HOW TO MACRAME | AN EASY TWO KNOT PATTERN
So, how to macrame?
My first memory of macrame was in my Oma’s (german grandma) house. To this day she still has a variety of macrame wall hangings and plant hangings she made in the 70s. I grew up admiring them but only recently realized how cool they were and how much I wanted to make my own. Funny how trends come back in style.
I’ve made only a few macrame hangings so far and started out thinking it was going to be so much harder than it actually is. I learnt how to do two knots right away and have made all my wall hangings from just those two knots.
Below I will show you exactly how to make this easy, two-knot macrame pattern as well as a breakdown on how to do these two knots (three if you include the initial knot to hang the cord):
square knot, double half hitch knot.
For a step by step how to macrame guide you can watch my youtube video above that shows exactly how I created this wall hanging. It may help with understanding how the knots work.
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WHAT YOU’LL NEED ||
+ Scissors
+ Measuring tape
+ 5mm Cotton Cord (65m)
+ CLOTHING RACK
+ optional: Comb
+ Stick
Step 1 | Anchor
You’ll want to set up a station to anchor your macrame. I have a free-standing clothing rack that I used, but I’ve also used a clothing dryer rack. If you don’t have either, you could use the rod in your closet or even in your bathroom – get creative!
You’ll want to cut a couple of small strands of cord that you can secure the stick on while you do your project. It doesn’t really matter how long they are, just make sure they’re long enough so you can tie it together like I did in the picture.
The stick I used was a piece of driftwood I found on a seaside walk I went on a couple of months ago. You can use really anything you like, even a piece of pipe!
Step 2 | Cut the Cord
If you do some research you’ll find that there’s a bit of science behind calculating your cord length. Luckily for this project, my guesstimate worked out well enough and didn’t leave much excess cord at the end.
The final length of the macrame wall hanging is around 35″ long (almost 3 ft long). To achieve this same length and pattern you’ll need to cut: 14 strands that are each 170″ long. It may look and sound like a lot but you end up folding the strands in half and then the knots build it up as you go so the length is necessary.
I used 5mm width cord, but you could use 4mm if you want. I like the look of a slightly chunkier wall hanging which is what the 5mm will give you.
If you use a fresh roll of cord that’s 65m long, you’ll be left with a bit of excess cord but not enough to do another project so this really takes almost a full roll to do just one hanging.
Step 3 | Lark’s Head Knot (tying the cord on the stick)
Take each individual, long strand, and fold it in half. Then with the loop end, fold the loop over the stick and then pull the rest of the cord through the loop. Make sure you keep the ends even when you pull it through so they’re not two different lengths. Tighten the knot at the top and adjust where you want the cord to be on the stick. Do this for each cord.
Once done you can adjust the position of all the strands so it’s evenly placed on the stick. My stick is 15″ long, and the cords took up a total of 7″ on the stick, so I had a few inches on either side.
Step 4 | HOW TO: Square Knot
This knot is quite simple once you get the hang of it. You want to start with the first four cords (or strands). Take the far left strand and fold it like a “4” over the center two strands. Then take the far right strand and place it over the left strand, under the center two strands, and through the “4” loop. Pull the two outside strands together and tighten pulling them up to knot it. You’ll want to hold onto the center two strands as you do this as well so it stays tight.
There are two knots to the square knot so the next step is to do the exact same knot but in the opposite direction. So start with making a backward “4” with the far-right strand that goes over the center two strands. Then take the far left strand and place it over the folded right strand, under the center two strands, and through the backward “4” loop. Pull the outside strands tight and up as you complete the knot.
Continue to do square knots all the way along the first row using four strands each as you go.
Step 5 | Square Knot (second row)
For the second row of square knots, you want to start by skipping the first two strands and the last two strands. This will cause you to use two strands from the first and second square knot above. By doing this you will start creating a checkerboard effect with the pattern.
Continue through the row making your square knots, leaving out the last two strands at the end of the row, like did you at the beginning.
Step 6 | Square Knot (third row and beyond)
For the third row, you want to do the same as you did on the first row, by using the first four strands (and not skipping any this time). You’ll begin to notice the checkerboard developing by now.
Continue creating square knot rows, alternating between the first and second-row pattern for as many rows as you would like.
For this macrame pattern, I did a total of 19 rows.
Step 7 | Square Knot (“V” shape)
Now we’re going to start creating a “V” shape with the square knot pattern. With each row, skip the first and last two strands. I find it’s easy to keep track of this by hooking the strands up on the stick as I go.
Each row will gradually decrease in the number of square knots you make until there’s only one left – then you’ll have a “V”.
Step 8 | Undo the Square Knots
Next, you’ll want to visualize the diamond shape in the center of the square knot “V” pattern. I wanted the diamond to be 5 square knots high, so that’s how many I undid until the top of the diamond shape was formed.
I get the work was just put in with doing the square knot “V” only to undo half of it. I’ve just found this is a way easier method than trying to visualize how many square knots to do on each row to design the diamond shape. If you want to figure that out though, go for it!
Step 9 | HOW TO: Double Half Hitch Knot
This knot is a great one to use as a borderline, or freestyle patterns on your wall hanging.
To start, grab the first strand and make that your leading cord and pull it tight in the direction you want your line to go. Then take the next hanging strand beside it and loop it and pull through over the leading cord. Pull the knot tight and up to the top while leaving the bum of the knot facing out. Do this a second time with the same hanging strand so that the strand will be sandwiched between the two knots (if you watch my youtube video above it will make more sense).
Repeat this two-knot step with each hanging strand along the border of the square knots stopping at the corner. Do this on both sides of the top of the diamond shape, and then a second row inside the diamond so it’s double-lined.
Step 10 | Square Knot – Center Design
Measure halfway down the diamond and take the center four strands and create a square knot. Stop halfway up so you’re not going all the way to the top – it’s going to be a hovering square knot. This will help as both a guide to shaping the bottom of the diamond, and also give the center of the diamond some extra flair.
Step 11 | Double Half Hitch Knot – Borderlines
Create a borderline along the edge of the pattern, starting with the outside strand as your leading cord on each side of the wall hanging. Stop on each side once you get to the center of the diamond and then close it at the bottom. You’ll want to do this twice to create a double row border.
Step 12 | Cut your Cord
You can choose how long or short you leave the cord. Take your scissors and cut either a straight line or on a diagonal to create a “V” shape as I did.
Step 13 | Fringe
This step is optional, but I chose to fray the strands at the bottom a little. I did this using a comb but you can do it by hand if you’d like.
Step 14 | Hanging Cord
Last is to cut a piece of cord to tie on each end of the stick to use to hang your macrame. You can make it however long you’d like.
That’s it for my how to macrame guide!
Below are a couple of images of some other two knot patterns I’ve done. One of them I dipped in natural dye from avocado pits and skin to create a bit of an ombre effect.
I hope you enjoyed my step-by-step how to macrame guide – practice makes perfect.