Artsy Crafty Library: The art of macramé
It seems like many retro clothing pieces and decor items are coming back into style. One of these unique “boho” styles involves the craft of macramé.
The art of knots first exploded in the 1970s. Looking through older photographs, I’ve seen many pieces of macramé decor sprinkled throughout my family members’ households. Some of them still remain today. I hold macramé close to my heart for many reasons, the main being sentimentality. My grandmother has described herself as the “macramé queen” and was able to achieve even the most complicated knots. We have one of her pieces, a hanging table, displayed in our living room corner. I decided to try macramé for the first time last year, and I finally understood why she fell in love with it.
Getting started
You can check out this Learn Macramé craft kit for 21 days
My macramé endeavors began by checking out one of the library’s Learn Macramé kits. The kit comes with instructions, including some you can keep, and supplies to get started. The instructions walk you through a few basic knots, such as the square knot, half-hitch knot and my personal favorite, the spiral knot. The kit also comes with a generous supply of cord to practice with, so you don’t have to worry about doing everything perfectly on the first attempt.
Practice makes perfect
One of my first macramé projects.
The first project I completed was a keychain using a spiral knot. Once I learned the knot and my muscle memory kicked in, it was surprisingly relaxing. It took me about 30 minutes total to learn the knot and finish my first project. Keychains are a great way to ease into macrame without feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. Once you get the hang of completing knots, you can slowly move on to larger patterns and projects, like plant hangers and decorative wall pieces.
Have fun with it!
If you’ve been thinking of attempting macramé, this is your sign! Whether you’re looking for inspiration or wanting to experiment with the art of knotting for the first time, the library has an abundance of resources for each step of your journey. In addition to the macramé kit, there are plenty of books that provide instructions for a wide variety of projects. Once you give macramé a try, you may just get wrapped up in it!
