Have you heard of macrame? Do you want to know what it is and how to do it? The truth is that you have surely heard of it, even if only a little, since it is becoming a very popular hobby, in addition to the fact that objects made with macramé are objects for sale, so in addition to having an entertaining time you could make some money with it. In fact, there are many people who are already making a living with it, or at least getting a good extra income that never hurts.
Macramé was very popular during the 1970s in the United States. And now it’s back, and strong.
Macramé is considered the art of tying cords into knots, obtaining decorative and/or useful shapes. To make these crafts, it is better that you learn to make various types of knots, so that you can make different crafts. You can also use some ornaments such as beads to make your designs different and more striking.
Start making macrame
To make macramé you can use cords, ropes or thick threads, the true art of these crafts does not lie in the materials used themselves, but in the skill and art with which the knots are made. If you go to a craft store, you will most likely find a large sample of cords of various types, thicknesses, sizes, and colors.
To get started you will need to find a foundation to use. In general, macramé always needs a base, but you could use a pencil if you are starting and want to know if you really like this art. The base is usually a ring or a horizontal bar. Another way to secure the base is by taping the start of the laces to a flat surface.
Also, if what you want to make is a bracelet or a necklace, you can use a pendant or a connector as a base, the important thing is that you can pass the thread through it.
To start making any type of macrame design we will start by making a lark’s head knot. We will take our cord or thread and fold it in half. We will pass the closed part of the cord behind the base just a little, now we will pass the longest part of the cord that we have left through the loop formed by the part of the cord that we had passed behind and we will pull until there is a very tight knot to our base. You can also do the reverse knot by pulling on the other side.
With this first knot you will start any macramé craft, although there are some variations depending on the number of cords you use for your craft, the truth is that most crafts will need at least four cords.
If you are also going to use four laces then you will need two long laces and fold them in half. To hold them to the base we can make two lark’s head knots one next to the other. So that you are left with two equal beads followed by the other two equal beads. For example, if you have a long green cord and a pink one, then the pattern should be green-green-pink-pink, so that the green and pink ones in the center will be your base and you will work with the green on the left and with the pink on the bottom. the right. This type of base knot is used when the colors are different.
If we want the colors to be the same, then the base knot will be a lark’s head knot inside the larger lark’s head knot. In this way we will obtain the arrangement pink-green-green-pink, the green cords being the bases and the pink ones that we will use to make the knots.
Square knots
The type of knot that we are going to teach you how to do is the square knot, since it is basic for manual macrame work. We are going to explain step by step how to do it, although you can reverse the sides if they are more comfortable for you.
Let’s start (step 1) by passing the cord on the right over the one on the left, it will form a triangle with the base. Now take the left lace and pass it over the folded one, pulling it out from under the right corner. This is called an overhand knot, and it’s the same knot you start tying your shoes with. Next we will pull both ends at the same time so that the knot is in the center and does not go somewhere.
Note: If you repeat this process one knot after another you will be able to form a spiral weave.
Next we are going to do the previous step but in reverse (step 2). We pass the left lace over the right lace, leaving a triangle again. Next we pass the right one over the folded part and we take it out under the left corner.
We will repeat step 1 and step 2 alternately until we get our design made up of square knots.
There are many different types of knots with which you can practice and entertain yourself by seeing their designs and results and also create beautiful macrame crafts. Here we have explained the basic steps on how to make macramé. Also remember that the more laces you use, the more complicated it becomes to tie the knots, but the results are also wonderful.