Father’s Day

It’s really easy to make things which are suitable for girls/women, whatever the occasion there are endless possibilities with jewellery, scarves and hair accessories to name but a few, not to mention the lovely cards you can make to go with them.

When it comes to men it’s a completely different story!  Most men are very difficult to buy for as even if you know what they’re into, they are usually quite specific as to what they want.  I was determined to come up with something to offer on my stalls as Father’s Day gifts, not least because I have an event just a week before at a local hotel.

Having gone through all my stock I decided to have a go at making paracord bracelets.  If you aren’t familiar with them, they are bracelets made from 550 paracord (the stuff they use on parachutes) which is extremely strong, so as well as being a chunky masculine bracelet, it also double up as a survival tool.

After much experimentation I have come up with these:

I have made them in 2 different lengths, to suit different sized wrists; the smaller ones measure approximately 8.5″, whilst the larger ones are approximately 9.5″ in length.

Once I was happy with the lengths and the design I went on to make them in a variety of colours:

I also had a go at another design for which I found some existing instructions.

Whilst making them it occurred to me that if you did need to unravel them in an emergency it would take quite a long time to undo all the knots so I began thinking about ways I could make them which would be quicker to unravel.  If you’ve ever caught a thread on a knitted or crochet item you’ll know how easily they will come undone and leave you with a big ball of yarn.

With this in mind I dug out a large crochet hook and have so far made this simple design using a basic crochet chain. 

I’d love to know what you think of my creations, and in particular your thoughts on the crocheted bracelets, so please leave a message or drop me a line.

Similarly, if you would be interested in buying one of these, perhaps as a Father’s Day gift or another occassion drop me a line with your requirements.