How to make a kandi cuff. (senior project)
Hey guys, I’ll be doing my
senior project on how to make kandi or more specifically, kandi cuffs. It’s
almost like a friendship bracelet. Kandi cuffs are made out of beads and
bracelets and ravers don’t just create kandi cuffs, they have created hundreds
of other things out of kandi like kandi visors, gauntlets, necklaces, bags,
bikinis, belts, etc. Kandi was a code name for drugs to keep the real fact that
drugs were being sold during these events, called raves. Raves and kandi originally started in England
and then traveled across the world. Some people said that people would wear
kandi to let you know that they were selling drugs but that has changed.
Clearly, I don’t do drugs and most of us actually just wear the bracelets for
decoration and show off. It’s basically just bracelet/jewelry making. As times progressed, kandi got a new meaning.
In the 2000s, kandi represented
friendship. They would lock hands like we do “unity” and trade pieces, then
hug. Not only that but ravers adapted to nicknames to help describe who they
were. I did an interview on a local raver named Ginger E Cande who makes kandi
and helps contribute to a website that I used to research for my project called
kandipatterns.com. She’s one of the top
contributors to the site, posting hundreds of different kandi designs for
people to make kandi. Kandi cuffs are bracelets that ravers and kandi kids use to show
how colorful they are and as decoration while raving. Kandi cuffs are made out
of beads and go by a pattern. They are made with beads of any color and string,
depending on your choice.
I chose kandi cuffs because I have
made three before and making them were a lot of fun. Also, I’ve only made three
so I could definitely use some more experience on how make more sense I haven’t
made a kandi cuff in about 1 or 2 years. Besides, the ones I have made aren’t
that great and I have messed up on some of the beads so they aren’t perfect and
it means that I am still not experienced.
I hope to learn how to make other
kandi items besides kandi cuffs in the future but for now I want to master how
to make kandi cuffs so that I am skilled enough to make other things like belts
and bags. I want to better myself into making kandi cuffs. I will be putting up
the tutorial with a video on my blog and will be bringing in some previous work
on the past kandi cuffs I have made. I don’t think kandi cuffs are for everyone
because not everyone is into wearing bracelets or trading them.
Here are some
pictures of the kandi I made:
Now here are the
interview questions.
1. Why did you name yourself Ginger E
Cande or was it a nickname?
Ginger Cand-e is my rave name. It was given to me by Hip-e because
he said I was a ginger and sweet like candy and was good at making kandi. The
-e is a rave family thing. Everyone "related" to my rave family has a
-e in their name.
2. Who thought you how to make kandi?
Or did you teach yourself?
I knew how to make singles and ladders starting out then I looked
online and YouTube and found a few tutorials. cellularmango xxgift37xx, and a
few others that no longer have channels are some that I first watched. I caught
onto the techniques very quickly and was soon making things just by looking at
them.
What happen to celluarmango? I knew she/he had a channel but I
didn't know they deleted it. Her mom did it's a long story. She made a new one
but she hasn't updated it in a while.
3. When did you start making kandi?
The day of my first rave 4 years ago. I had always liked kandi but
never made it till then because I didn't feel it was right.
4. Why did you start making kandi?
I had always liked it. I thought it looked cool and to be honest
made me "look" like a raver. But I soon feel in love with the meaning
and the bonds it created. I was brought up in the scene by old school kandi
kids so that's where a lot of my "rave values" come from.
5. And lastly what are some things
people don't know about kandi?
I think a lot of people feel that they need to define every piece
of kandi and categorize it. Or that they need a tutorial in order to make
something. I feel like a lot of people have lost the more creative aspects in
place for standardization. I wish people would be a little more adventurous
with their kandi and just play. Who cares if it doesn't work out or looks
silly? Just make something new that hasn't been done before and explore the possibilities.
The reason I had asked about cellularmango is because she was one
of my favorite kandi makers. She had a YouTube channel where she had hundreds
of videos on how to make different kandi. She also helped with kandipatterns.com
and was honestly one of my favorite ravers. She made a new channel and reupload
her videos but she hasn’t posted in a while like Ginger E Cande. The only reason
I picked Ginger E Cande for the interview because I couldn’t find out what happened
or where cellularmango went. I’ll post a link about how to make a basic kandi
through a video on YouTube and a typed out tutorial:
Here's a video on how to make a basic kandi cuff:
This video shows you how to make a basic kandi cuff and how to read patterns.
What I used to make my kandi cuffs. I made my cuffs and mask a
little differently. I use creatology beads from Michael’s and regular string
people use to make the braided friendship bracelets since I couldn’t find clear
string or wasn’t able to purchase it. Some say to use fishing string but I
prefer just the clear regular string you can pick up from the craft store. I’ll
show you a video on how to make a basic kandi cuff.
Overall, what I
learned the most about making kandi cuffs is how to improve myself. I wasn't so
great before but now I think I can improve on making my next one. The interview
I did on Ginger E Cande help me learn more about her and how she made her
kandi. I learned some new ways on how to make different kandi designs because
just making basic kandi cuffs.
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