Tag: macrame

Macrame instrument storage

On By CarynIn Craft

I started this large macrame hanging back in October of 2024. This basically qualifies as a throwback Thursday post, except that this project has been in progress suspension for over a year due to indecision. It has been hanging in a hallway and I’ve passed it daily during the last year. Many possibilities have gone through my head, and I’ve done a few knots, but a concrete plan never coalesced. I finally just wanted it done so I could organize my small instruments that have been living in a box in the closet. I decided to just knot a mesh of offset square knots on the right, similar to the two layer open side pockets on the left. As I started the net pattern, I decided that there should be different spacing between row to accommodate different sized instruments. It turned out perfect for my flutes, whistles, and recorders. I’d like to say I planned it for that, but really I was just desperate for it to be done and the knot pattern was the easiest path.

Photo description: large cotton macrame wall hanging with natural cedar rod
Photo description: same macrame hanging filled with small instruments from top to bottom, left to right: maraca, harmonicas in cases, kalimba in a case, pan flute in a case, castanets, steel tongue drum, train whistle, wood whistle, sliding wood whistle, soprano recorder, chanter, alto recorder, bamboo flute, rain stick, and on the top of the piano, a ukulele made from a laser cut kit

I’m glad the hanging is now doing its job and not sitting idle in the hallway. I would absolutely do the macrame mesh again for a different storage project, especially for long stock, such as spoons. Hm.

Happy Thanksgiving. May your projects result in satisfying completion.

Awkward but functional

On By CarynIn Craft, Garden

One of my hanging plants started leaking from a crack in the bottom. I’m not entirely sure how a hanging pot cracks, but it definitely wasn’t leaking plant water last week. I had a spare pot, but it wasn’t hanging, so I attempted a macrame pot holder. I used cotton macrame cord leftover from a different project, and divided it into six strands. I folded these in half and secured a loop in the middle with a knot. I then used macrame style square knots to make the net part of the hanger. It took a few tries. I found that I need to leave enough room from the loop to the first knot for the pot to slip through. The knots aren’t perfectly spaced, but they are functional, holding the oval shaped pot securely. I finished the bottom by gathering all 12 strands and lashing them together with a separate strand of cord.

Photo description: very basic macrame plant holder for an oval pot

The zebrina plant looks sad because I had to cull 90 percent of it to get it into the hanger. I took cuttings from the culled sections to root out. This plant regularly goes from sad and spindly to lush and full, so I’m not worried about it.

Macrame storage part 1

On By CarynIn Craft

Using offset square knots I made a pouch beneath the macrame design I did earlier to hold a tongue drum.

Photo description: green tongue drum hanging in a macrame pouch and gathered tassel with unknotted cotton cord on the sides

The idea is to create more storage for small musical instruments on either side. Knotting continues.

Macrame shaping

On By CarynIn Craft

I’m slowly progressing on my macrame wall hanging. I finished the central design, now everything else will be storage pockets. The central design was my first attempt at making shapes with half hitch knots. The petals of the flower aren’t as even as the pictures in the tutorial (beware, the site is chock full of ads), but I was learning. Next time I’ll put a sketch behind the work to help keep the balance, rather than just eyeballing it.

Photo description: macrame wall hanging in progress with a six petal flower and leafed vines on each side made with cotton macrame cord

The side vines were an add-on from seeing variations of leafed vines, and I wanted to attempt them. I’m still having some left/right issues on my half hitches, and sometimes I get a full hitch and have to take it out. Here’s my tip: if you have a line of knots that need undoing, pull out the core cord so all the half hitches fall open. Much easier than untying each one.

Macrame: Cedar branch

On By CarynIn Craft

I realized that I had a free substitute for the thin dowel I tried to use for a large macrame hanging: a branch from the yard. Not only do we have copious available branches, naturally shaped wood looks really nice with macrame. I even had a nice long cedar branch that I had cut a few months ago that didn’t work for the project at the time, that had been sitting out and curing. I stripped off the bark, which is much easier after the rain when the bark is wet, then let the wood dry. I used an oscillating spindle sander to get the remaining traces of bark removed, then sealed it with several applications of Howard’s Feed-n-Wax.

Photo description: curved smooth cedar branch set above the thin dowel with cotton cord tied on with larks head knots

Transferring the cotton cord from the dowel to the branch wasn’t difficult once I used some spare cord to tie it up above the dowel. Larks head knots are very stable, but very easy to remove.

Photo description: all the cotton cords transferred to the branch which is naturally curved not bent due to the attached weight

I left the old thin dowel hanging as a pattern line, and added a couple more guide lines to the wall using washi tape.

Now I have to settle on my macrame pattern. I initially intended a simple all-over grid, but my ideas keep getting fancier and I’m thinking of pockets and loops. Hm.