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In this article I show you how to make a herringbone paracord bracelet.
This is another bracelet that you can make with type I paracord. I have in the past shown you how to tie a gaucho fan knot bracelet, but this one has an entirely different pattern.
So I decided to show you how to make one, again with the use of video tutorials. I find these to work better since tying such a bracelet requires a bit of explanation.
A bracelet in yellow and green.
Basically, this bracelet is made by interweaving a long 4 bight turks head with the herringbone interweave. By this you get a cylindrical knot that you can tighten around a core to make your bracelet.
A black and yellow bracelet.
So, what do you need to tie such a bracelet?
The basic supplies
For tying such a bracelet I use the following items:
- a dowel rod about 1/4 inch wide (5-6mm). This serves as a mandrel for tying and interweaving the herringbone knot
- type I paracord. This is about 1.8 mm wide cord that is perfect for making such bracelets. In my case I used two cords of different colors, each about 9 feet long. This was enough for a 7 wrap base knot and interweave
- a lacing needle is also very handy here. You can make your own fairly easily
- a single piece of paracord 550 for making a core and stopper knot
- scissors
- lighter
- optionally a rubber band to hold the standing end of the cord while you are working.
The final ingredient which money can not buy is patience. Do not rush your bracelet or it will come out sloppy. Take your time.
Tying a herringbone bracelet
This is a 2 color bracelet, although you can make it using a single color as well.
The first step is to naturally cut the two cords needed. As mentioned, I use about 9 feet of each color. This length does vary though depending on the diameter of your mandrel, so if using a larger mandrel, be sure to add some length to your cords.
The first thing to do then is to attach your first cord onto the mandrel and make a base knot. This base knot is a 4 bight long turk’s head, which I cover here:
After you have tied your base knot, it is time to attach your second color on the left side of your standing end and then make a herringbone interweave. I covered this technique in the following video:
After finishing the interweave, it is time to tighten your knot around a core. The core is usually a piece of paracord folded in half to make a loop on one side and a stopper knot on the other.
As far as the stopper knots go, I really like the ABoK 615 or “toggle knot”. You could go with a lanyard knot as well, but I find the toggle knot to be much more eye pleasing.
I covered finishing turk’s head bracelets in the following video as well:
So, I hope these steps help you make a herringbone paracord bracelet. I really think this is one of the best styles for such bracelets and really enjoy mine!
