Learn how to tie a set of paracord Ranger Beads in this instructional video by Weavers of Eternity. Make your own adjustable bracelets and lanyards by learning how to tie a paracord ranger bead.
Paracord ranger beads can be used for many things including making an adjustable lanyard or bracelet, and adjustable loops that could replace cord loops used for tightening the necks on bottle holders. The paracord ranger bead can also be used to make pace beads. Instead of using wooden or plastic beads you can make your own using paracord.
This article is going to focus on the technique of creating a ranger bead using a Celtic button knot, also similar to a lanyard knot but using one strand of parachute cord, rather than two. You will need a small section of paracord about 12” long and your lanyard, bracelet, or whatever you’re going to using this paracord ranger bead for.
You can tie the ranger bead directly onto your lanyard or bracelet, or to make things a bit more simple you could make the bead loosely and then place your lanyard and bracelet through the center before tightening down. That way you don’t have to worry about holding everything in place while you are trying to make the ranger bead itself.
Now to get started making your paracord ranger bead, take your 12” section of paracord and create two over-loops that are slightly over the top of one another, like a Venn diagram. Now take your working end and put it through the loop on the right side working from front to back and then under the strand of the left loop that over laps the right loop, and back through the right loop from back to front. Then take the working end through the left loop from front to back working under the left most strand of the left loop. You are basically weaving the working end over and under each strand of each loop.
Your working end should be facing towards the back away from you. Holding everything in place at the point where you started, take the working end and cross it over the top of the starting strand and hold it in place with everything using your thumb and pointer finger. Now take the working end and place it through the right-most loop working from front to back. Then work towards the left under the two strands next to the right-most loop and through the middle loop working from back to front.
All that is left to do is work some of the slack out of the knot and place your lanyard or bracelet through the center of the knot, and then tighten it the rest of the way down where you want it. Cut the remaining paracord ends as close to the bead as possible and melt the ends to the bead so that it will never come undone.
The 12” of cord that you started with may be overkill for a single pass ranger bead. However you can build on this technique and make a bulkier bead by making a multiple pass ranger bead, or multiple ranger beads on one project, like in the case of making pace beads.
