now the right-most strand.

Sidebar: Learning how to make friendship bracelets that look good takes a little practice.  Patience and practice young apprentice!  Pay attention to what you're doing and try to keep an even tension for each knot.  Not too tight and not too slack - too tight and it'll start to curl and look weird.  Too slack and it'll look weird too.

Step 6 (a.k.a. Row 2):

Do it again, starting with your leftmost strand (see fig. 3).

Step 7 (a.k.a. Row 3):

A repeat of step 6!

Fig. 4

Step 8

Wash, rinse and repeat - I'm sure you get the picture.  Keep starting with your left-most strand, and knot all the way across.  (For you literalists - don't actually wash anything.  I just mean that you do it again and again and again...)
Fig. 4 is an illustration of what your friendship band will start to look like as you start building up your rows.

Step 9:

When your friendship bracelet is the right length, make another overhand knot.  To finish it off, you can braid the ends, or string beads onto them.

Candy Stripe Friendship Bracelet Video

If that tutorial was confusing, here's a video of the bracelet pattern too.

Variations:

The example images for these friendship bracelet instructions use 3 colors, but you can change that up.

• 2 color band - try using 5 strands each of 2 colors
• 4 color band - try using 2 strands each of 4 colors
• 3 color band with thinner stripes - try using the same number of strands but alternate in a 1:1:1 pattern instead of a 3:3:3

Possible color schemes

(just a few of an endless number of combinations)
Note: Numbers Denote Number of Strands

• A 3:3:3 pattern of your friends favorite colors
• Spring has sprung: 3 light green, 3 pale yellow, 3 lime green
• Stormy Seas: 3 Medium gray, 3 pale blue, 3 dark blue
• American Patriot: 3 Red, 3 white, 3 blue
• Valentine's Day: 2 White, 2 pink, 2 white, 2 red
• Easter: 3 pale yellow, 3 pale pink, 3 pale green
• Juicy Berries: 3 Dark blue, 3 dark berry red, 3 bright red
• Winter Frost: 3 White, 3 pale grey, 3 pale blue
• I love green: 2 Sage green, 2 mint green, 1 kelly green, 2 greyish green, 2 mint green, 1 lime green

I hope you enjoyed these friendship bracelet instructions - I had fun making them :)

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