This blog began the 7th of January 2014 and is dedicated to Paracord and fun (I think the two go hand in hand). I love to blog about Paracord whether it is a special product that is changing the game, a new technique or simply how Paracord can improve your life. I am all about all things Paracord. If you are interested in a fun, engaging and lighthearted blog and Paracord is a passion of yours like it is mine, come check it out!
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
We've Moved!
Paracord Planet blog is now located at https://www.paracordplanet.com/blog/. We have many helpful articles to keep you creating, as well as a ton of photo and video tutorials. Check us out!
Friday, October 2, 2015
Perseverance ...and my can coozie
Hello Paracorders!
Well, I did it! As I mentioned last week...and the week before, I was aiming to finish a paracord can coozie. I wanted to finish it for the blog post last week but sadly missed my deadline. However, I continued to work through my frustration and uncertainties and this week I finished it!
It's by no means perfect or even close to it. But it is, in fact, a completed can coozie. It will hold my beverage (whatever that may be) and keep it refreshingly cool :)
If you want to make your own can coozie, set aside a lot of hours and mentally prepare to stay calm. No matter how angry or confused you get, just remember that it will undoubtedly turn out awesome and you will be sooooo proud you finished it! Also, it uses a lot of cord (about 25 feet of each color):
Here is my journey:
I started my coozie base off Instructables.com's directions. I got through the top loop with the clasp (the black strand) and then I just started weaving and didn't stop:
I had finished the entire first row before I went back and looked at the instructions...where I realized I made about 10 too many loops. Oops. With 25 feet of cord, it takes a little longer than usual to make a loop. So at this point I went back and took out a few loops before I got sick of that and stopped.
I tried to follow the instructions after that, but things weren't lining up so I did my own thing.
I think it's safe to say if I would have followed the instructions the entire way it would look much much better. But, it serves it's purpose and I'm happy with it!
Now, I just kept at my weave and looped and looped and looped. Keep in mind, I had to do other parts of my job (such as doing awesome Facebook giveaways for you all) during the course of making this coozie which is why it took me a little longer.
If you don't have a fid, you will want one for this.
Shameless plug: http://ow.ly/SXaAS
Seriously, I would have ruined my loops and had to re-tighten every loop if I hadn't had a fid. Although, you will certainly be able to complete this without one!
This was a very exciting and frustrating point. It was starting to take shape and my worries about not entirely following the directions were diminishing.
The frustrating parts were:
1) I had 20+ feet of paracord I had to pull through every single loop that constantly got caught on the 2nd strand or my chair or my knee
2) It kept sliding down the can so I had to re-position it a lot.
Luckily, just a couple rows later the sliding stopped considerably and it was much nicer.
If you could see my face in the picture you would be a big smile.
The handle part was over! I was basically on Cloud 9 at this point.
The home stretch.
I went back to the instructions to figure out how to do the bottom. I followed it, but it looked a little different since I also didn't think to check before I got to the last row to see if anything was different. It was.
So I don't even want to show you the bottom, because it is NOT pretty. But since I like you guys, I will.
Don't laugh.
Remember, I'm also new at this so I think I should be given a little leeway :)
In case you're wondering, refer back to instructables.com for how to do the bottom. The last, and oh so satisfying part, is to take the two strands and pull them through the coozie, snip as close as you can get to the base (which is close because the bottom part will pull up) and burn the ends with a lighter.
HERE IT IS!!!!
I persevered and finished my coozie. I will enjoy it for the rest of my life!
This was the most delicious tasting pop ever.
Paracord love,
Lauri
As always, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest.
#HappyCording
Well, I did it! As I mentioned last week...and the week before, I was aiming to finish a paracord can coozie. I wanted to finish it for the blog post last week but sadly missed my deadline. However, I continued to work through my frustration and uncertainties and this week I finished it!
It's by no means perfect or even close to it. But it is, in fact, a completed can coozie. It will hold my beverage (whatever that may be) and keep it refreshingly cool :)
If you want to make your own can coozie, set aside a lot of hours and mentally prepare to stay calm. No matter how angry or confused you get, just remember that it will undoubtedly turn out awesome and you will be sooooo proud you finished it! Also, it uses a lot of cord (about 25 feet of each color):
Here is my journey:
I started my coozie base off Instructables.com's directions. I got through the top loop with the clasp (the black strand) and then I just started weaving and didn't stop:
I had finished the entire first row before I went back and looked at the instructions...where I realized I made about 10 too many loops. Oops. With 25 feet of cord, it takes a little longer than usual to make a loop. So at this point I went back and took out a few loops before I got sick of that and stopped.
I tried to follow the instructions after that, but things weren't lining up so I did my own thing.
I think it's safe to say if I would have followed the instructions the entire way it would look much much better. But, it serves it's purpose and I'm happy with it!
Now, I just kept at my weave and looped and looped and looped. Keep in mind, I had to do other parts of my job (such as doing awesome Facebook giveaways for you all) during the course of making this coozie which is why it took me a little longer.
Shameless plug: http://ow.ly/SXaAS
Seriously, I would have ruined my loops and had to re-tighten every loop if I hadn't had a fid. Although, you will certainly be able to complete this without one!
This was a very exciting and frustrating point. It was starting to take shape and my worries about not entirely following the directions were diminishing.
The frustrating parts were:
1) I had 20+ feet of paracord I had to pull through every single loop that constantly got caught on the 2nd strand or my chair or my knee
2) It kept sliding down the can so I had to re-position it a lot.
Luckily, just a couple rows later the sliding stopped considerably and it was much nicer.
If you could see my face in the picture you would be a big smile.
The handle part was over! I was basically on Cloud 9 at this point.
The home stretch.
I went back to the instructions to figure out how to do the bottom. I followed it, but it looked a little different since I also didn't think to check before I got to the last row to see if anything was different. It was.
So I don't even want to show you the bottom, because it is NOT pretty. But since I like you guys, I will.
Don't laugh.
Remember, I'm also new at this so I think I should be given a little leeway :)
In case you're wondering, refer back to instructables.com for how to do the bottom. The last, and oh so satisfying part, is to take the two strands and pull them through the coozie, snip as close as you can get to the base (which is close because the bottom part will pull up) and burn the ends with a lighter.
HERE IT IS!!!!
I persevered and finished my coozie. I will enjoy it for the rest of my life!
This was the most delicious tasting pop ever.
Paracord love,
Lauri
As always, you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest.
#HappyCording
Friday, September 25, 2015
Coozie
I set out today to create a paracord can coozie and write to you about it.
However, I didn't anticipate that it would take me hours! So this post is short and sweet.
This coozie will take me a couple days to complete and I think in the end it will be worth it. As I said last week, never quit a project (especially a Paracord project)!
Here is my project so far (Please ignore my chipped nail polish):
What projects have you worked on that look much longer than expected? Were you happy with your end result? Comment below!
Happy Cording!
Paracord Love,
Lauri
However, I didn't anticipate that it would take me hours! So this post is short and sweet.
This coozie will take me a couple days to complete and I think in the end it will be worth it. As I said last week, never quit a project (especially a Paracord project)!
Here is my project so far (Please ignore my chipped nail polish):
What projects have you worked on that look much longer than expected? Were you happy with your end result? Comment below!
Happy Cording!
Paracord Love,
Lauri
Friday, September 18, 2015
Never Quit a Project (especially a Paracord Project)
Happy Friday to all my Paracorders,
Never quit a project.
You may have a difficult time doing it, someone may do it better, but practice makes perfect. Don't give up on something because you don't get it right away. All good things, hobbies, relationships, take time and patience. Everything has another way of being done which may end up being the way that works best for you. Find it! You will get better.
Yesterday was quite a day. As I said last week, I wanted to make the Square Braid Bracelet. I used the video from our website. This weave didn't look terribly hard, but as I very quickly found out...it is. I thought this bracelet looked fun to make (very un-"square") and I had yet to make a bracelet where I took the guts out (which I was very much looking forward to doing).
So I gathered my two different colored paracords, lighter, fid, buckle, and scissors. I put my headphones in and set to make my bracelet.
Or so I thought.
I instantly got stuck on the first knot. After about 10 minutes and 20 tries (remember, I'm still a newbie with big dreams) I finally had the first knot done and was very proud of myself. After I got 2 more "braids" done I knew it wasn't looking right and took them out. I did another 20 minutes of who knows how many attempts and was unsuccessful. I couldn't follow the video very well. Everybody learns different, and videos are definitely NOT the way I learn best. I tried without looking at the video, I tried finding other videos online, which surprisingly, I was also unsuccessful at.
I decided to put it down for 5 minutes go give my mind and fingers a rest. Hoping that would be all it takes to get this braid to "click" in my head. Back at it, tried for another 10 minutes still unsuccessfully. I took the headphones off my head - forcefully - and declared out loud that I quit. I then had to clarify I wasn't quitting Paracord Planet, I was just quitting the bracelet :)
At that point my manager turned around to see what I was doing. He worked at it for about 60 seconds before he figured out the braid. Finally, I had someone in front of me showing me how to do this "impossible" braid. He made it look so much easier and did it a tad different than the video which helped me immensely!
Finally, I went back to my desk, put on my music and finished the braid with very little issue. And fun was had by all.
Back to my original point. Never quit a project (especially a paracord project since they're awesome) because you don't get it right away. Ask for help. Find a different way of looking at it. There are infinite resources out there of finding an answer. Find it. Work at it. Be proud of it.
For those of you interested in the easier way (for me) to do this braid, this is it. The video I watched had loops on top of loops and I couldn't figure out which to have on top and which end to put through which loop and on top or under which loop side. What I found easiest was to (after your first square braid on the buckle is done) simply lay each strand on top of the first one in a clockwise or counterclockwise (it doesn't matter which) manner. That way, you only have to do one loop and its very easy to see which strand to put the 4th strand under. then pull tight. Note: your fingers will be a little sore after this one, but I promise it's worth it!
For those of you interested in my finished bracelet here it is:
If I had given up and not tried it the new way, I wouldn't have this awesome bracelet that I'm really proud of (and subsequently showed everyone in the office). Practice makes perfect.
What projects have you guys made that were hard for you but you trudged through and are proud of your final result? Share with us in the comment section.
As always, please feel free to contact me on any of our social media avenues- Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+.
Paracord Love,
Lauri
Never quit a project.
You may have a difficult time doing it, someone may do it better, but practice makes perfect. Don't give up on something because you don't get it right away. All good things, hobbies, relationships, take time and patience. Everything has another way of being done which may end up being the way that works best for you. Find it! You will get better.
Yesterday was quite a day. As I said last week, I wanted to make the Square Braid Bracelet. I used the video from our website. This weave didn't look terribly hard, but as I very quickly found out...it is. I thought this bracelet looked fun to make (very un-"square") and I had yet to make a bracelet where I took the guts out (which I was very much looking forward to doing).
So I gathered my two different colored paracords, lighter, fid, buckle, and scissors. I put my headphones in and set to make my bracelet.
Or so I thought.
I instantly got stuck on the first knot. After about 10 minutes and 20 tries (remember, I'm still a newbie with big dreams) I finally had the first knot done and was very proud of myself. After I got 2 more "braids" done I knew it wasn't looking right and took them out. I did another 20 minutes of who knows how many attempts and was unsuccessful. I couldn't follow the video very well. Everybody learns different, and videos are definitely NOT the way I learn best. I tried without looking at the video, I tried finding other videos online, which surprisingly, I was also unsuccessful at.
I decided to put it down for 5 minutes go give my mind and fingers a rest. Hoping that would be all it takes to get this braid to "click" in my head. Back at it, tried for another 10 minutes still unsuccessfully. I took the headphones off my head - forcefully - and declared out loud that I quit. I then had to clarify I wasn't quitting Paracord Planet, I was just quitting the bracelet :)
At that point my manager turned around to see what I was doing. He worked at it for about 60 seconds before he figured out the braid. Finally, I had someone in front of me showing me how to do this "impossible" braid. He made it look so much easier and did it a tad different than the video which helped me immensely!
Finally, I went back to my desk, put on my music and finished the braid with very little issue. And fun was had by all.
Back to my original point. Never quit a project (especially a paracord project since they're awesome) because you don't get it right away. Ask for help. Find a different way of looking at it. There are infinite resources out there of finding an answer. Find it. Work at it. Be proud of it.
For those of you interested in the easier way (for me) to do this braid, this is it. The video I watched had loops on top of loops and I couldn't figure out which to have on top and which end to put through which loop and on top or under which loop side. What I found easiest was to (after your first square braid on the buckle is done) simply lay each strand on top of the first one in a clockwise or counterclockwise (it doesn't matter which) manner. That way, you only have to do one loop and its very easy to see which strand to put the 4th strand under. then pull tight. Note: your fingers will be a little sore after this one, but I promise it's worth it!
For those of you interested in my finished bracelet here it is:
If I had given up and not tried it the new way, I wouldn't have this awesome bracelet that I'm really proud of (and subsequently showed everyone in the office). Practice makes perfect.
What projects have you guys made that were hard for you but you trudged through and are proud of your final result? Share with us in the comment section.
As always, please feel free to contact me on any of our social media avenues- Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+.
Paracord Love,
Lauri
Friday, September 11, 2015
Sawtooth
Hello Paracorders,
I'm now 2 weeks in my time here at Paracord Planet and my paracord skills are definitely improving! I've decided every week I'm going to make a new creation, work my way up to intricate creations, and eventually make new videos myself. This week I made the Sawtooth/Shark Jawbone bracelet.
Let me tell you..It was not as easy as I thought it would be! I got tripped up on the first loop for a couple tries, but once I got past that it was smooth sailing. Once I got into a good rhythm I just turned on my 90s Pandora and weaved. Isn't that the best part? Where you get into a good system and can zone everything and everybody out and just work your paracord magic. I wish I could show you all a picture, but as I'm typing this I realize I brought it home to show my husband and left it there.
The finished product was good, and my best bracelet yet, but still not great work. That is yet to come! I think the next bracelet I want to try is the Square Braid bracelet. Do you guys have any suggestions for a beginner paracorder?
Try the Sawtooth yourself and show us your finished product: http://ow.ly/S6qEW
As always, please contact me with any questions or comments! We're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest..
Paracord Love,
Lauri
I'm now 2 weeks in my time here at Paracord Planet and my paracord skills are definitely improving! I've decided every week I'm going to make a new creation, work my way up to intricate creations, and eventually make new videos myself. This week I made the Sawtooth/Shark Jawbone bracelet.
Let me tell you..It was not as easy as I thought it would be! I got tripped up on the first loop for a couple tries, but once I got past that it was smooth sailing. Once I got into a good rhythm I just turned on my 90s Pandora and weaved. Isn't that the best part? Where you get into a good system and can zone everything and everybody out and just work your paracord magic. I wish I could show you all a picture, but as I'm typing this I realize I brought it home to show my husband and left it there.
The finished product was good, and my best bracelet yet, but still not great work. That is yet to come! I think the next bracelet I want to try is the Square Braid bracelet. Do you guys have any suggestions for a beginner paracorder?
Try the Sawtooth yourself and show us your finished product: http://ow.ly/S6qEW
As always, please contact me with any questions or comments! We're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest..
Paracord Love,
Lauri
Friday, September 4, 2015
What Do You Want to See?
Hello paracord crafters!
Well, it's the conclusion of my first week here at ParacordPlanet and it's been crazy! I've met a lot of really cool people, learned about the world of pararcord, and attempted my very first paracord bracelet (Thin Blue Line). Let me tell you, it didn't go very well, but practice makes perfect!
From day 1, I could tell the paracord world was close-knit. Everyone loves sharing their work, giving tips, and interacts with each other. I love it! So, as I'm new to your world, what are some tips and tricks you can give me? What bracelet should I attempt next? Also, I want to help you guys perfect your craft too, so is there any thing you want to see from us and aren't? I love hearing from you so please chat with us on here, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Your newest paracord fan, Lauri
Well, it's the conclusion of my first week here at ParacordPlanet and it's been crazy! I've met a lot of really cool people, learned about the world of pararcord, and attempted my very first paracord bracelet (Thin Blue Line). Let me tell you, it didn't go very well, but practice makes perfect!
From day 1, I could tell the paracord world was close-knit. Everyone loves sharing their work, giving tips, and interacts with each other. I love it! So, as I'm new to your world, what are some tips and tricks you can give me? What bracelet should I attempt next? Also, I want to help you guys perfect your craft too, so is there any thing you want to see from us and aren't? I love hearing from you so please chat with us on here, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Your newest paracord fan, Lauri
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Hello Paracord World!
Hello Paracord Lovers!
My first two weeks at Paracord Planet have been a real eye opener into the
paracord world! I had no idea there
would be so many options when it comes to paracord. From size to color, even
the accessories and buckles you can choose from; it’s truly something else. I
want to say thank you for welcoming me into the Paracord Planet family with
open arms.
My first two attempts at a paracord bracelet went great! (check out my work below!) Once I found my
rhythm I found it to be very therapeutic. My third, fourth, and fifth attempt didn’t
go as planned... frustration set in and back in my drawer the paracord went. My
patience will be tested with paracord, but it'll be worth it. As I start my
journey with paracord I ask you to come with me. Soon I will start making
tutorials and sharing them all with you! Make sure you're following us on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest as I will be posting them
there as well as on our website. There will also be new contests rolled out and
even more ways to win paracord! I'm excited to interact with you all and learn
more about paracord then I ever imagined!
If there is something you want to see more of, like, or don't like, share
it with me!
Maggie
#HappyCording
What do you think of my paracord creations?! As you can see my go to paracord color is pink!
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