Paracord Breast Cancer Awareness Keychain

My Aunt beat breast cancer not too long ago, and that makes two cancers that she's beat (yay!) Since then every woman in my family has gone 'pink ribbon crazy'. And when my mom found out that I'd recently taken an interest in paracord projects, she requested a pink ribbon that she found via Google images. So here is how I made it.

Step 1: What You'll Need

- Paracord
- Scissors/Knife
- Lighter
- Key Ring
- Ruler/Tape Measure
- Perma Lok or an Awl or similar tool

Step 2: Starting Out

To start out, I used two lengths of paracord, each measuring 5' 10". It was longer than I needed, but better to be too long than too short.

You'll want to use the 'box knot', like I did here, and in order to make a 2 1/2" ribbon, you'll need to start out with 15 layers.

Here is a video to better understand certain steps.

Step 3: Adding the Ring

Now that you have your 15 layers, you'll need to add the key ring or other hardware. The first one I made has a clip so that it can be easily removed and placed somewhere else. To add the ring or hardware, pick a corner, and thread two ends through as shown.

Then continue with the box knot until you have 23 layers.

Step 4: Bending

Now to bend your chain to make the ribbon shape.

Bend the chain in on itself making sure that the ring/clasp is on what will be the top, and, depending on which corner your thread is coming through, thread as follows.

On the end that butted up against the chain, the piece that 'points towards you' ended up at layer 6, so that's where I threaded through.

After that, you need to see where your next one is closest to. Thread through there.

Pull both ends as tight as you can, then flip.

Step 5: Bending Pt. 2

To do the reverse side, you'll also need to reverse the order. This time, the end that 'points towards you' will go through layer 7.

After you pull that one all the way through, strand the next one through layer 6.

Pull both tight.

After all four ends are threaded through, pull all four tight until it is tight up against the other side.

Step 6: Matching Tails

A ribbon wouldn't be a ribbon unless it had matching tails, so to make ours, we need 5 more layers of the box knot.

Hold the ribbon with the top pointed towards your fingers, and the bottom towards your thumb. Then take the end on the bottom and bring it to the top, and vise versa.

Then you'll cross the two on the side, just like a regular box knot. The one on the left goes to the right, and the one on the right goes to the left.

Pull tight, and repeat four more times.

Step 7: Tying Up Loose Ends

The finishing up process is different depending on what you're using. I used a lighter, so it won't look as clean as if I were using a perma lok.

To use the perma lok, simply thread back up through the chain and un-attach the perma loks and you're done.

If you do it the way I did, with scissors and a lighter, then follow these steps.

After you've finished your five layers, cut about 1/8" away from the ribbon, and melt, then squish flat with your lighter. Continue with the remaining three ends.

Step 8: Admire Your Handiwork

Congratulations! You're done. Now admire your handiwork. Hang it on your key ring. Put it on a chain and hang it on your rear-view mirror. Give it to a friend or family member. Whatever you want to do with it.

Once you've finished, feel free to upload a picture of your ribbon. And they don't have to be pink, they can be any color you want, even two colors. This is just a different way to be unique.