By Yarn and Needlework Contributor Stephanie from the blog Twilly 23
Want to try a new craft? Macrame involves a series of knots that are easy and quick to learn. This Solid Oak Kit will let you create a pretty wall hanging while also teaching you a new skill.
CRAFT:
Macrame
DIFFICULTY:
Beginner
MATERIALS:
REVIEW:
The macrame kit comes with three skeins of cotton yarn, beads and instructions.
Before getting started I recommend winding the skeins into balls because they can easily get tangled.
The directions suggest gluing the tips of the rope or wrapping them with tape. I recommend using wasabi tape because it is easy to peel off later.
The cotton yard is firm enough to easily knot but still soft enough to not scratch the hands. The beads are a pleasing natural wood.
You’ll need to find a way to secure the rope while you work. I started with zip ties around the back of a chair. However, once I finished the first banner it felt like a waste of zip ties since I could only use them once. Tying the rope with some scrap yarn worked way better.
The instructions have clear visuals for each type of knot. I found this very helpful since this is my first time trying macrame.
At first it felt like I was all thumbs and it was hard to coordinate my hands with the rope.
Over time I started getting the hang of it and the knots became easier to make.
Using the back of a chair works great because you can move ropes you’re not using out of the way.
As I become more comfortable making knots my knotting style tightened up noticeably. The left macrame above was the first one I made. I decided to place the first one in the center of the piece to compensate for the size change..
This took me three days to make. I made the first macrame day one, three of them on day two and did the last one and finished the piece on day three.
Each banner piece uses the same length for the ropes. I was surprised how much the knotting process made the ends uneven.
The wasabi tape also comes in handy at the end. I used it to tape my piece to the floor to cut the tails into a pyramid.
The kit made it easy to try macrame. Even though I’m a beginner at this craft I’m really happy with my finished piece.
Not only did I learn a new skill but now I have some groovy wall art.
Craft on!
