How to Tie a Paracord Lanyard

Paracord lanyards are a craft which tightly weaves paracord into braids to allow the owner to carry the cord in a comfortable package that does not take up space in a pack. Paracord is made of a braided nylon exterior with seven interior strands inside. Hunters, hikers and other outdoorsmen often keep paracord with them to be prepared in the event of an emergency in the wild as the cord can be used for many tasks, such as creating a shelter, fishing or trapping.

Things You'll Need

  • Lanyard hook
  • 2 paracord laces
  • Scissors
  • Lighter
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Instructions

  1. Starting Stitch

    • 1

      Thread both cords through the lanyard hook, then form a cross with the cords so the hook is positioned where the midpoints overlap. The bottom cord should run in the direction you are facing, while the top lace runs left to right.

    • 2

      Bend the far section of the bottom cord down over the top cord, to the left of the section that was already closer to you than the top cord.

    • 3

      Bend the left side of the top cord over both sections of the bottom cord, closer to you than the section of the top cord that was already on the right.

    • 4

      Bend the right section of the bottom cord up over both sections of the top cord.

    • 5

      Weave the far section of the top cord over right section of the bottom cord and under the left section of the bottom cord, then pull on the four loose ends to tighten the starter stitch. You will be left with a stitch that is a two-by-two checkerboard.

    Braiding

    • 6

      Place the stitch on a flat surface, oriented so the ends of one cord point toward you and away from you, respectively, while the ends of the second cord pass left and right, respectively.

    • 7

      Fold the cord nearest you over the stitch to create a loop, then repeat with the cord facing away from you. Due to the checkerboard shape of a stitch, one end will begin more to the left than the other, be sure to maintain this with the loops. For example, if the near lace extends from under the near right square, and the far lace extends from the far left square, the loop made with the near end must be to the right of the loop with the far end.

    • 8

      Weave the left end over the left loop and under the right loop, and the right end over the right loop and under the left loop, then pull tight to complete a basic box stitch. As with the near and far ends, be sure the end which started closer to you weaves closer to you than the other woven end.

    • 9

      Repeat the box stitch until the lanyard is your desired length.

    • 10

      Cut the four loose ends as close to the final stitch as possible then, individually melt each end with a lighter and press down on the hot end with a knife. This causes the ends to melt to the last stitch, keeping your lanyard from coming undone.