Interesting Crafts: Paracord bracelets

Every once in a while I run across a craft that's new to me, and utterly fascinating. I first heard about paracord bracelets when I was doing some research for an article on friendship bracelets. I read about them again when I was researching macramé. Paracord bracelets are a little bit of each of those things, but they have veered off into a craft and cultural phenomenon all their own.

Paracord bracelets inhabit an interesting cultural space, because they are primarily geared to be jewelry for men. I am not in the business of policing anyone's gender - wear whatever you like - but it is true that for men, wearing bracelets is, shall we say, something of a cultural minefield.

Combine that with the fact that paracord bracelets certainly descend from the tradition of friendship bracelets, a craft which is mainly perpetrated by teen and pre-teen girls. I think you can see how prickly this can become.

And yet, paracord bracelets are a thriving craft. There is a series of books on how to tie your own paracord bracelet, and more instructional websites and YouTube videos than you can shake a stick at. I think this is awesome, not least because in our culture, men usually get the short end of the stick, crafts-wise. Women get all the crafts, and men get… like… carpentry and woodworking and that's about it.

Gender constructs are so tiresome sometimes.

But here's where the craft of paracord bracelets really shines: this isn't just an attractive bit of personal decoration, it's also a length of perfectly useful cord that you carry on your body. Part of the "schtick" with these bracelets is that you can quickly unravel them and use the cord if you need to. Most of them are fastened with metal D-rings or plastic buckles, which can themselves be used in a pinch. One major seller of premade paracord bracelets offers you a free replacement bracelet if you have to unravel and use yours, all you have to do is tell them the story!

This is so clever that frankly I want one myself!

Image courtesy Flickr/SonnyAndSandy