Word and name bracelets

A word bracelet is a single with letter beads in the middle. They are the fastest kandi to make, and the ones people stop you to read. Here is how to make one look tidy instead of crowded.

What you need

• Letter beads: flat round or cube beads with a letter printed on them. Buy a mixed bag, and extra vowels if you can, because you will run out of E and A first.
• Pony beads in one or two colors for either side of the word.
• Stretchy cord and scissors, the same as any single.

Make sure your letter beads have a hole big enough for your cord. Most do for 0.7mm and 0.8mm. Some cheap ones are tight on 1mm.

Working out the length

Start with your usual single count, about 28 beads for a 15 cm wrist. The word goes in the middle, and the pony beads fill the rest. So a five-letter name uses five letter beads and about 23 pony beads, split evenly on each side.

Letter beads are often a slightly different size from pony beads. Wrap it around your wrist before you tie it, and add or remove a pony bead if needed.

Spacing that reads well

• Put a space between words. A single pony bead in the spacer color between words makes a phrase readable. Without it, three words run into one.
• Center the word. Count the beads on each side so they match. A word that sits off to one side is the most common thing that makes a word bracelet look homemade in the wrong way.
• Frame it. One bead of a contrasting color right before and after the word makes it pop.
• Keep it short. Up to about 12 letters reads in one glance. Longer phrases work, but people have to turn your wrist to read them.

Ideas for what to write

• Your name, a friend's name, or a nickname.
• PLUR, or one word from it: PEACE, LOVE, UNITY, RESPECT.
• A lyric or song title from the show you are going to.
• The artist's name, or the festival's name and year.
• An inside joke only one other person will understand.
• Small kind things: BE KIND, YOU GOT THIS, HUG ME.
• Something silly. Word bracelets that make people laugh get noticed the fastest.

Word bracelets are the classic piece to make for a show, because someone reads it and wants that exact one. There is more about shows in kandi for raves and festivals.

Color tips

Letter beads usually come white with black letters or black with white letters. Pick pony bead colors that contrast with the letter beads so the word stands out: bright colors next to white letter beads, pastels next to black. A rainbow on each side of a white word is a classic for a reason.

Word bracelets in KandiCon

In the app, type a word or a name and KandiCon lays it out as one row: one letter bead per character, with spaces turned into spacer beads, up to 40 characters. You pick the letter bead color and the spacer color, and it gives you the bead list and the stringing order. An emoji typed into the box becomes a single bead, so you can add a heart or a star in the middle.

If you want the letters made out of beads instead of printed on them, draw them on a cuff pattern in the Pattern Studio, which works best on a ladder or multi-stitch cuff at least seven rows tall.

Post your word bracelets to the feed, see what other people wrote on theirs, and follow the makers whose ideas you like. People who search for Candycon word bracelets usually end up here; the name is KandiCon.

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More guides: How to make a kandi bracelet · Kandi stitches explained · Pony beads guide · Kandi cuff patterns