I Did The Work So You Don’t Have To 
I recently sent a care package to a friend and wanted to include something for her 4-year-old daughter. Upon discovering that she likes “all the colors” I was like, heck yeah, I can do ALL the colors! I decided to go with the Rubber Barrel weave because I didn’t want the piece to use a clasp, and I wanted there to be a little wiggle room size-wise since I didn’t know her exact wrist length. Stretchy rubber would be perfect.
Once I made the piece, I decided to do some calculations that might be useful for other weavers looking to create a seamless rainbow bracelet.
If you’re keen to tackle your own rubber barrel, you can purchase rubber rainbow kits and the Rubber Barrel tutorial in the B3 Etsy shop (each kit is enough for 2-3 bracelets).
Rainbow Barrel Measurements
In the images and chart below, 1 unit of Rainbow Barrel consists of 3 metal rings + 2 rubber rings of the same color. Additionally, there is 1 connector ring (in grey) per unit.
Ring size is L16 – 16 SWG (1.6 mm) 1/4″ (6.4 mm) AR approx 4.2
For a super small bracelet, you’ll need 12 units. One option is to use 6 colors and repeat each color twice:
For a small size bracelet, you’ll need 16 units. One option is to use 8 colors, and repeat each color twice.
Here is a complete chart for bracelets from toddler size (4.5″) all the way up to an anklet (10″). The chart includes units that are divisible by at least 2.
Remember that rubber stretches. If you’re trying to fit a 6″ wrist, you can opt for 15 units for a snug fit, or 16—or more!—units for a loose fit.
SIZING TIP: If you determine that the perfect number of units is not on this chart, feel free to adjust the number of colors to create your own pattern. For example, if you’d like 17 units, you could repeat 6 colors twice, and then omit one of those colors on the final rep (6 + 6+ 5 = 17). Or you could use 8 colors followed by 9 colors (8 + 9 = 17). Both of those options will give you 17 units while still maintaining the rainbow illusion—trust me, most people will not notice the missing color in the one rep, especially since when the bracelet is worn, only half of the piece is visible, and the other half is typically “hidden” on the other side of your wrist.
The Rubber Rainbow kits in the B3 Etsy shop have 8 colors of coordinating rubber and anodized aluminum jump rings, allowing you to create any of the rainbow patterns outlined in the chart above.
Be sure to check out the other posts in this series, all of which use the same ring size:
Rubber Half Persian 3-in-1
Rubber European 4-in-1
Happy weaving!
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