"I started photographing my domestic world and writing not just about what I had made,
but why I made it, examining the thoughts that accompany creativity and the act of making."
Jane Brocket from The Gentle Art of Domesticity p. 189 UK edition

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Weaving Friendships

One of my unexpected delights in blogging is meeting other bloggers and having the opportunity to weave a face to face friendship as well as a cyberspace one!  Friday I met Betsy who is from Spokane, Washington, while she is in the area visiting her daughter who just had a baby.  We had lunch in Sandy, OR, then visited Jonsrud Viewpoint overlooking the Sandy River valley and majestic Mt. Hood.  We imagined what it might have been like to have been a pioneer in a covered wagon.  We agreed that while we enjoy reading about that period of history we are grateful we do not have to face the same sort of challenges the pioneers faced.  While we visited at lunch I told Betsy about one of my favorite parts of the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival I attended several weeks ago.  The generous participants at one station we visited at the festival handed out simple free supplies and quick verbal instructions for how to make friendship bracelets.  I thought they were brilliant to offer a craft that could immediately involve and reward visitors in a fiber-forming-friendship-promoting activity.  Just before meeting Betsy I had the last minute idea of starting a friendship bracelet for her and offer you the following tutorial for one pattern you can use to make a bracelet, or necklace or....

If you have never tried to make a friendship bracelet before, you might want to try now.  Simply trace an octagonal shape on thick paper or cardboard.  Make a circular hole in the middle of the octagon. Make 8 slits, one in the middle of each outer section of the octagon.  Measure one strand of yarn about 15 inches long. Then measure 3 strands of yarn 30 inches long. Fold each of the 30 inch pieces of yarn in half.  Thread the looped ends and the single strand of yarn through the center hole in the octagon. Tie a knot.  Flip the octagon over and thread the seven strands of yarn, one into each outer slit.


Face the empty slot toward you.  Count up 3 strands on the right from the empty slot.  Lift the upper third strand of yarn over the 2 lower right strands and insert it in the empty slot.  Turn the octagon in a clockwise direction until there is an empty slot facing toward you again.  Repeat the pattern giving a gentle tug to the knotted braid forming below the octagon until your bracelet is the desired length. The loose ends of the bracelet can then be threaded through the loops and tied off at the desired length.





































King Solomon is said to have written, "Though one may be overpowered by another,  two can withstand him.  And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."[Eccl. 4:12 NKJV] This friendship bracelet has more than three stands to form it's cord. I like the idea that it represents a coming together that has power and presence.  One can choose one or many colors to enhance its beauty.  I like it as a symbol for weaving loving friendships.  
Have you made and gifted someone with a friendship bracelet?          xxx from Gracie

15 comments:

  1. Well, look how crafty you are and how sweet to make it for you friend! I am sure she will love it!!
    Thanks for visiting my blog yesterday and leaving me such a sweet comment. Sorry I have missed a few of your post so now I have to play catch up!
    HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK

    xoxoxo

    Shari!!

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  2. Yay! I got to you first this time, Gracie! :)
    It's great that you got to meet another blogger in such a BEAUTIFUL setting!
    I have to say I have never made a bracelet before. All the other girls in school used to, but it was as secretive as the folding up of secret notes, lol. Thank you for the tutorial!

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  3. Hello Gracie a lovely post and how wonderfulthat you got to meet another friend from Blogland. I remember that a few years ago now a colleague and I followed a history programme with our respective classes. It was called 'The Oregon Trail' The children and teachers( my colleague and I) found it absorbing. The culmination of the project was a performance portraying aspects of the pioneers journey and challenges. I would love to visit your lovely part of the world and DH and I have discussed a trip. We have a lot planning to do etc but who knows maybe you,Teresa and I may get to meet face to face one day.
    I've never made a friendship bracelet but think I should try. Take care Love Anne x

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  4. I love friendship bracelets. The one that has moved me most, oddly, was the one I found on one of Antony Gormley's metal men in his installation on a beach near here. I included it in a post I wrote about them last year called Antony Gormley's Bottom. It was all sea worn and faded, but still so clearly a friendship bracelet :D

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    1. I was not at all familiar with Gormley's work, and enjoyed the introduction you gave me to it, Annie. I think it would be so startling to see his 'metal men' facing toward the sea even having been warned about what to expect. I can understand how one might be tempted to yarn bomb them :) The friendship bracelet that one wore is a lovely design...more complicated than the pattern I was taught to do, and an expression of one form of art embracing another or perhaps one person befriending the art of another. Thanks for visiting! I was also interested in your comments on your blog about Pinterest. I have not pinned anything from your site, but I appreciated your reminder that Pinterest says one should ask about pinning copyrighted material...I have assumed that when one has a pin button on their site that one gives permission to pin from their site, but I did not understand the possible technical issues you typed about that could lead to stolen images/materials. Hmmm...

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  5. I had such a wonderful time and you are a great hostess. I agree about putting faces to namesake am eagerly waiting for our next visit together.

    Blessings,

    Betsy

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  6. NEver a friendship bracelet, but many a pair of socks exchanged! Love the verse you include!!!

    THe mountains in your image are glorious! came to you from Merediths blog

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    1. Welcome, Kathy! I have never exchanged a pair of socks, but it sounds like fun! We are blessed to often be able to see Mt. Hood.
      I am off to visit your blog and get to know you a bit better. Thanks for typing to me :) xx from Gracie

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  7. Hi, Gracie~
    How wonderful a gift (love the colors you chose) and I really like the Bible verse that you quoted! Betsy has a wonderful, relaxed, beautiful smile--it's great that you gals were able to meet in person:)
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  8. I love the dea Gracie!,, it's charming and powerful.
    I have been trying to do my. Grateful diary. I haven't been able to do it everyday . Sometimes I do it just in my blog or just a sentence . But it has been fun.
    I also live in Oregon in Happy Valley. I work full time as a social worker and have 2 great teenagers. I hope some say we can also meet in person. Great pictures. Thank you for sharing. :)

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  9. Your bracelet looks great, love the colours and the reasons for making them x x

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  10. I've never made a friendship bracelet. I'm thinking it would be fun to make one from some of my handspun yarn. Maybe this weekend...

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  11. Hi Gracie, I'm home! I am so sorry to have missed having lunch with you and Betsy.. we need to set up another lunch time. There are a few other Oregon bloggers we could invite, too. We got in late last evening and had to volunteer at the falls today.. we're beat. Talk soon, ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  12. It's so fun that you're finding other local bloggers and meeting IN PERSON! I'm jealous. I have yet to find that here - but I'm keeping my eye out. It would be great to "talk shop" with other bloggy types.

    Enjoy!

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  13. This is very cool! I was having such a hard time understanding what you were telling me the other night. This is not at all how I imagined it! =D

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Thank you for visiting me today! I welcome your comments!