Navy argyle alpha bracelet pattern

About this design

Argyle is the pattern of school jumpers and golf socks, and it suits knotted string well because its crossing lines fall naturally along the diagonal steps of an alpha grid. The diamonds are DMC 939 Navy Blue Very Dark, the background is 3325 Baby Blue Light, and the thin lines are B5200 Snow White, which stays crisp against both blues. Each diamond takes 14 rows, so the chart shows three of them stacked end to end.

Setting up and knotting

A 14-knot-wide bracelet needs 14 base strings, plus one working string in each of the three colours. Cut the working strings generously, at least a metre each, and wind them on bobbins or card so they do not tangle. The white lines are single knots that step one place sideways every row. Count from the edge at the start of each row, because one white knot in the wrong column breaks the diagonal and shows from across the room. The point where the two white lines cross in the middle of a diamond, two white knots side by side, makes a handy checkpoint.

Length and finishing

At roughly 2 mm per row, the 42 rows come to about 8.4 cm. Working the chart twice (84 rows, six diamonds) gives close to 17 cm, which fits most adult wrists once you add a braided tie at each end. For a child, stop after five diamonds, about 14 cm. A single repeat folded through a split ring also makes a smart keyring strap.

Colour plan

DMC 3325 Baby Blue Light does the most work, 49% of the 588 knots, followed by DMC 939 Navy Blue Very Dark at 37%. Every colour is used at least 84 times, so there are no tiny one-off details to hunt for. Every square of the grid is filled.

Working notes

It is 42 knot rows of 14 knots; the busiest row changes colour 6 times. 64 squares stand alone in their colour, with no same-coloured neighbour along a side.