Hate throwing away your un-used macramé ends? Me too! So here are three quick key ring designs for using up those pesky cord ends.
Make A Macramé Tassel Charm
Cut 12 lengths of 1.5mm cord at 30 cm
Cut a 50cm length of co-ordinating cord
Fold the cords in half and thread them onto a key ring. Make a loop in the co-ordinating cord and place it on top. Hold the cords tightly and wrap the co-ordinating cord over the loop, working downwards.
When you get to the bottom, thread the end through the loop. Holding it gently in place, pull on the top cord to draw the loop up under the wraps. As you do this, keep hold of the bottom cord. As it slips inside, pull on the bottom cord to secure it. Snip off the ends both top and bottom.
Hold the wrap tightly and comb out the strands to separate the fibres. Trim the bottom with a sharp pair of scissors and give it another brush.
Make A Mini Macramé Feather
Cut 14 lengths of 1.5mm cord at 20 cm and two lengths at 32 cm
Attach the two long lengths to a key ring clasp using Larks Head Knots. Fold one of the short lengths in half and place it under the long cords. Fold another short length and thread this through the loop in the first cord, over the long cords and catch the ends of the first cord before pulling it tight. Slide it up to the top. Repeat this but start by placing the first loop coming in from the other side.
Repeat these steps, alternating from either side all the way down. Hold the knots firmly and comb out the cords to separate the fibres. Trim the edges to make a feather shape. It helps to turn it upside down to trim one side, turn it over and then do the other side.
Spray with some starch and clip it to a beach bag!
Make A Macramé Fishtail
Cut 3 lengths of 5mm cord at 100 cm
Cut a 50cm length of co-ordinating cord
Attach the long lengths to a key ring loop using Larks Head Knots. Take the left-hand cord diagonally across the other cords. Take the next cord along and loop it, from right to left, onto the diagonal (filler) cord. Tie a second loop with the same cord. This is a Clove Hitch Knot.
Repeat to tie another Clove Hitch Knot on the next cord along.
Now for the other side. Take the right-hand cord diagonally over the top of the other cords coming from right to left and tie a Clove Hitch Knot with the first cord. This time, loop it from left to right as shown below. Repeat to tie another Clove Hitch Knot with the next cord. Then, tie a third Clove Hitch to join the two sides together at the bottom point.
Tie two more rows of Clove Hitch Knots to make a fishtail pattern.
In the same way that you created the tassel, take a 50cm length of co-ordinating cord and make a loop in one end. Hold this firmly on top of the cords in a bunch and wrap the long end firmly over the loop, working downwards. When it's long enough, tuck the end through the loop at the bottom and keep hold of it as you pull gently on the top cord to pull the loop up under the wraps. Tug on the bottom cord as you do this to make it nice and tight. Trim away the excess.
Each of these projects take around 30 minutes so they're a really quick and easy way to knock up a small gift for a mate or an embellishment to go with your outfit. Let us know if you have a go!
Happy knotting,
Rach x
OUR MACRAME KITS
If you enjoyed this project you might fancy having a go at one of our macrame kits. They come with full photographic instructions and all the cord and accessories you need to complete the project. Here are some of our bestsellers.