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Macrame & Fiber Arts

Name: Macrame & Fiber Arts
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A hands-on path from your first lark's head knot to finished wall hangings, plant hangers, and wearable fiber art. You build a working knot vocabulary and the measuring, mounting, and finishing habits that separate a tidy piece from a sagging one.

Complete beginners and casual crafters who want a structured, project-based route to confident modern macrame.

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Course content

Understanding Cord: Single, 3-Ply, and Braided45m

The Beginner Kit and Workspace That Matter45m

Cord Math: The 4x-to-8x Rule50m

Mounting Cords: The Lark's Head Knot45m

The Square Knot and Its Variations55m

Half Hitch, Double Half Hitch, and Diagonals50m

Reading Written Patterns and Knot Charts50m

Designing the Layout and Choosing a Palette55m

Project: A Fringed Wall Hanging60m

Workbook & downloads

Put the course into practice — a printable workbook plus editable templates you can fill in and reuse.

Download workbook (PDF)12 KB Download (XLSX)8 KB Download (CSV)1 KB Download (DOCX)8 KB

Preview the workbook

This workbook turns the course into hands-on practice you can keep. Each section maps to one course module, moving from cord selection and cord math through knot drills, wall-hanging design, and load-bearing plant hangers. Use the worksheets and templates to calculate cord lengths, log your knots, and plan complete pieces that hang straight.

Setting Up: Cord, Tools, and Workspace

Choose the right cord, assemble a working kit, and practice the cord-length math that prevents running short.

Checklist: Beginner Kit Acquisition Checklist

30 to 40 cm wooden dowel, 1.5 to 2 cm thick, sanded smooth, acquired
Sharp fabric scissors that cut cord cleanly in one pass acquired
Clothing rack, wall hooks, or S-hooks to hang work at chest height set up
Metal wide-tooth comb or slicker brush for fringe acquired
Single-strand 4mm or 5mm 100 percent cotton cord on hand
3-ply or braided cotton cord on hand for plant hangers
Tape measure and masking tape for sealing ends on hand

Worksheet: Cord Selection Decision Sheet

Before buying cord for a project, complete this sheet to match construction and diameter to the piece. Use it for each new project.

Project type (wall hanging / plant hanger / wearable)
Will it bear weight? (yes/no)
Should ends brush into fringe? (yes/no)
Chosen construction (single-strand / 3-ply / braided)
Chosen diameter (3mm / 4mm / 5mm / 6mm+)
Reason for the choice in your own words

Exercise: Cord Math Calculation Drill

Apply the four-to-eight times rule to three imagined pieces of different densities. Calculate the per-strand length, then double it for folded mounting. Show your work.

For a 50 cm loose design at 4x, what is the per-strand and cut (doubled) length?
For a 60 cm medium design at 6x, what cut length will you mount?
For an 80 cm dense panel at 8x, how much cord per cut strand?

The Core Knot Vocabulary

Drill the four foundational knots and record the settings so you can reproduce each one reliably.

Exercise: Four-Knot Sampler Board

Mount eight cords to a practice dowel and stitch a labeled band of each core knot: lark's head mounting, a block of square knots, a half-knot spiral, and a diagonal double-half-hitch chevron. Keep this sampler as a permanent reference.

Did your square knots lie flat, or did they start to spiral?
How many half-knots did it take before your spiral began to turn?
Was your chevron crisp, and did the holding cord stay taut?

Worksheet: Knot Settings Log

For each knot you practice, record the settings that produced your best result so you can reproduce it on real projects.

Knot name
Cords used (working / filler counts)
Typical use (mounting / fill / line)
Difficulty rating (1 to 5)
Key tip in your own words

Checklist: Square Knot Quality Checklist

First half tied left-over-right, second half right-over-left
Knots lie flat rather than twisting (unless a spiral is intended)
Filler cords stayed still while working cords tied around them
Tension consistent down the whole column, no tightening drift
Alternating rows offset correctly to form even mesh

Exercise: Diagonal Double Half Hitch Drill

Lay a holding cord at a 45-degree angle and hitch eight cords onto it twice each to form a clean diagonal ridge. Then mirror it to enclose a diamond and fill the diamond with square knots.

Did keeping the holding cord taut make the line sharper?
How even were the two wraps per cord along the ridge?
When you filled the diamond, did the square knots sit neatly inside it?

Reading Patterns and Building a Wall Hanging

Decode pattern notation, plan a layout map and palette, then knot a complete fringed wall hanging.

Worksheet: Pattern Notation Translation Sheet

Take a written pattern row and translate it into plain steps before knotting. Complete this for the most complex row in your chosen pattern.

Pattern row as written (with abbreviations)
LH / SK / ASK / DHH expanded into full words
Cord numbers this row uses (counted left to right)
Plain-language description of what to do
Cord count check before the row (matches pattern? yes/no)

Exercise: Build Your Layout Map

Sketch your wall hanging and divide it into horizontal bands. Assign a knot pattern and rough row count to each band, then count the cords the widest band needs and apply the cord-length rule to the tallest cord path.

How many distinct bands does your design have?
Where did you place open negative space for the eye to rest?
Which band is your focal feature, and what makes it stand out?

Checklist: Fringed Wall Hanging Project Checklist

All cords cut to the length the cord-math rule gave
Cords mounted with lark's head knots, evenly spaced on the dowel
Upper band worked in alternating square knots
Diagonal double-half-hitch chevron tied with a taut holding cord
Open negative-space band left below the feature
Fringe brushed from the tips up, then trimmed to a clean line
Piece checked hanging straight at chest height throughout

Plant Hangers, Wearables, and Professional Finishing

Build a level-hanging plant hanger and a wearable, then secure every end to a durable standard.

Exercise: Four-Leg Plant Hanger Build

Using 3-ply or braided cotton and a wooden ring, mount eight cords, bind them with a gathering knot, split into four legs, knot each leg to an identical length, and form the basket. Test it level with a weighted object before using a real pot.

Did all four legs measure the same length before you formed the basket?
How tight and even were the turns on your gathering knot?
Did the hanger sit level when you tested it with a weight?

Worksheet: Plant Hanger Specification Sheet

Plan the hanger before cutting so the legs balance and the cord is strong enough for the pot.

Finished hanger length target (cm)
Cord construction and diameter chosen
Wooden ring size (mm)
Cut length per cord (with buffer)
Knots per leg (to keep all four equal)
Pot weight to support and tested level? (yes/no)

Checklist: Finishing and Care Checklist

Each end secured as a knot, a wrap, or brushed fringe
Overhand knots tied tight against the last knot where ends must hold
Bundles bound with a neat five-to-eight-turn gathering knot
Fringe brushed and trimmed to a clean straight or angled line
Piece steamed or misted and reshaped straight
Worn closures secured with a dot of clear glue
Piece signed and dated as a maker's mark on a hidden tag or the dowel

Exercise: Square-Knot Bracelet With Sliding Closure

Using 1 to 2mm braided cord, tie a column of square knots to your wrist measurement around two filler cords, then add an adjustable square-knot sliding closure around the loose ends. Secure the closure with clear glue.