Marko Gorc - Paracord bracelet instructions: Popular bracelets explained

So why write a book on paracord bracelets, when there are so many tutorials out there? The primary reason for this books creation was the information overload I myself experienced when I began making paracord bracelets. Too many different designs in tutorials of variable quality. Which one to choose from? I wanted to offer this book to you, the reader, to enjoy a base from which you can build upon. I will not only feature tutorials for the bracelets, but also provide you with all the information required to make them in an efficient, systematic way, as well as tips to keep you improving and making even better bracelets in the future. A second, personal reason for making this book is that I am awe struck by the paracord crafting community. It is a friendly, sharing place where anyone can feel accepted.

I strongly suggest you get involved in the various communities on Facebook and on various sites related to paracord. This is my contribution, made in the hope that it will strengthen the community by providing beginners with solid fundamentals and veterans with some fresh ideas. When going through many bracelet designs, I decided to feature the ones that are on one hand representative of the craft, as well as sought after by people the most. I have assembled an decent number of unique bracelet designs found on my journey of running a paracord crafts website, being an author on many platforms as well as being an avid paracordist (I have even made my son a baby bottle holder out of paracord!). You will find some classic designs, some crazy ones, a few beautiful bracelets and a few simple to make ones. To each their own! I really do not wish to specialize this book so only a select few can benefit from it.

It is a book for everyone, the beginner, the expert and the seller. I have included a few tips about marketing your bracelets. I would like to mention that the bracelet designs are not the ones I would have came up with on my own. Many were made by either extremely talented individuals such as J.D.Lenzen, some designs come from the knotting books of old, such as the Ashley book of knots. I do not claim to be an inventor of these designs, nor do I want to take away from the great work of others. What I and my book bring to the table is a package deal.

From designing your bracelet, selecting supplies and crafting, you will be able to make paracord bracelets with all your bases covered. You will not find such a comprehensive guide easily. This book, nor any other can ever cover all the bracelet designs though, nor does this book attempt to do so. The book is made to provide you with a variety of designs you, as a paracord crafter will benefit knowing. With that, I leave you to enjoy yourself with the book before you.

Get involved!

The paracord community is ever growing and is full of nice people, who are always willing to help.

Get involved!

The paracord community is ever growing and is full of nice people, who are always willing to help.

I myself have gained quite a few friends and valuable information using these communities. I highly recommend you connect to the Facebook communities: Knot just paracord group https://www.facebook.com/groups/knotjustparacordgroup/ Parachute cord crafters https://www.facebook.com/groups/194548893899579/ World of cordcraft https://www.facebook.com/groups/104733969719614/ Mateloteurs https://www.facebook.com/groups/Mateloteurs/ In an act of shameless self promotion, I would also like to invite you to join Paracord guild on Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paracord-guild/589043777809904 If you are a Pinterest user, you should see the community pin board on paracord projects : http://www.pinterest.com/iaremarkwell/paracord-community-board/

CHAPTER ONE

Why paracord

In the following section we will take a look at the reasons for working with paracord. Becaus e there are so many options, cords, ropes, strings, as well as techniques such as beading, macrame and many others, it is worth taking a look at the benefits that paracord brings. That way you can sleep at night and know you chose the right material for your crafts!

Durability

When I first read how strong paracord is I was amazed. It can hold 550 pounds! A single cord can hold more weight than most humans weigh. Further more, a single inner strand of paracord can hold an impressive 50 pounds of weight (up to 70 actually!), the outer wrap can hold 200 pounds by itself.

Is that not something amazing? Well, ropes and cords are amazing that way. It reminds me of the story about the strength of the spider web. That thin line made by the spider is as strong as high grade alloy steel! In any case, most of the things you make out of paracord are insanely durable. I dont know if anyone can rip apart paracord with their bare hands, but braided or knotted paracord is even stronger! People even tow their cars with braided paracord!

Price

Paracord is cheap. Considering a price of 10$ per 100 feet of cord, which is overdoing it by quite a bit, you can get about a foot per 10 cents of cord! That my sir is cheap. The other commonly used supplies, such as bracelet buckles are also common, cheap and easy to find.

The way to go about buying paracord is to get a good mix of colors and length. Having colors to select from will keep your projects from looking too boring. If you are just starting out you may consider getting prepackaged cord of different colors. If you plan on really jumping into paracord crafts, spools of 300 or more feet are available with bulk pricing, which will save you quite a bit of money in the long run. As a notable person in the paracord crafts once said: You may just go ahead and buy that 300 feet spool of black paracord, you will end up using as much in the long run.

Popularity

Paracord is hot! I may be biased, since I have published a book on the subject, but if you look at the social media such as Pinterest, various Facebook groups, websites popping up, you can easily get the idea about the size of the community.