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

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!

Simple Macrame Bunting Pattern 🌙

Hello again! Welcome to my first macrame pattern tutorial! I am sharing this simple, yet chic macrame banner bunting pattern as my first “make” post. It is a beautiful back drop or decor for a wedding show, baby shower, nursery or any room you feel needs a tranquil, elegant vibe!

It is the most popular item in my Etsy shop by sales and favorites. I have made sooo many of them in different sizes and colors! They are quite versatile and go with many different design motifs, be it minimalist or bohemian.

Triangles are popular in all types of design from architectural to visual. Must be something deep in our beings harkening to the Pyramids of Egypt. Anyhooter, this design uses one type of knot and just a tiny bit of math! So, 3-2-1, let’s get started! 🚀

First off, you will need to gather your materials and a place to make it!

Materials:

• Any Cotton Rope or Bulky Yarn. I use 3/16 inch Cotton Rope for this tutorial. (Cotton rope purveyor I use is knot and rope supply, but Etsy has some great suppliers and Modern Macrame is also a great place for cotton rope).

• Scissors

So, to make a 4 foot long bunting with 5 pennants (the triangles) you will need to cut 50 pieces of yarn or rope (i will call it cord in directions) in progressively longer tendrils. There are 10 pieces per pennant, so 10 times 5 = 50. Each square knot, as I calculated with 3/16 cotton rope takes up 2.5 inches. So, I made each piece longer than the previous, 1-2 inches longer. Ideally, I should’ve made them 2.5 inches longer, but alls well that ends well. My main goal was to not waste rope. And the closer you get to the middle, the longer cords have to be!

So, a few terms to go over:

Bight: The loop of a knot. Where it bends in half.

Working cord: The cord or cords doing all of the work of going under and over.

Lark’s Head Knot: Most Common Mounting Knot. Short video below.

How to Lark’s Head Knot

Square Knot: A very common knot. Very important.

How to Square Knot

Let’s Make It!

Pattern:

label your cords in each 4 cluster 1-4, from Left to Right. 1 and 4 will be your working cords for every square knot. 2 and 3 will be the middle cords all being worked around.

Separate all cords into 5 separate bundles of 10.

row 1: take first 10 cords and mount them with a larks head knot onto your 4 ft rope, mounting 1-5, smallest to largest, and then from largest to smallest. (see photo 1 below). Then, make 5 separate square knots with each cluster of 4. you can work from L to R or R to L. It doesn’t matter.

row 2: next row, from leftmost, make 4 separate square knots with each cluster of 4, however, unlike the previous cluster, you will take 2 cords from the left and 2 cords from a different knot on the right. Repeat this until you have 4 square knots. (see photos below for visual understanding)

row 3: repeat the method of row 2 taking 2 from left and 2 from right, tying 3 square knots

row 4: repeat method 2, tying 2 square knots

row 5: finally, tie one square knot in the middle making the point of the triangle.

Now, if you are making yours exactly like mine, use a measuring tape and measure 6 inches down. Once you have done so, cut all cords across 6 inches. ( I don’t mind if mine unravel a little, if you do mind, just dip them in beeswax or tape the ends).

So, repeat the above 4 more times per pennant, leaving 4 inches in between each pennant and you have yourself a beautiful macrame wall bunting! Swoon. 😍

Next tutorial in 4 days is all about uses for Tomato Cages! You won’t want to miss it!

–eit🌙