Macra-May-I

Hey y'all - I'm back and I have a new project that I tried this week! For those of you who may not have noticed, macramé is making a HUGE comeback and it is amazing. My sister-in-law Tasmin and I have been obsessing over this for quite some time now. I mean, just look at how beautiful and versatile macramé can be!!! 

 (all of these photos were found by doing a Google search)

(also, for any of you that are interested in macrame and want to see more beautiful options, 

follow my weaving Pinterest board, or just follow me on Pinterest in general!) 

For Christmas, Tasmin gave me this macramé book and this macramé cord so I could actually make my own wall hangings and other beautiful projects she knows me so well. So after I finished my gemstone soap, I knew my next project had to be a macramé wall hanging. Here is what I used for my project:

Macramé Pattern Book
Wooden Dowel
Cotton Macramé cord
Twine for hanging the dowel
Scissors
thumb tacks - to hang the dowel

 First, I wrapped and tied my twine around the ends of my dowel, then I hung the dowel on my wall using thumbtacks. I hung this on a spot where I knew I would not hang it permanently, but in a place where I could sit on the floor and work on the project.

Next, I cut 14 strands of cord at my desired length - for this project, each strand measured from fingertip to fingertip. Then I attached each strand to my dowel using a lark's head knot. 

Now, I did not have a specific pattern I was following for this project, which may have been a bad idea. Because I did not know really what I wanted, it took me a lot longer to finish this project than it should have. I was constantly trying new knots in different patterns and then taking them out. I wanted to try a variety of knots, but I just didn't know how I wanted this project to end up. If I had a pattern to follow, I could have easily finished in a few hours - I found most of the knots to be pretty simple. But, no matter how many times I added and removed knots, I always kept my first few rows as an alternating pattern of square knots. 

Regardless of how long it took me or how frustrated I got at not knowing what I wanted, I found the book to be very helpful. I also used some of the posts from my Pinterest board as guidance, and I also found this video to be very informative and easy to follow.  Here's a couple of tips I would suggest based on my first experience with macramé:

• If you are making a wall hanging, try using thinner cord. I found that the cord I used was great and thick, but as you can see in the photos, it was a little difficult to make it lay flat once it had been knotted. 

• If you want to make a hanging planter, I would definitely recommend using this cord- the thickness will work great not only for the knots but also keep it sturdy and capable of holding a heavier pot

• When making your project, make your strands a little longer than expected. Overall, my length worked well but I had to change my desired pattern several times because a few of my strands got shorter than the rest and I was not able to continue making the same pattern I wanted. 

• Have fun! Macramé is so versatile with knot patterns for beginners through experts - make this project your own and don't be afraid to try some more challenging knots; they may be easier than you think! 

I had such a fun time with this new project, and I am really glad I finally gave it a try! My first hanging is certainly not perfect, but I still love it. And even with taking out my pattern so many times,  I found macramé to be very relaxing. I will definitely be trying this again soon. 

What are some new project you have done recently? Tell us about your experiences with trying new things, expanding your skills, and stepping out of your comfort zone.

Until next time,

xo Kate