Beaded Monkey KeyChain Pattern - Free Beaded Monkey Keyring Pattern - Fun Beaded Key Rings

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Materials:

You will need one connector such as a
Lanyard hook,
or any type of
Key Ring.

Cord:
You will need about
2 yards of cord for your monkey.
There are lots of different types of cords you can use. For the monkey you will want a cord that is not thicker than 1mm thick because you will be feeding it through some of the rows multiple times and a thicker cord will be difficult to feed through at best. Alternatively, you can use a thinner cord and weave a little wire or a pipe cleaner into your keychain critter to help it keep it's shape that way. Either way works just fine but you can experiment with it to see which method you prefer.

One good choice is
Monofilament Cord. Other good choices would be jute or hemp cord, leather necklace cord, rattail cord, shoelaces, ribbon, paracord, or a strong jewelry cord like tigertail.

We used a 1mm brown leather round cord.

Beads needed:
 72 - Brown Pony Beads.

 28 - Beige Pony Beads.

 3 - Black Pony Beads.

Other Things Needed:


Glue

Optional: For a stiffer monkey you can include a little wire or a pipe cleaner with your cord to help keep it's shape
 Beading Wire
OR
 Pipe Cleaners

Instructions:

1. Normally you would find the half way point of the cord or wire you are using and attach it onto the keyring. In this case you will need to make one side of your cord about 5 inches longer than the other before you make a lark's head knot (shown in photo).

2. Begin weaving the beads onto the cord following the pattern. You can click on the image for a larger, better resolution photo.

3. The monkey's head is done a little differently and may be difficult to follow the cord diagram for because it goes back up and through previously done rows so we will attempt to explain. After completing the 4th row of the head, with the longer side of your cord, add 2 brown beads and go back up and thread your cord through row 2. Once you've pulled it through then add 2 more brown beads and feed your cord back through the 4th row again. You should end with one cord coming out of each side of row 4. Continue using the diagram to complete your monkey.

4. After finishing the pattern tie a double knot in the cords at the bottom and apply glue to secure.

5. If you've chosen to stiffen your monkey weave your wire or pipe cleaner through your beaded monkey keychain. You probably only need to do this near the top.

(Seed beads or E beads can be used in place of pony beads to create smaller characters.)

The illustration below uses red and blue to show you how each cord side is woven into the beads. Your cord, of course, will be all the same color.