A basic spiral braid is a great technique to know – it’s useful for anything from making friendship bracelets to making color matched cord for button loops or shoelaces.

Supplies:
– braiding disk pattern (download/print the disk pattern by clicking here)
– cardstock
– paper friendly glue
– scissors and utility/exacto knife
– string to braid with – I used embroidery floss in this example

Print the pattern on cardstock or paper. I glued the cardstock to another sheet, but you could also glue a paper print onto chipboard or something similar. Basically, you need a sturdy paper disk to braid with. Cut out the circle.

Cut the hole through the center, and all of the little notches on the edge. Make sure each of those is just one straight cut.

Cut 4 strands of embroidery floss to fold in half, or cut 8 strands and tie them together in an overhand knot. I used 4 strands and I tied them at the center with a scrap of crochet cotton. Using two colors will give the spiral pattern shown in the final result picture.

12 inches of embroidery floss made 7 inches of braid for me, but tension and materials will make that vary. Be sure to add a few extra inches because with a braiding disk you can’t braid to the very ends of the thread.

Arrange your threads as shown, popping them into the cuts in the edge of the disk.

Move the threads as shown in the following photos:

Move the right thread from the top pair to the right on the bottom.

Move the left from the bottom pair to the left at the top.

Move the bottom thread from the right hand pair to the bottom of the left hand pair.

Move the top thread from the left hand pair to the top of the right.

Keep repeating this set of 4 thread movements until you run out of thread or make the braid as long as you need it to be.

Another view of the top and bottom thread movements.

Another view of the left and right thread movements.

When my braid was finished I pulled on it a little bit and it smoothed out into a very consistent braid as shown in this picture.