Parachute Cord Candy Cane Ornaments

This summer, Aidan and I got into crafting with parachute cord (paracord) and made several bracelets and keychains.  We have plenty of cord left, so we experimented with a way to make Christmas ornaments out of parachute cord.  With some cord and a piece of wire from a coat hanger, you can easily make this fun candy cane ornament!

This project requires adult help, but would be fun to do with a scout group or after school club.  I would recommend it for ages 8+.

To make them, you will need:

  • Red and white parachute cord – we used 325 parachute cord from Hobby Lobby.
  • A wire coat hanger
  • Wire cutters
  • Scissors
  • A ruler
  • Scotch tape
  • A lighter – for fusing the ends

Parachute Cord Candy Cane Ornaments

Step 1:  Cut a 4 ft. strand of parachute cord from each color.

Step 2:  Cut a section of coat hanger and bend it into a candy cane shape (adult job!).

Step 3:  Lay the red and white strands side-by-side and tape the ends to the candy cane.  Fold the ends over and run them along the length of the coat hanger.  Then tape both strands to the other end.  (See photo below)

Parachute Cord Candy Cane Ornaments

Step 4:  Fold back the extra cord that is left hanging off the end after you tape it down to the coat hanger as shown.  Use the extra strands to begin tying square knots starting at the bottom end.  The first knot is a little tricky, but after that, it gets much easier to make the candy cane!

The photo below shows how to make the knots.  For each knot, start on the opposite side – this is very important!  If you forget to alternate sides, your knots will start to form a twist.

Parachute Cord Candy Cane Ornaments

Step 5:  When you get to the other end, trim the ends and melt to fuse (adult job!)

Parachute Cord Candy Cane Ornaments

The coat hanger will show through a little, but this wasn’t a concern for my boys.  Aidan said that it made them look more boyish.

It’s hard to not have a little bit of coat hanger hanging out on the bottom end.  You can file it off smooth, or pull on the whole thing a little to slide the parachute cord down.

One side of the candy cane will come out with red in the middle, and the other side will have white in the middle.  I love how they turned out!

Parachute Cord Candy Cane Ornaments

More fun with parachute cord:

8 Comments

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  1. Mary Catherine Nov 13, 2014

    I cannot wait to try this next month with my son. LOVE!

    Reply
  2. Paracord-Verflechter Nov 27, 2014

    Hallo, das ist eine coole Idee. Dies kommt gleich auf meinem Zettel zum nachbauen. Liebe Grüße "Der Paracord-Verflechter"

    Reply
  3. Mike G Dec 2, 2014

    Just a suggestion. Most paracord is hollow. You can pull the center strands out leaving a colored sheath. You could put that sheath on the wire before you started the wrapping. It would hide the wire and is an opportunity to add more depth or color. A tiny bit of pink or green showing through for example. :)

    Reply
    1. Sarah Dec 3, 2014

      That is a great suggestion!

      Reply
  4. Rebecca Dec 13, 2015

    Thanks for this tutorial!
    This was my very first attempt with anything paracord and I loved it.

    Reply
    1. Sarah Dec 13, 2015

      That's great! So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  5. Paracord Halsband Jan 26, 2016

    Eigentlich stellen wir Halsbänder her, aber Schlüsselanhänger kommen immer mehr, weil Sie mal eben kurz aus den Reststücken geknüpft werden können. Keine schlechte Idee, das werde ich gleich mal ausprobieren und demnächst zu Weihnachten verschenken =)

    Reply
  6. alwyn Aug 7, 2016

    Hi could you please advise how long is the bit of wire

    Reply
  7. Marshall Reagan Dec 30, 2017

    IF YOU WANT TO HIDE THE WIRE ENDS ,SLIDE A PIECE OF CORD OVER THE WIRE BEFORE BENDING & FOLD OR MELT THE ENDS.

    Reply
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