Request for simple key lanyard

[k15744]

Hi there!  Been lurking, but this is my first post!

I've been assigned a project  - I need to lead a workshop for some kids and I need to show them, and assist them, in making a paracord key ring lanyard.  Ideally it should use no more than 10 feet of cord, and the finished lanyard should be under 3 or so inches.  The tricky part is that it needs a key ring at both ends, well actually on end is a key ring, the other end will sport a medallion that a hole large enough for a couple of strands of paracord.

To keep things simple I'll probably stick to just one color.  And I only have them for a few hours so want to keep it fairly simple.

What pattern do you recommend?

Thanks!

[Sweeney]

I do this often with kids and the easiest to learn is Soloman Bar (aka Cobra Stitch, Portuguese Sennit and Boatswain's Plait). One advantage is that if the child makes a mess at first it is easy to undo and retry and after a bit of practice can be completed in about 15 - 20 minutes at most. If you start with a keyring at the end away from the loop (and if this is not clear there are dozens of YouTube videos available) you will leave a loop to which a medallion can be girth hitched after completion (or if you want to capture it more permanently place the cord through the hole in the medallion before you start, attaching the keyring by taking the doubled cord through it and back to start knotting (you can of course reverse positions of the ring and medallion if you wish).  Most videos suggest melting the ends of the cord to finish but this is potentially dangerous with children so loosen the last few "stitches" and tuck the ends before tightening again and trimming off the ends. The attached picture may help - the ends are shown tucked and the key ring on the right is left loose for illustration. The cord is about the same thickness as paracord and took about 4 feet to make this key fob 5 inches long overall (I usually work on a ration of 10:1 - cord to finished length plus a small safety margin).

Barry