Real Men Crochet Paracord

Crochet Paracord: Just Another Reason to Learn Crocheting

You can crochet with anything! And that means items you'd normally throw away can be turned into any number of handy items.

I have seen multiple examples of projects crocheted from plastic bags, T-shirt fabric and even cassette tapes. I will even admit to a single occasion when I attempted to crochet with licorice. It is very difficult as the strands break easily and just taste so good.

The point is that crochet skills are a tool to turn any length of material into pouches, bags, netting, cords, belts and more.

This is especially true when it comes time to crochet paracord for later use.

Why to Learn How to Crochet Paracord

A few days ago, my dad sent me a short video about a guy who knits with parachute cord, allowing him to create a strong strap and convert a large length of cord to a utilitarian and manageable length.

This practice is popular with those preparing for emergencies, outdoors enthusiasts and many others. In a situation that demands a length of parachute cord, it's important to be able to unravel paracord in a hurry. While some wear paracord bracelets for this purpose, going the DIY route and crocheting paracord is a good choice for making customized widths and lengths of paracord. Instead of just paracord bracelets, you could make any number of wearable options.

Although I've thankfully never been in a life-threatening situation, there have been times when I wished I had cordage on hand.

How to Crochet Paracord

For my paracord project, I started with a Tunisian simple stitch. This easy Tunisian stitch uses more length than a single crochet stitch, and is easier to work with the stiff cordage. I am in love with the look and feel of this strap. It is strong but flexible, and would also make a great belt.

Using a size M (9 mm) hook, five stitches and three rows is about two inches wide and two inches tall and uses five feet of parachute cord. This means that a 100 foot package of parachute cord will create a two inch wide strap or belt that is about three and one third feet, or forty inches, long.

I can't wait to show my Tunisian crochet strap to my father. What would you make out of parachute cord or what crazy item have you crocheted with?