Beads in Knots: Macram

In This Chapter

Bonus Chapter

Decorative knotting originsfrom making rugs to todays revival Materials and tools youll need for macram and beaded jewelry and accessories Four basic knots you can use for a variety of projects A simple bead and macram sampler

The ability to tie knots has been a staple survival skill for thousands of years. If youre going to climb a mountain, carry water, rig a sail, or ride a horse, youd better know how to tie a knot or two. But somewhere along the line, knots became more than just a utilitarian skill. They became an art. The people credited with developing the art of macram, a system of decorative knots, are the Turkish rug weavers of the thirteenth century. What do you do with all those warp ends when youre done weaving a rug? Why not knot them in pretty patterns and create a fringe? Well, thats what they thought, and pretty patterns they were. As the Arab world was conquered, this system of decorative knotting found its way to Spain and throughout Europe. Sailors, who already knew a thing or two about making knots, took the craft to sea and made hammocks and other decorative items in their spare time. The height of macrams popularity was in the nineteenth century, when it even found its way into middle- and upper-class Victorian parlors and on trims for dresses, linens, and many household items. Macrams popularity experienced a revival in the 1960s and 1970s, especially among the young. I still have the macram-and-bead guitar strap I made in my hippie days! Macram was easy to do, the materials were cheap and natural, and you didnt need any special or expensive tools to do it. Plus, it was completely portable. I used to tie my work first to a chair leg, and then, when the piece got longer, I tied it to my big toe, barefoot as I often was.

Beads in Knots: Macram

Macram is again seeing a renewed popularity thats partially tied in with the current beading renaissance. The two techniques are made for each other. Neckpieces, belts, handbags, plant hangers, wall decorations, and jewelry are just a few applications for beads and macram. Teenagers exchange friendship bracelets made with embroidery floss or very fine hemp, and 20-somethings have rediscovered tie-dye shirts and macram jewelry. But macram has taken on a new face in the hands of serious beaders. The marriage of beaded cords, threads, and other fibers with the wide variety of beads now available is producing some unique and adventurous work. With knotted explorations in new fibers and beads, its knot just your grannys craft anymore!
FiNDiNGS If youre serious about macram, check out the International Guild of Knot Tyers at www.igkt.net and find out how to join more than 1,000 other members worldwide. Among the membership list are academics, surgeons, sailors, sports men and women, Scouts, farmers, miners, magicians, ranchers, rodeo ropers, and anyone elseexpert or beginnerinterested in knotting. Who knew?

invest in a few additional tools to make your experience a little easier and more fun.

Fiber for Knotting

Cords and strings for macram are everywhere. You might even already have some lurking in drawers and boxes at home. Heres a short list of a few you might like to experiment with: Jute This is the cheapest material for macram you can find. Jute is basically packing twine and comes in various plys, or numbers of twisted strands. Three- and four-ply are usually preferred for making finer macram pieces and are 1 8 and 1 4 inch in diameter, respectively. Be careful about mixing jute with water. It will come apart pretty quickly if subjected to moisture. Hemp Hemp cord is categorized by strength or pound test, as fishing line is. Most common are 20#, which is around 1 millimeter in diameter; 48#, which is about 2 millimeter; and 170#, which is about 4 millimeter. You can get it dyed, natural, or bleached as well as polished and unpolished. The most common form is natural. The new macram cords Since the old days, lots of cords have appeared for macram. Check out Crafty Cord, Amy Braid, Braided Elegance, and Bonnie Braid cords, and see what you think! Youll find many options in craft and hobby stores. Stringth This nylon beading cord comes in different sizes and colors and is another new material thats come into the hands of macram and bead enthusiasts. Mastex This nylon upholstery thread is 3-ply bonded nylon. It comes in colors, and #18 gauge is most popular for macram.

A Little String Goes a Long Way

The tools and materials for making decorative knotted items are actually quite few in number. If you want to keep it really simple, all you need are your fingers and some twine. Add a few beads, and youre all set! If you want to get more serious and have some greater variety, though, youll want to know more about different fibers and their properties and perhaps

Beads in Knots: Macram

Conso Another upholstery store find, Conso is also a 3-ply bonded nylon cord that comes in lots of colors. The most popular size for macram is #18 gauge. Perle or pearl cotton If youve ever crocheted, youre familiar with this one. Perle makes a nice macram material, especially for jewelry. Embroidery floss You can use as many strands of multiple-strand embroidery floss as you want. This is what the kids are using for friendship bracelets. Soutache This is a more unusual material, but Ive seen some very attractive pieces done with soutache and silk cord. It is more familiar as a trim or embroidery fiber.
A-BEAD-CS Soutache is a flat, narrow braid in a herringbone pattern and is used for trimming and embroidery.

Silk thread You can use silk thread in the larger sizes like FF and FFF for fine macram work. You can use lots of different found materials for macram that werent intended for it, such as parachute cord, other twines, venetian blind cord, or anything else you discover. As long as its flexible, has body, doesnt stretch, holds a knot well, and feels good against the skin (if its going to be worn as jewelry), you can call it a macram cord.
PUt ON YoUR BEADiN CAp To raise your macram creativity quotient, start looking at fibers wherever you go. Hardware stores, marine supply places, fabric and sewing departments, beading and craft stores, leather supply outlets, and anywhere else that you find string, cord, or fibers are possible sources for unusual macram materials. Ask yourself How would this work for knotting? and use the five is-it-good-formacram guidelines: flexibility, body, stretch (something you dont want), knotworthiness, and texture against the skin (if its going to be worn). Then knot, er, knock yourself out!

Waxed linen thread Youll find this at leather supply stores in white, natural, black, and brown, but it is also available in colors. Search the Internet for Irish waxed linen thread. Rattail This satin cord is the best for macram and gives your projects a sumptuous look. Its slippery, so it might be a little difficult for the very early beginner, but practice a bit and youll be up for it soon enough. It comes in lots of colors. Leather cord Check our your local Tandy Leather Factory store for all sorts of possible macram materials, including waxed linen thread and leather cord. Pleather, a simulated leather, also comes in cord. Both come in colors and different widths.

Beads (Of Course!)

Consider the size of the bead hole when youre picking beads to use with macram. Heavier cords require very large-hole beads. Natural items you can drill to enlarge the hole also make great macram beads. Remember, youll often need to put two cords through one bead, so the hole must be able to accommodate at least two cords. Some beads, often wooden, are sold specifically for macram. They have extra-large holes for use with heavier cords. Take some sample cords with you when you go bead shopping, and try putting them through the holes to be sure they fit.
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Beads in Knots: Macram

Odds and Ends

With a bigger macram piece, it sometimes helps to have a surface to tack down your work as you go. A macram knotting board is handy to hold wider pieces and is easy to make, using a clipboard and some corrugated cardboard or foam core. Clip the cardboard or foam core to your clipboard, and add a piece of graph paper to help you keep things on the straight and narrow. You can also use a small cork or bulletin board or a polyfoam macram work board you can find in hobby stores. Youll want some T pins to use with your board. These are heavy-duty pins with a T-shape head often used in upholstery. You can find them in most sewing and craft stores. A crochet hook also might come in handy for pulling cords through the beads. Depending on what you decide to make, consider gathering findings like key rings, belt buckles, clasps, watch face assemblies, or simple O-rings made of plastic, wood, or metal.

1. Start by tying a cord onto a chair leg or other solid surface. Then, cut another cord about 30 inches long. 2. Take the 30-inch cord youve cut, and fold it in half so you have a loop at one end. Push the loop behind the mounting device with the loop pointing downward. With your thumb and index finger, reach up through the loop and bring the loose ends down through the loop. Then tighten the loop down into a knot by pulling on the two free ends. You want the free ends to be the same length, and the knot should be very snug.

To practice your knots, youll need four working cords. Cut 2 (30-inch) cords, attach both using the larks head knot, and youll have 4 working cords.
A-BEAD-CS In macram, the mounting cord remains fixed and is used to hold additional cords for making knots. The working cords attach to the mounting cord and are used to create knots.

Knots Are Basic!

You probably already know some of the knots youll use in macram, such as the overhand and square knots. But dont worry, well review them anyway! The half knot is just half of a square knot, and the larks head is most likely something youve used before but just didnt know its name. Ready to learn about knots? Then, lets begin!

Larks Head Knot

Use this knot to set up your work for knotting. Youll need a mounting cord or some type of open finding to practice your knots on.
Setting up your working cords using the larks head knot.
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Beads in Knots: Macram

Overhand Knot
This is the simplest knot around. Its the one you make when you want to stop something from unraveling or knot a thread to begin sewing. Basically, you make a loop and bring one end up behind and through the loop in a figure eight.
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How to do a half knot.

3. Pull tight and snug up against your starting larks head knots by pulling cords #1 and #4 out to the sides and keeping the tension between them even. As you tighten, periodically pull down on cords #2 and #3 to keep them straight. You can even pin them down if that helps.

How to do the overhand knot.

Half Knot or Half Square Knot

A half knot is one half of a square knot. Look at your four working cords, and in your mind number them 1 through 4 from left to right. Cords #2 and #3 will remain stationary, and youll use cords #1 and #4 to make both this knot and the square knot. 1. Bring cord #1 across cords #2 and #3 but under cord #4. 2. Bring cord #4 under cords #2 and #3 and under and through the loop made by cord #1, bringing it toward the front.
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If you continue making half knots, youll notice your work will begin to twist in a spiral pattern. By just working this pattern with four working cords and adding beads at regular intervals, you can make an easy and attractive bracelet, anklet, or necklace.

Square Knot
To make a square knot, follow the procedure for making a half knot all the way to the end. Then do the same thing in reverse, using cord #4 as your starting point. Bring cord #4 under cords #2 and #3 and over cord #1. Bring cord #1 down under cord #4 and over cords #2 and #3 and then up through the loop made by cord #4. Pull tight and slide the knot up against the first half you already made.

Beads in Knots: Macram

Youll need a mounting cord or some other finding or material you can attach your working cords to. The mounting cord is the foundation for your knots and can be a piece of wire, a piece of natural wood or a dowel, a key ring, a clasp, a belt buckle, or even a curtain rod if youre making a window hanging or room divider. For your sampler patch, were going to use a piece of heavy gauge wire (18 gauge would work well) that youve fashioned into loops at either end. Youll use the loops to attach your sampler patch to your cap. Or if youd rather, you can substitute a key ring finding and make your own macram-and-bead key ring. Choose a fiber to work with. Hemp is a good choice, but if something else catches your fancy, give it a try. Ill be making my sampler out of 20-pound test hemp, but if youd like to try perle cotton or some other fiber, be my guest. Just know that the diameter of the fiber will affect the size of your patch. Also remember that some materials are more slippery than others and are more difficult to handle. 1. Cut 4 working cords, each 30 inches long. Youll fold these in half, so youll end up with 8 (15-inch-long) working cords after youve attached them to your mounting cord, wire, or other finding. These are the cords youll be using to make your knots.
KNotS! Always cut more cord than you think youll need. In fact, the general rule of thumb is to cut cord 8 to 10 times longer than the finished piece you desire. Youll use up a lot of cord doing knots, and its basically impossible to add new cord.

Making a square knot.

There you have it! A square knot. This is a strong knot and can be used with alternating groups of working cords to give you a flat pattern that fills space quickly. And as with the half knot, you can make another easy bracelet, anklet, or necklace using four working cords, tying square knots in succession, and adding beads at intervalsthis time in a pattern that will lay flat rather than turn in a spiral.
FiNDiNGS For some very easy projects using the simple knots you just learned, plus a couple more, youll enjoy Hemp It Up With Beads by Janie Ray for Suzanne McNeill Originals.

Getting Tied Up in Knots

You can now put together the knots youve just learned to create a small sampler.

Beads in Knots: Macram

2. Attach your working cords to your mounting device with a larks head knot. (If youve forgotten how, review the process outlined earlier in this chapter.) If youre using a cord or wire, you might want to attach it to your knotting board with pins. I found that by bending my wire slightly it fit nicely under the spring clip on my macram knotting board. If youre using a key chain finding, you can apply your working cords to the ring and then tie the ring to a chair rung or leg to pull against as you work. 3. Snug all 4 doubled and knotted cords up against each other in the center of your mounting device. Now youre ready to begin knotting.
KNotS! You can get tangled up with long cords if youre not careful. Once youve attached your working cords, make a little bundle of each cord by rolling it up and adding a rubber band or twist tie to keep it out of the way.

6. Now separate your working cords into two groups of 4 again, and make a square knot with each of these groups. Keep your knots tight and close to each other.

This is what your sampler should look like with the first 5 square knots worked.

4. Divide your working cords into two groups of 4 cords. Make a square knot with the 4 working cords on the left, and do the same with the 4 working cords on the right. Be sure to keep your cords straight, and dont allow them to twist. Use pins to help you if you need to. 5. Next, make a new group of 4 with the working cords in the center. You should have 2 free working cords on either side of the center group. Make a square knot with the center group of 4 working cords.

7. Find a bead with a hole big enough to fit 2 working cords through (youll probably want to use a pony bead with 20-pound test hemp), and slide it onto the 2 center cords. Slide it up snug against the square knots you made in step 6. 8. Make another square knot with the 4 center working cords, just below the bead. 9. Now, take the 4 working cords on the left side and make 6 half knots. Make your first half knot just below the square knot you made in the center. Youll end up with some space between knots. Slide another bead onto the 2 center cords of this 4-cord group, and work another 6 half knots. Finish off with a square knot.

Beads in Knots: Macram

10. Repeat this 6 half knot, bead, 6 half knot, square knot sequence on the right side. 11. To finish, tie a tight overhand knot with all the cords. Pull everything tight and trim.

Youre Knot Finished Yet!

You can finish your macram piece in many ways, depending on what youre making. On our sampler piece, we could have chosen simply to knot each cord individually and create a different-looking fringe. We could add beads and knot them onto each cord or alternating cords. If you were making a bracelet, you could make a knot-and-loop closure by beginning your work by knotting all your working cords in an overhand knot rather than using a mounting cord and ending them with one or more overhand knots that will slip through the beginning loop. This works best when using two folded pieces of cord for a narrow band of macram.
PUt ON YoUR BEADiN CAp If you want to learn more about macram, Hemp Masters: Ancient Hippie Secrets for Knotting Hip Hemp Jewelry by Max Lunger will teach you all you would ever want to know about knots. And Wendy Simpson Conners book The Knotty Macrame & Beading Book in her Techniques for Beadlovers series puts the emphasis squarely on beads with innovative ways of combining fiber and beads using knots.

Your finished macram and bead sampler.