🌚Make: Driftwood Hanger

Last year had me retreating to nature in a big way. In times of great distress, I’ve found nature to be grounding and comforting, like many other people. Barefooted, I dig my feet into the Earth, and it helps me survive and create. I guess the term for it is “grounding” and as a Taurus, it is very important for my well-being.

Naturally, I started to forage pieces of wood from my surroundings to use for different projects and wall hangings. And being beside waters of the Elkhorn Creek gave rise to this minimalist-rustic creation which has unexpectedly become a necessity in my bedroom. I use it to hang hats, macrame items and lately, my clean face masks having so littke closet space and square footage in the house. I present to you the Driftwood Hanger.

Driftwood Hanger with EITM Macrame Festival Skirt

All of the pieces of this driftwood hanger (for lack of a better term) were rescued from a part of the creek that was beginning to dam up with debris. So, sustainably created, cheap and very cool.

To make your own, you will need the following items:

5 pieces of driftwood, one of them needs to be very long. The above one is 5ft.
A drill with a small and large drill bit (must match the end of the driftwood to fit)
A piece of rope
wood glue

This organizer takes very little time to create once you have the driftwood. (Etsy has lots of driftwood resellers if you arent near a waterway). I recommend sitting your pieces in bleach to rid it of any potential bugs or critters as step 1. So 1 part bleach 3 parts water.

The part tbat takes the longest in your creating is for the glue to dry and set in position. Everything else is easy-peasy.

The drill I used (drill bits not pictured)

I used this brand. Set time can be hours.

You may have to whittle the tips down with circular friction movement (or sand paper) to get them to fit.

Basically, I picked out some drill bits that were the same circumference as most of my pieces. Then, I drilled 4 large holes about 12 inches apart.

Next, I changed drill bits and drilled two small holes into the top at either end of the large piece of driftwood for mounting to the wall.

It should be noted that if you can, pick out unique and different pieces to place in the holes. One of my pieces is perfect for hanging hats on or multiple masks, like the forked one above.

Last steps are to squeeze glue into the holes. Be generous! Then, insert your individual, unique pieces. Allow ample time to dry overnight.

Feed your rope through the holes on either side near the end and make a knot below the hole. Voila! You have a very cool and highly useful driftwood hanger.

Such a cool aesthetic and looks romantic in a way.

Of course, as with anything, it can be jazzed up. I was thinking of making another one, yet painting it with some popping colors or just in a washed out muted color scheme to use at the next Festival Market for vending.

Let me know if you end up making one for your room and if you have questions, just post a comment. I’d love to see any variations! Dont forget to follow me on Instagram.

Happy Making

eitm 🌚

Boho Crochet Rug How To Video Clips 🌚

So, below is a clip on adding the additional scraps to the existing work AND how to push thru with your index finger to get knots thru stitches. The whole rug is 12 rounds. I have updated part 1 to reflect that they are rounds not rows, since we are obviously working in a round.

And, rope is cotton rope 1/4 inch diameter not 1/4 of an inch. Updated as well. It is available for .10c/foot at knotandrope.com (the best place for bulk unbleached cotton yarn).

Make: You’ve Got ❤️Heart Macrame Bunting

Ya know what I love…Macrame + Bunting. And another sweet holiday is quickly approaching. In the US, February 14th is a day of love. Hearts are everywhere, they are in candy, they are in chocolate and yasss, I got a heart mask!

No valentine for me this year 😭, first time in many, many moons, but maybe you are feeling the poke of cupid’s arrow? Ready to craft your V day Macrame Bunting?! No better day to get knotty than V day!

You will need a somewhat rigid rope/cord for this project. The 3 strand cotton rope I have used in previous projects on here wont do to keep the shape of this. I used a cotton twisted kitchen twine for this. I picked it up at a hardware store. It was inexpensive and comes in a ball like some yarns. I will list what I use in Materials section.

Materials:

🙌🏾 hands for knotting

Scissors

Patience

Thin cotton twisted twine (aka Butcher’s Twine)

The cuts:

1 long piece of cord measuring 5 feet

44 pieces of cotton twine measuring 30 inches each

Knot techniques used:

Lark’s head knot

Left square knot (sq knot) = 4 cords tied

Half Hitch (HH) (twice around a filler cord)

The Knotting Pattern

Pattern is worked in rows from left to right.

Hang your 5 ft long piece on whatever you use to macrame. I use an ikea mulig stand usually, yet there are many clever ways to set up your rope like 3M hooks on your wall evenly spaced, a foam board with macrame pins or, in a warm clime, tying it between to trees.

Row 1:Hang all 44 pieces via Lark’s Head Knot onto 5ft long piece. Each cluster of 8 cords should be spaced 4 inches apart approximately.

R2: Make 22 left sq knots. (Sq knots consist of 4 cords (bundles) each)

R3: Make 11 left sq knots from the 4 middlemost cords of the row above sq knot clusters. So, you will take 2 cords from sq knot on left and 2 cords from sq knots on right

R4: Take the two dangling unworked cords from the sq knot on the left and marry them to the two dangling unworked cords from the R2 square knot on right. When combining them, you need to have them meet in the middle, two inches of length down from their r2 single sq knots. It is also important to loosely combine them not tautly because you will gently push the sq knot upwards just a hair to get the oval shaping above. (The knot should easily slide if you place your thumb on the front and index finger behind in a pinching type grasp). You will do the above all the way across. Total 11

R5: Make 22 sq knots. You will be taking 2 cords from a sq knot on the left and 2 from sq knot on right to make each knot. If you ever find that you are using all 4 cords from one single sq knot, you will need to retrace as you’ve made a mistake. Of course, the first and the final knots will be different. You will not have an actual heart at the beginning and end. See photo tutorial.

R6: Make 11 sq knots. This time, the sq knot will be so close and tight that it kisses the two knots above which are from r5. Your heart is forming from the kiss! 😊

R7: take the othermost cord from r5’s leftmost square knot and half hitch it down that knot and r6 knot in a down and diagnoally to the right fashion. Do this on the left side all the way across (11)

R8: Finally, repeat R7 except using the right outermost cord from r5’s right most sq knot and HH it around down that knot and r6 knot in a down and diagnonally to the left fashion. Finally, half hitch the left cord in the middle over the right middle filler cord. See photo.

There you have it! I hope the write up isnt too jumbled. I do re-visit posts every so often to clean them up and add more photorials. If you have questions, just shoot me an email: EllaintheMoon@gmail.com And come join me on IG.

Happy Making 🌚

5 More Fantastic Uses For Macrame Scraps

👋🏾Hi makers! Boy, I’ve been MIA for a couple months now and for that I am sorry. Life has just been sooo busy. And I just needed to recharge my Maker’s brain. Surely you can relate. It’s back in full force!

My post “5 Fantastic Uses for Macrame Scraps” is my most popular post and so why not give readers more of what they want? So, I deep dove into my creations from IG and from my archives to bring you 5 more uses for scraps. Sustainable and useful, I hope one or more ideas below ignite your creative fire 🔥 as we will be at home in the US a lot for the next month or so.

Lighting is everything in the winter, imo. It can set a nice cozy mood or bring us out of the doldrums of impenetrable winter. So…Macrame Candle Jars.

Mini Macrame Scrap Jar of reused baby food jar

Just add mini tea light candles or for more safety, use the led ones.

Next up, ‘tis the season for Macrame Ornaments.

This one is fillable, I added a little acorn

How about those ornaments? Such a quick project with lovely results. You can even make mini tassels or a macrame garland for a boho tree. I’m working on my tree now so I’ll show ya the vibe. 👍🏾

Next up, how about some Macrame Wall Baskets of macrame scraps or just non scraps. Depends on how long you want the decor to be. Here are a couple that I have fashioned out of thrifted wicker baskets.

🌸Just add flowers 🌸

How about an accessory for the Holiday Season?! A Tassel Choker. This tassel takes like 10 minutes to make. You have to add the silver findings. Or it can be a keychain.

And last, but not least, Boho Macrame Plant Pot. This is basically half hitch knotted over and over again in a spiral form. This took me like an hour. There is a wooden ring at the base on which I mounted the scraps of rope.

The scraps have to be on the longer side. You do need one long piece of rope to add the individual scraps on in order to have it keep it’s round form. I am working on writing up the pattern and how to video to show you soon so stay tuned.

So, there ya have it. 5 more uses for macrame scraps. What will you make?

Happy Making 🌚🌙

How to do the Wave…Knot

Hello, and welcome back to Ella in the Moon. I have many projects in the works for this blog! Fall is going to be quite full! So be sure to check back often if you like to make and create.

Today, I have a Macrame tutorial that I believe you will love. You will be able to make the most lovely, durable rugs and coasters for your home. I call this knot pattern “the wave”. It is my own naming, yet it could be called something else in the Internets or old Macrame books, yet honestly, I haven’t seen it used in this way elsewhere.

I have used the Wave for festival tops and for home goods. You can see below how it was used in a festival top for a unique and fitted effect.

The Wave:

To make the first part of your wave, or the knot that you are going to be using over and over again is called the Half Knot. As a Right-Handed person, I always tie leftmost rope cord, over the 2 middle working cords, and then right most cord (in a batch of 4 cords) goes under and then over leftmost. You can also start by tying the right most cord first. You will have to do both no matter what IF you make a project longer than 6 rows. See video below:

So, doing the half knot over and over again for a few rows creates a lovely wave effect (🖐🏾) and it has the awesome look of weaving (yep, I weave a little, too, but that’s for another post). One thing that is super important to realize and pay close attention to in doing this knot is that after approximately 6 rows of this knot, it will begin to twist. You will notice this on the leftmost end of the work. So, to prevent this, you have to reverse from doing a right side half knot to doing a left side hand knot for the same amount of rows. However, if you are just making some cute coasters with thick rope (1/4 inch thickness), then you don’t have to reverse to left side half knots at all 👍🏾!

I plan on making a lovely fall rug with tassels with this new method. I’m gonna add tassels on the sides! Just waiting on fall colors to come in at my favorite Etsy shop!

Half Hitch on the ends, wave knots in the middle

Also, be sure to tag me on IG or follow on Pinterest to show me what you decided to make with the Wave!

IG: Ellainthemoon

Pinterest: Ellainthemoon

Happy Making! 🌚🌙

MAKE: Mini Macrame Plant Hanger

Hello There! It’s almost winter! It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a how to, and maybe this isn’t the most seasonal, but the weather is cold, and that means crafting! #favoritewinteractivity

This one is fast and simple! It also is a perfect seasonal gift for just about anyone who likes plants or mini things. And, it’s my most favorited plant hanger in my Etsy shop and most purchased. And….VIDEO!

The best aspect of this mini plant hanger or tchotchkes display is it’s versatility. It can hang on any wall, in any room and truly, you can put anything in it to display or store, with flair. Let’s Make it!

3 Simple Supplies:

Wood ring (I used Boye)
10 cords cut to 18 inches. 1 cord cut to 10 inches. Total 11
Scissors

Knots you will Use with short video hyperlink:

Lark’s head (Mounting Knot) *see step by step below video!
Single Half Hitch —>
Square Knot
Gathering Knot or Wrapped Knot

https://youtu.be/FtaQxn5J7_4

I get my rings from Michael’s because it’s close to my home and coupons! Below is how you can lark’s head mount your 10 cords on your wood ring.

You will need 10 cords, and you will need to fold them in half to mount them, which will give you 20 single working cords. The design is pretty simple. You will take the inner most cords, from left to right counted, they will be # 10, and #11. #10 will cross over #9 first, and # 11 will cross over #12 first to opposite sides. Then, you just countdown on the left from #9 – #1, making half hitch knots. And increasing on the right side from #12 – #20.

For Row 3, you will do the same, except you start from the middle with cords #9 being pulled to the right, to work increasing half hitches from #13-20, +#11. And opposite side, #12 being pulled to the left diagonally, and working down decreasing #8-#1, +#10. See the video tutorial if all of the above sounds confusing. It’s short and to the point.

Row 4: Make in the very middle with 4 cords, a square knot (right or left, doesn’t matter).

Row 5: Make to Square Knots, Side by Side.

Row 6: Make 1 Square Knot with 2 cords from the left square knot from Row 5, and 2 cords from the Right square knot from Row 5 as well.

With the two dangling cords from the far left, start making a spiral knot, you will over, under 5 times total. Do the same with the far right dangling cords, spiral knot, over under 5 times total.

Row 7: Gather the 4 cords to the middle from the spiral knots of Left and Right. Make a square knot in the very middle of your plant hanger.

Row 8: Gather all of your cords in a bundle, and make a gather knot.

Last, snip the ends, or leave them all messy of different lengths for the boho vibe. And add a small piece of rope at the top of the ring to hang it, or just hook your wooden ring to your wall. Add air plant, tiny succulent or bric-a-brac!

Happy Making!