Macrame Knots

Introduction

I discovered macrame some time ago and quickly became fascinated by its beauty, simplicity, and versatility.

I still consider myself a student of the craft. Crochet and sewing come more naturally to me, but macrame still draws me in because a maker can create remarkable patterns with a relatively small vocabulary of knots.

I created this guide to answer some of the practical questions that often arise when learning macrame:

• How do I finish a piece?
• What should I do with loose ends?
• How can I join one section of knotting to another?
• How do I shape a curved edge?
• Which tools and materials should I use?
• How do I prepare my cords before knotting?

As you explore the techniques, diagrams, and projects on this blog, I hope you will gain confidence in both traditional and modern applications of macrame.

What Is Macrame?

Macrame is the art of inter-knotting yarns or cords.

The finished work can look complicated, but the basic technique becomes much easier once you understand the knots that build the design.

Unlike knitting or crochet, macrame does not require hooks or needles. You form the fabric directly with your hands by arranging and knotting cords.

That accessibility makes macrame a craft that makers of many ages and experience levels can explore.

Understanding Macrame Knot Names

Different books and pattern sources sometimes use different names for the same knots or techniques.

Throughout this guide, I use one consistent name for each technique whenever possible. When older sources use different terminology, you may encounter those names when working with vintage macrame patterns.

The Basic Knots

Two basic knots form the foundation of many macrame designs:

The Half Knot
The Half Hitch

By repeating, alternating, reversing, and combining these knots, you can create a remarkable variety of textures and patterns.

 

Thread, Cord, Ends, and Yarn

Vintage macrame instructions often use the words thread, cord, ends, and yarn in slightly different ways.

For clarity:

Thread usually refers to a cut length of yarn before you mount it.

After you double the threads and mount them onto a holding cord, the resulting working lengths become ends.

Pattern instructions often refer to those working ends as cords.

Yarn serves as a general term for the material used in the project. Depending on the design, that material might include natural or synthetic fibers ranging from string and wool to nylon or plastic.

Understanding this vocabulary makes vintage macrame instructions much easier to follow.

Macrame Projects

With so many knots and possible projects, a beginner may wonder where to start.

Start with projects that let you practice basic movements while learning to control tension and keep the cords organized.

The projects featured throughout the Dazespast macrame collection range from practical pieces to decorative designs. Use the directions and diagrams to build confidence, then allow those projects to inspire your own ideas.

Once you understand how the knots behave, you can begin looking at a pattern not simply as instructions to follow, but as a starting point for your own creativity.

Equipment

Macrame needs minimal equipment: a support for the work, pins to hold it in place, and a few accessories to measure, cut, and bundle the working cord ends. Dime stores, craft shops, and lumber supply stores carry just about everything you’ll need. Macrame equipment falls into three categories: working surfaces, pins, and miscellaneous materials, depending on the project.

Equipment for Macrame

Macrame requires relatively little equipment.

For most projects, you need:

• A surface or support for your work
• Pins or clamps to secure the cords
• Scissors
• A tape measure or yardstick
• Materials for bundling and organizing cords

The project itself will determine which tools work best.

Choosing a Working Surface

Choose your working surface according to:

• The size of the project
• The material you are using
• The amount of space available
• The amount of support the cords require

You can buy surfaces designed specifically for macrame, or adapt items you already have.

Fiberboard and Foam Rubber

Fiberboard and foam-rubber slabs provide lightweight, portable working surfaces for many macrame projects.

You can purchase them in different sizes and adapt them to the scale of your work.

Staple felt to fiberboard or pin felt over foam rubber to create a more useful working surface.

The Traditional Sand-Filled Cushion

Victorian makers sometimes worked macrame on heavy cushions filled with sand.

You can reproduce this method yourself.

Sew a pillow liner from heavy muslin, fill it firmly with dry sand, close the edge securely, and cover the cushion with a snug-fitting felt sleeve.

The weight creates a stable work surface while the covering gives you somewhere to secure pins.

Make a Simple Lap Board

A lap board works especially well for smaller projects such as belts and jewelry.

To make one:

1. Cut an 18-inch-long 1 × 4 board into one 12-inch section and one 6-inch section.
2. Attach a paper clamp near the center of one end of each board.
3. Join the two board sections with offset hinges.
4. Fold the frame flat to store it.

Beadaholique Macrame Board for Braiding, 14 by 10-Inch

Pins for Macrame

Use pins to secure your project to the working surface and hold the design in position while you knot.

Pins can also help reinforce or stabilize a particular section as you work.

Suitable choices include:

• Push pins
• Card pins
• T-pins
• Hat pins
• Plastic-headed sewing or quilting pins
• Upholstery pins

Choose a pin that works safely with both your working surface and the thickness of your cord.

Push pins can provide an inexpensive option for many projects.

Miscellaneous Tools

Keep a few basic tools nearby for measuring, cutting, and controlling your cords:

• Scissors
• Tape measure
• Yardstick
• Rubber bands
• Twist ties
• Plastic or cardboard bobbins
• Paper clamps
• C-clamps

Use paper clamps to hold unused cords out of the way while you work.

You can also use two C-clamps to measure long cord lengths efficiently. Attach the clamps upside down along the edge of a table and position them at the distance required for your cord.

Choose clamps that fit your tabletop depth.

Keep the existing miscellaneous-equipment and clamp images here.

Materials for Macrame

Macrame gives you tremendous freedom when choosing materials.

You can knot almost any pliable material that comes in sufficiently long lengths and is strong enough for the finished project.

Possible materials range from kite string and sisal rope to fine wire and other unconventional choices.

Makers have also experimented with materials such as:

• Strips of bed sheets
• Leather thong
• Paper twine
• Plastic strips

When evaluating a material, consider three important qualities:

Pliability: Can you manipulate and knot it comfortably?

Strength: Can it support the demands of the finished project without excessive stretching or breaking?

Surface: Does its texture enhance the knots and the overall design?

The finished use of the project should always influence your material choice.

Vegetable Fibers

• Cotton
• Jute
• Linen

Synthetic Fibers

Chemically produced fibers such as acrylic, polyester, nylon, rayon, and plastic.

Animal Fibers

Wool, silk, and hair fibers are contributions from the animal kingdom. Of all types of yarns, these have the greatest color range; however, they have a tendency to stretch and break under tension, as well as to shed during knotting.

Linen

Linen creates a beautiful surface when knotted.

It produces a soft and supple fabric while still allowing the knots to remain well defined.

Linen can create an elegant finished piece, although vintage sources note that it tends to cost more and historically offered a more limited color range.

Jute

Jute creates a fuzzy, somewhat prickly texture.

Its distinctive surface gives macrame a rustic quality, although the material can shed and fade.

Despite those characteristics, jute became a popular macrame material.

Nylon

Nylon cord produces a smooth, silk-like surface and can look beautiful when knotted.

However, its slippery surface may make it more difficult to control.

Nylon can also unravel at the ends, so secure the ends according to the requirements of the material you are using.

.

Cotton

Cotton cord comes in many sizes, textures, and colors.

Its strength and durability make it useful for a wide range of projects, and its surface can produce clearly defined knots.

Wool

Wool offers a wide color range and considerable versatility.

However, it does not always provide the strength required for structural macrame.

Because wool can stretch or break under tension, consider the demands of the finished project before choosing it for work that must support significant weight.

Preparing the Yarn or Cord

Before you begin knotting, calculate the required cord length and measure each piece carefully.

An end refers to one individual measured length of yarn or cord.

Accurate preparation makes knotting easier and reduces the chance of running short before you finish the design.

Things to Remember While Knotting

Good cord control creates cleaner macrame.

As you work:

• Keep the holding cord steady while mounting ends.
• Keep the knot-bearing cord taut and motionless when the technique requires it.
• Tie each knot close to the previous knot unless the design instructs you to leave space.
• Keep the ends straight and in the correct order.
• Avoid twisting the cords as you knot over them.
• Double each end in half before beginning when the pattern directs you to mount doubled ends.

When a project gives a number of cut ends, that number refers to the individual measured lengths before you double them for mounting.

Working the Knots

The diagrams in this section demonstrate several ways to build patterns from the Square Knot and Half Knot.

Square Knot / Half Knot

Create the basic sequence by alternating left-right and right-left Half Knots.

A completed Square Knot combines those opposing movements.

Repeat the Square Knot to create a continuous sinnet.

1. Square Knot / Half Knot

Work the first half from the left, then work the corresponding half from the right to complete the Square Knot.

Continue repeating completed Square Knots to form the sinnet.

2. Square Knot With Half-Knot Twist

Work the Square Knot, then continue making Half Knots in the same left-to-right direction.

As you repeat the Half Knot, the cord naturally forms a twist.

3. Reversed Square Knot With Half-Knot Twist

Reverse the Square Knot sequence and continue the Half Knots in the opposite direction to create the corresponding twist.

The direction in which you repeat the Half Knots determines the direction of the spiral.

The Square knot and the Half Knot

How to mount ends on holding cord with reversed double half-double half-hitches. (A B C D)

Mounting Ends on a Holding Cord

The accompanying diagram shows how to mount ends onto a holding cord using reversed double half hitches.

Study the sequence in the illustration and keep the cords arranged consistently as you work through each stage.

A square knot sinnet of leather made into handles adds new interest to old bureau drawers.

 

 

From Technique to Design

Once you understand the basic knots, you can begin applying them in unexpected ways.

For example, a Square Knot sinnet worked in leather can become a decorative handle and give an older bureau drawer a completely different character.

That kind of adaptation captures one of the qualities I enjoy most about macrame: once you understand the knots, you can begin seeing possibilities far beyond the original project.

The basic techniques can lead to practical pieces, decorative objects, accessories, home furnishings, and your own original designs.

More macrame techniques and vintage projects to come.

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