Double Box, Tornado, and more Lanyards - Classic Camp Crafts

Once you master the box stitch, you may want to multiply it by adding more colors to make a bigger lanyard. The same thing also works for the barrel stitch.

You may remember from the cobra stitch tutorial that you will need  plain gimp ,  neon, glow, clear, double sided or tie dye, and you can get a better color selection  online .


I also used some deerskin lacing and 3mm curb chain this time.

Remember you can make these as wide as you want, though the below is not recommended...

And now here's how to add the twist:

You can see what it looks like with more strings.

And a little bonus at the end showing you how to make my favorite stitch, the super box, or box ². It has a really nice feel to it even though it is made of the cheap plastic.

So take a look, and leave some comments if you have questions. The video thing is still new, so be nice.


I got started slow this summer on the camp crafts, but expect more  vidyos next year, and definitely let me know what you want to see or anything you remember from your camp days.

Box and Barrel Lanyards, Classic Camp Crafts

Now, this is the  real classic  lanyard knot, used by sailors to boyscouts.  One of the first things you learn to make as a camper, or at least one of the first things I learned with gimp: the box stitch. 

You may remember from the cobra stitch tutorial that you will need  plain gimp ,  neon, glow, clear, double sided or tie dye, and you can get a better color selection  online .

Still loving that neon paracord though. it is good for everything.

Classic Camp Crafts - Lanyards: the Cobra Stitch

Did you go to camp? I did, and while I was there, I used to spend as much time on the Arts&Crafts shack as possible. We made all sorts of things that were very often useless and ugly, but we also got to do the cool stuff like tie dye, clay pottery, and friendship bracelets. 

Lanyards were not on the list of cool or useful things  that you could make, but they were my favorite.

I made these 2 videos for all the ex campers out there who want to get nostalgic. It's also a great way for parents of kids that do not go to camp to share in the fun.

$NEAKER$: Gold Chain Laces

It has been a while since my last post here and some important events have taken place in my life. I moved again, started looking for work, learned to spin (yarn), watched all of Law & Order in chronological order on Netflix, started exercising very minimally, and bought some sneaker wedges.

Get the same shoes here - Olympiaa Wedge Sneaker (Google Affiliate Ad)

Yes, plain black Steve Madden sneaker wedges. They are a bit boring, but they go with everything. They can also be transformed into blinged out, gold chain, swag shoes fit for a rapper.

See what a simple change of laces can do? These are no longer just shoes, they can officially be called $HOE$, or $NEAKER$     And you can go back to black laces any time if you want.


This is how I made my chain laces:

You will need:

A tape measure

2 pairs of flat nose pliers for opening links

1 or 2 types of chain at least as long as your laces, make sure it fits through the holes in your shoes. I got my chain at the local hardware store for about 70-90¢ per foot.

2 9mm split rings, regular jump rings may not be strong enough.

2 lobster clasps, I chose the largest size available at the craft store. Chains do not tie very well, so the clasps are instead of a bow or knot.

One pair of shoes, I looked for some without metal eyelets so the chain fits through the holes.

Remove the original laces.

Open a split ring and connect your clasp to one end of your chain.

Begin lacing the shoe, you will be starting from the top outside leaving enough chain to wrap around your ankle not quite once (8"). I started on the second hole down. Think it through before you start, every pair of shoes is different, so your shoes might turn out a bit different.

Lace all the way down and up again, ending two holes below where you started.  You are now going to join another chain onto this chain. You will need to try the shoe on and see how the laces are fitting before the next step.

Open a link at the end of your second chain, If you have never opened a jump ring before, watch this.

You will be attaching the second chain right here. Notice that at this point, I put the shoe on. You should do that now.

This is how the lace looks with the second chain attached.

Put the chains through the holes.

Pick up the lobster end...

...and wrap it around the back of your ankle. It will cross over in front, go around the inside of your ankle and end up on the lateral (shoespeak for outside) side.

You can now take the two non-lobster chains and clip onto them.

I left some slack on one of the chains to get a layered look. Only one needs to be tight to hold your shoes on.

Clip the extra length that will be left at the end of the lace.
Now just do the same for the other shoe.

I know, it is a lot of steps, but look at the result:

Definitely a unisex look, not the wedge, just the chain.

Or the wedge, why not.

I'm sure the chains would look great with all sorts of shoes, not just sneaker wedges. In fact, there is a pair of Docs just waiting for a silver version of these.