Giant Crochet Friendship Bracelet Garland

This past year, friendship bracelets made a triumphant return, fueled not by nostalgia alone, but by the undeniable power of Taylor Swift. Letter beads are sold out from every dollar store I’ve visited!

One lyric in particular from “You’re On Your Own, Kid” struck a chord (pun intended!): “So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.” It sparked a trend, and creativity bloomed!

Aside from actual friendship bracelets with black-and-white letter beads with various sayings, I’ve seen some amazing folks crafting giant friendship bracelet garlands using foam circles and plastic ball pit balls, and it totally inspired me to create my own—a crochet version, naturally (think Taylor’s Version!).

For this project, I used Schjeepes Chunky Monkey yarn – it’s anti-pill and perfect for these chunky “beads.” You can personalize your garland by making any saying you want!

This way, I can easily swap out the letters and create a whole new message for my garland – endless possibilities!

I did end up making crochet letter beads of both black and white in color because I thought it would be cool, but I’ve since regretted it because this meant that I needed to make the letters available in both colors as well so it provided enough contrast to read them!

So get ready to unleash your inner Swiftie and craft a one-of-a-kind garland that celebrates friendship, creativity, and the power of a good pop song!

Everything you lose, is a step you take. So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it — you’ve got no reason to be afraid. Add that pop of color you’ve been craving for in your space!

Don’t have time to make it right this instant? Pin it for later!

What You Need / Materials

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Stitches & Abbreviations

• st/sts – stitch/stitches
• ch – chain
• slst – slip stitch
• sc – single crochet
• sc inc – single crochet increase, 2 single crochets in one stitch
• sc dec – single crochet decrease, single crochet 2 stitches together
• hdc – half double crochet
• dc – double crochet
• dc inc – double crochet increase, 2 double crochets in one stitch

Notes

• The letters were cut out of cardboard using my xTool laser cutter
• Those who do not have a laser cutter to cut out the letters can cut them out using black vinyl adhesive and their Cricut. Or purchase pre-cut letters.
• Font used for the giant letters beads: Arial Rounded MT Bold
• Gauge: giant crocheted letter beads measure approximately 9 cm in diameter each.

Crochet Pattern Instructions

Giant Letter Beads (make 2 for each letter bead)

Using a 4.5 mm crochet hook and white/black aran yarn…

Round 1: Magic ring with a base of 12 dc, slst join (12 sts)

Round 2: Dc inc in each st around, slst join (24 sts)

Round 3: [Dc, dc inc] x 12 times, slst join (36 sts)

Round 4: [Dc, dc inc, dc] x 12 times, slst join (48 sts)

Cut and fasten off the first piece. Do not cut and fasten off the second piece.

Put the back of the two pieces together and slst in each st around the edges. Cut and fasten off.

Giant Star Bead (make 2 for each bead)

Using a 4.5 mm crochet hook and yellow yarn…

Round 1: Magic ring with a base of 5 sc (5 sts)

Round 2: Sc inc in each st around (10 sts)

Round 3: [3 hdc in the next st, sc] x 5 times (20 sts)

Round 4: [Sc, 3 hdc in the next st, sc, slst] x 5 times (30 sts)

Round 5: [2 sc, 3 hdc in the next st, 2 sc, slst] x 5 times (35 sts)

Cut and fasten off the first piece. Do not cut and fasten off the second piece.

Put the back of the two pieces together and slst in each st around the edges. Cut and fasten off.

Giant Color Beads

Using a 4.5 mm crochet hook and any color yarn…

Round 1: Magic ring with a base of 6 sc (6 sts)

Round 2: Sc inc in each st around (12 sts)

Round 3: [Sc, sc inc] x 6 times (18 sts)

Round 4: [Sc, sc inc, sc] x 6 times (24 sts)

Round 5: [3 sc, sc inc] x 6 times (30 sts)

Round 6: [2 sc, sc inc, 2 sc] x 6 times (36 sts)

Round 7-12: Sc in each st around (36 sts)

Round 13: [2 sc, sc dec, 2 sc] x 6 times (30 sts)

Round 14: [3 sc, sc dec] x 6 times (24 sts)

Round 15: [Sc, sc dec, sc] x 6 times (18 sts)

Round 16: [Sc, sc dec] x 6 times (12 sts)