Macrame Instructions
In the centuries gone by Arab weavers of hand-loomed fabrics used to knot the excess yarn along the edges of the fabric and make them into fringes on bath towels, shawls and veils to give decorative effect. This textile-making craft which uses knots on thread or twine or hemp instead of weaving or knitting is called macrame.
Along with the weavers products the macrame craft also traveled to Europe. Sailors picked up the craft and started using macrame to decorate the handles of knives and other objects; they used to sell or barter these articles at the ports where the ship would call.
This gave a greater circulation to this craft. It spread all over the world and in the course of time it became fashionable. Fashion circles of Victorian England and America started using macrame widely to provide fancy trimmings for colored and black costumes. Many other articles such as belts and hammocks also were commonly made in macrame.
In the course of time the craft of macrame fell out of fashion when mass produced goods became cheap and were easily available. Now it has become fashionable again and is gaining popularity. Macrame easily lends itself to different projects easily. A wide variety of items from and from jewelry to Christmas decorations and from plant hangers to furniture are being made in macrame.
Articles such as wall hangings, draperies, bedspreads and tablecloths in macrame are very popular and in great demand. Jewelry items such as bracelets, earrings, chokers, ankle bracelets, etc are popular as gift items. Small jean shorts, plant hangers and flower pots are some of the other items that are very much in vogue.
In macrame you rely on a wide variety of knots to make a design and achieve the result, while in sewing and knitting you use needles for that purpose. There is a wide range of macram? knots, some are simple and some more complicated. It is the macrame knot that decides the pattern that will emerge when you make macrame.
There is a wide range of different types of macrame knots such as larkshead knot, square knot and granny knot, etc. Sliding knot and figure-of-8 climbing knot are some other commonly used macrame knots. Tying the macrame knots is a skill which you can develop with practice.
But learning to make knots in ropes does not make a macrame. You need to select a macrame pattern, a design that is right for what you are intending to make. There are many macrame patterns that are used. Each pattern uses only certain types of knots successfully.
The modern internet communication has made it easy for people to give and receive knowledge about macrame. There are many websites that will tell you how to macrame and give macrame instructions. They specialize in imparting macrame instructions with detailed illustrations or photographs, many websites provide tutorials telling how to macrame so that even a novice can learn such arts and crafts easily. Like any other craft macrame can be learnt only by practicing it. More and more people, especially women, now want to learn this ancient craft. Some want to learn it as a hobby and some even think of making a career out of it.
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