So many bracelets! Photo courtesy of reporter Emily Lopez.

  Now that 2024 is upon us, many people want to try and learn new things, especially students at San Luis Obispo High School. Hobbies are a great way to pass the time and destress while doing something you enjoy. 

  Making bracelets is a great hobby to pick up. Whether students are making bracelets for friends or for themselves, it’s therapeutic either way!

  “Working with your hands can be a positive distraction from the busyness of the day,” said SLOHS librarian Nikole Dowler.

  This trimester, Dowler organized a few friendship bracelet workshops in the weeks prior to winter break.

  Repetition actually has a calming effect. Concentrating on a repetitive task puts one’s mind at ease and reduces stress. Not only does a repetitive hobby reduce stress, hobbies in general benefit your mental and social health.

  How do you make a friendship bracelet?

  “It’s kind of easy to learn and you don’t need very many supplies. All you need is the string in your hands,” said sophomore Madeline Bessems.

  To make a friendship bracelet, one needs scissors and thread. Bracelets are most commonly made out of embroidery floss, but yarn, crochet thread, or pearl cotton work just as well.

  Bracelets need at least three colors and your string should be cut to about the length of an arm. Make sure your strings are around the same length and tie them together. 

  One also needs to know the forward knot. The forward knot is a very basic knot that’s easy to learn and is used in most patterns. A good beginner pattern is the candy stripe.

  There are tons of tutorials online on how to make friendship bracelets. There are also tons of patterns to show off your creativity! A good website for tutorials and patterns is friendship-bracelets.net.

  Students at SLOHS should try something new that is beneficial for handling stress. Making friendship bracelets is the perfect hobby for stress-relief!

Sources: extension.usu.edu, friendship-bracelets.net