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Cost: $ $ $ $ $

Difficulty: • • • • •

Time: 10 mins

An adjustable closure for cord bracelets
This adjustable sliding closure is good for cord or string bracelets and is made using square knots. It's easy to make once you get the hang of it and you can use different coloured cord from your bracelet if you'd like. It's one of my favourite ways to finish a bracelet off, mostly because I find fastening clasps on bracelets a little tricky to do one-handed!

Posted by zaliayn from Bridgwater, England, United Kingdom • Published 9th October 2013 • See zaliayn's 6 projects »

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Step 1
Make your bracelet, but keep the cord ends long. This give you plenty of room to work with and you can trim them to the length you want after finishing the closure.
Step 2
Shape the bracelet into a circle and wrap the ends around each other so they stay together. You can tape down the ends to keep them out of the way and hold the bracelet in place while you tie the knots.
Step 3
Cut the cord you want to use for your closure. The length depends on how many knots you want to tie, but I usually use about 40-50cm.

Lay this cord underneath the bracelet cords and tie it in a simple overhand knot; make sure both ends of the cord are about the same length. Don't pull the knot super tight or the closure may have trouble sliding.
Step 4
Now you can start tying the square knots:

Pick up the cord on the left side and lay it over the bracelet cords, forming a loop.
Step 5
Then pick up the cord on the right side.
Pass it over the left cord...
...and then underneath it and the bracelet cords...
...and then up through the loop and back over the left cord.
Step 6
Pull both cords until the knot forms underneath the overhand knot you tied. Again, don't pull it too tight. This is the first half of the square knot.
Step 7
To tie the second half, the steps are the same, only this time make the loop using the cord on the right side. Then pick up the cord on the left and, as in step 5, go over, under, up through the loop and over.
Step 8
Pull the cords gently to form the completed square knot. These knots are all that make up your closure, and it's up to you how many you tie.
To tie more square knots, just repeat steps 4-7.
Step 9
Keep tying square knots until the closure is the length you want, and then tie another overhand knot. I like to check to see if the closure slides nicely at this point, while I still have the chance to fix it.

Apply a dab of glue or clear nail varnish to the overhand knot to seal it. Once the glue is dry, cut off the excess cord. You can add more glue to the knot if you want to be extra secure.
Step 10
You can now finish your bracelet cord ends. Make sure that they can't slide all the way out of the closure; thread on a matching bead or just tie a simple knot at the end. Also check before cutting, that the ends are long enough so you can pull open the bracelet wide enough to put it on.

Your bracelet now has an adjustable sliding closure!