Paracord Cross

I've seen folks wearing these made with hemp cord or twine since I was a kid. I even remember trying to make one back in the 70's at a vacation bible school, but couldn't figure it out and ended up making something with popsicle sticks instead. I saw one online while surfing(KHWW) and it sparked my memory, so I gave it a try.

It's made using a couple of sinnets(round or square will work). I start with four 24 inch lengths of gutted(inner strands removed) paracord. Make the two separate top and bottom sinnets of the cross first, no loop on the bottom part and I make a small loop on the top part, but you could make the loop longer to use as a lanyard, fob, or necklace. Once you have those made, with the loose ends facing each other, use two strands from the top and two from the bottom and continue a sinnet out to the side making an arm of the cross, doing one side, trimming and melt the ends, then do the other side.

I made a few more using the round sinnet, two outer ones are made with Atwood utility cord(olive/black tracer and the woodland camo) and the smaller center one with olive/black tracer Type I paracord.


The black and neon green cross was made with gutted 550 paracord using a round sinnet.

I've had a few soldiers email me since I posted the cross, and said they've made them with paracord while serving in Iraq and 'Ranger Rosaries' and 'Pathfinder Rosaries' are also popular.

I also made this small 1.5" by 1" cross in leather.

Cool Glow Stuff!

I just received some glow-in-the-dark cord from "Cool Glow Stuff!". I bought the 1/16" and 3/32" diameter cords, since those sizes should braid well with paracord. The other glow cord I've used is from TAD Gear, shown on the right. The two lanyards I made on the left are made with the Cool Glow Stuff! cord and the one on the right is maroon paracord and TAD Gear glow cord.

A few paracord wrist lanyards...

Paracord wrist lanyards, tied with loops/attachment points on both ends.

I added a couple of quick photos showing the the start of the sinnet, where the longer length of cord(wrist part) ends are turned back and a sinnet is started at the base of the shorter length's loop/lanyard knot, then tied up around the wrist loop strands.  Approximate lengths of cord I used were 28" for the shorter and 42" for the long, leaving 14" of the longer part for the wrist loop and sinnet back around it.

Make a paracord bracelet with a side-release buckle tutorial

I've made a short tutorial showing how to make a paracord bracelet with a side-release buckle. There are a few tutorials online that show how to make a paracord bracelet, but they don't show how to do one with a buckle, and I'm frequently asked how to do it. Using a buckle will also allow you to make larger versions the bracelet for use as a dog or cat collar. Here's the link.

Paracord Lanyard Tutorial

I've attempted to make a tutorial on one of the lanyard variations I've made. I think there's enough there to help someone give it a try. Here's the link if anyone's interested:

Paracord Lanyard Project

Here's a wrist lanyard I made with some TAD Gear glow cord I have left(TAD Gear is currently out of it and possibly looking for a new source). And a couple of photos of my Maglites, some with my paracord grips.

Alternate and continuous ring hitching...

Alternate and continuous ring hitches. I used The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Knots & Ropework by Geoffrey Budworth for learning these. I vaguely remember doing the alternate ring hitch in the scouts years ago.

I like the Type I cord that I get from the Supply Captain. It takes a bit more time making things with the smaller diameter cord, but it's still fun to work with.

I'm frequently asked where I get the swivel clips that I often use. They can be found on ebay and at Enchanting Beads. You can also find a variety at your local hobby/craft stores or try Berkley Point, Lighthound or Creative Designworks for other types of clips and snap hooks.