Circles of Friendship Bracelet
Remembering Friends
A beautiful crocheted bracelet that looks like adjoining circles- that's my Circles of Friendship Bracelet. This bracelet is inspired by the shell circle stitch. So if you're familiar with it, this bracelet should be a breeze for you! But if you're not, you should at least know how to make a dc-cluster. If you don't, I got you covered. I've included WIP (work in progress) pictures for your convenience.
What You Need
2 pcs 0.75-cm metal rings
1 pc 5-cm extender chain
1 pc 1-cm lobster lock
small amount of yarn
suitable crochet hook
tapestry needle
Guage
My finished bracelet has 7 circles representing my 7 groups of friends. Each circle has a diameter of approximately 2 cm.
Since I know that there’s nothing standard about plarn and you might do this with other yarns, therefore you should determine your own gauge and adjust the pattern accordingly. Here’s how:
# of circles = desired bracelet length – 3.5 cm *
diameter of semi-circle
* 3.5 cm represents the combined length of the lobster lock, metal rings and a bit of the extender chain
Crochet Instructions
Foundation Chain: Make a chain 10x the # of circles plus 1. Turn.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, *ch 3, 9 dc-cluster, ch 3, sc in next ch*. Repeat *-* towards end of foundation chain. Ch 1, turn.
This is a 9-dc cluster
Row 2: Sc in sc, *9 dc in the center of the dc-cluster, sc in the next sc*. Repeat *-* towards end of row 1.
Row 3 (worked around): Ch 3, sl st to 1st ch, sl st to foundation chain, * sk 1 ch, 9 sl st*. Repeat *-*towards end of foundation chain. Sl st into sc, ch 3, sl st into 1st ch. Sl st into 1st sc of row 2, * sl st on 9 dc, sk sc*. Repeat *-*towards end of row 2. Sl st to first ch-3 ring. Break off and weave in ends.
Front
Back
Memories become more vivid if represented by actual objects, I heard.
Inspiration
I made this bracelet because I was inspired by the shell circle stitch. But giving it a name that would highlight the circles was very difficult. I thought of "around the world", I searched expressions associated with circles, I racked my brain to remember something that would be catchy, something I have read before, any name worthy of this beautiful bracelet! (Sigh)
Then out of the blue, the name "Circle of Friendship" popped up in my head. I didn't stop searching my head yet. But memories of my friends flooded my consciousness - the friendships that faded, the friendships that stayed the same beyond time and distance, the good times, the bad times, losing friends, gaining new ones..
I explored my memories some more. Why don't I make the circles represent one group of friends? In my journal I wrote which set of friends these circles meant, how we met, what experiences we shared, and what became of our friendship. It was a revelation that I have shelved a lot of great memories over the years.
In the end, I'm glad I named this bracelet after my friends. Whenever I'll see this bracelet I'll be reminded how many great friends God gave me.