or materials. the four knots are: the square
knot, the overhand knot, the double half hitch
and the lark’s head. it is the variation and
combinations offered by these four knots that
make macramé such a fascinating craft.
to add interest and variety to pieces of
macramé, many threads comprising different
colours and textures can be used, including
cord, string, precious metal thread, wool,
embroidery floss, yarn, silk and hemp. a
number of variables can be selected to give
different looks and feels of the finished items,
including the choice of weave, the colour
and even the strength and level of stiffness
of the fabrics used. to add further interest
and individuality, macramé enthusiasts can
incorporate an enormous array of beads and
charms made from wood or glass, metal
or plastic, to their art. to help beginners on
their way, there are now a number of classes
available for beginners, and many patterns
from which to choose.
patterns range from beginner friendly to
quite complex, and include designs for:
earrings, necklaces, bracelets, handbags,
belts, bookmarks, sunglasses holders,
mobile phone holders, environmentally
friendly shopping bags, plant holders, wall
hangings, tassel pulls, collars for your four-
legged friends, hat bands and even pieces
of sculpture.
leading australian macramé artist and
business executive dina goebel is the brains
behind ar ttable, an entirely australian
business that has the philosophy of ‘sharing
the joy of creating with others’, and she
shares some of her knowledge of macramé
with us.in herpositionasdesignerforthearttable
company, dina designs many beautiful
patterns for macramé. she says: “macramé is
beautiful and easy ... we really only use two to
three different knots consistently. the difficulty
comes in working out a solution which moves
you from one end of the piece to the other
end, incorporating the pattern, beads and
colour. the actual tying of the knots is quite
time consuming, making it very difficult to
obtain a fair resale price on any quality work.
the ideal way to market your work is not
selling the finished piece, but in writing a
design for that piece.
“generally a medium skilled necklace
may take 10 hours to complete. if you look
at pricing the work at $20 per hour, or
$40 per hour for complex work, a 10-hour
necklace should sell for $250, but generally
it is not realistic to expect such a price. a
more successful way to make money is to
write a pattern for the necklace. this may
take four to six hours to complete, and it
would only take 45 sales to make the same
amount of money.
“some high-end creative pieces cannot be
translated into patterns, and i use these as
showcase items to show my level of skills.”50 creative BeadingFeature
the new
macramé
of the 21st
century
is quite
different to
that period,
with a far
more artistic
and elegant
finish. the
fibres are
often more
delicate, the
colours tend
to be softer
and the
designs more
subtle.