What Is Macrame? Beginner’s Guide to Cords, Knots & Easy Projects

Published: 29 May 2026|Last updated: 18 Oct 2026

Macramé is a craft where you tie knots in cord by hand to make patterns. You don't need a loom, needles or a machine. This guide covers what macramé means, which cord to buy, the three knots that do most of the work, and how to finish your first project this weekend.

What is macramé, exactly?

Macramé is a knotted textile craft. Instead of looping yarn like knitting or interlacing threads like weaving, you tie cords together in a set order. The pattern comes from which knots you tie and where.

If you've searched for the definition of macramé, the dictionary version is short. Merriam-Webster defines it as "a coarse lace or fringe made by knotting threads or cords in a geometrical pattern." In practice, people use the word for the craft itself and for the finished pieces, like a macramé wall hanging or a macramé plant hanger.

The whole craft sits on top of three or four basic knots. Once you know those, you can make almost anything you see online: plant hangers, DIY macrame wall hangings, keychains, bag straps, jewellery, curtains and even lampshades. The pattern changes, but the underlying knots usually don't.

It's closer to braiding friendship bracelets than it is to knitting. If you tied bracelets as a kid, you already have the muscle memory. That's why it's so beginner-friendly.

Macramé vs knitting, weaving and crochet

Macramé isn't knitting, weaving or crochet, though people mix them up all the time. The quickest way to tell them apart is the tool.

So if you've seen "macrame knitting" online, that's really two different crafts. You can combine them in one piece, but the techniques don't overlap much.

What is macrame cord? (vs macrame thread, yarn and rope)

Macrame cord is cotton, jute or synthetic fibre made for knotting, usually 3 to 6mm thick. Sellers also call it macrame thread, yarn or rope. The names overlap, but in practice they point to different thicknesses and uses.

What is macramé used for?

Macramé is used for home décor, plant hangers, accessories and jewellery. Here's what people make most, and which cord each project needs.

• Wall hangings: 3 to 5mm single-strand or 3-ply cotton. The most popular boho décor piece, often hung to add texture and warmth to a bare wall.
• Plant hangers: 4 to 5mm braided or 3-ply cord, since it has to hold the weight of a wet pot.
• Keychains and bag charms: 3mm single-strand. Small, quick and a good way to practise.
• Bags, coasters and table runners: 3 to 4mm braided or 3-ply for durability.
• Bracelets and jewellery: 1 to 2mm macrame thread, often with beads.
• Outdoor pieces like hammocks or garden hangers: jute cord or polypropylene, never plain cotton.

A short history of macramé

Macramé has no single birthplace. It is believed to have reached Spain with the Moors in the early 8th century, and the name itself traces back to Arabic through Turkish. In Italy, Britannica notes, its roots lie in a 16th-century knotted lace called punto a groppo, and Genoa became known for towels finished with knotted cord in the 19th century.

Sailors kept the craft alive for centuries. With time to fill at sea, they tied square knots and half hitches and sold what they made in port. Victorian women used macramé lace on lampshades, mantels and table covers. Then the 1960s and 1970s made it a mainstream hobby, with plant hangers, headbands and jewellery everywhere.

“More books about macramé were published in the late 1960s and 1970s than at any other time in history.”

EBSCO Research Starters, Macramé

Why did macramé become popular again?

Macramé came back because it's cheap to start, quick to learn and fits how people decorate now.

“The chic feel that macramé offers is becoming more and more desirable.”

Katherine Paterson, customer director, Hobbycraft, via Housewares

• Low startup cost. A roll of cord and a dowel are enough for your first few pieces.
• Fast results. You can finish something useful in an afternoon.
• It's calming. Repetitive handwork helps many makers unwind. Research on macramé itself is thin, but in an international study of crocheters, a closely related knotting-style craft, most respondents said it left them calmer and happier.
• It suits current décor. Natural fibres and handmade texture fit boho, Scandinavian and minimal rooms.

What do you need to start macramé?

Three things: cord, something to hang it from, and scissors. Everything else is optional.

Macrame cord

This is the single decision that makes or breaks your first project. Skip everything else and get this right. Cotton macrame cord is the standard. It's soft, holds knots well and looks good. There are three types to choose from.

Single-strand, 3-ply or braided: which one to buy?

Cord thickness in millimetres tells you what it's for:

If you're buying once and don't know yet, get 3mm macrame cord or 4mm single-strand cotton. It handles almost every project a beginner will attempt. One 100 metre bundle is enough for two or three small projects. Browse cord by size and colour, or read our thickness guide for the full comparison.

Something to hang your cord from

This is called the mounting base. Options include:

• Wooden dowel: 20 to 60cm long. The most common choice. Sand it smooth before use.
• Driftwood or a branch: A natural look. Avoid anything with bark that sheds.
• Metal ring: For circular wall art and dream catchers.
• Old broom handle: Works fine for practice.

You'll also need something to hold the dowel while you work: a clothes rail, a curtain rod, two cup hooks in a wall, or a doorframe with adhesive hooks. Working at chest height is comfortable. Working hunched over a table is not.

Scissors

Sharp fabric scissors. Not kitchen scissors, not craft scissors. The first time you cut 6mm cord with dull blades, you'll understand why. Cotton frays badly when it's crushed instead of cut.

Optional but useful

• Measuring tape: Essential unless you're eyeballing.
• Comb or pet brush: For brushing out fringe at the end. A cheap dog brush works.
• S-hooks or carabiners: For attaching the dowel to your work surface.
• Cord-end glue or fabric stiffener: Stops cut ends from fraying.

The three knots you actually need

You can make 90% of beginner projects with three macrame knots. Don't learn more until these feel automatic.

1. Lark's head knot

This is the knot that attaches your cord to the dowel. Fold the cord in half, place the loop over the dowel, then pull the loose ends through the loop and tighten. That's it. You'll do this once for each cord at the start, then barely think about it again.

2. Square knot

The square knot does most of the heavy lifting in macramé. You work with four cords:

• The two outer cords are the working cords.
• The two middle cords stay still as the filler cords.

Cross the left working cord over the filler cords, then bring the right cord over the left and through the loop. Repeat from the other side to complete the knot. Once you get the rhythm, you'll notice that a huge share of wall hangings are just variations of square knots.

3. Double half hitch knot

This knot creates the clean diagonal or horizontal lines you see in patterns. One cord acts as the holding cord while another wraps around it twice. Repeat that across several cords and the knots form a defined line.

Macramé knots at a glance

How much macrame cord do you need?

Cord length is where most beginners go wrong. Macramé uses far more cord than people expect: a medium wall hanging can use 80 to 150 metres, depending on the pattern and fringe length.

The base rule: each working strand needs about 4× the finished length. Most cords fold in half over the dowel with a lark's head knot, so you double that before cutting.

When in doubt, cut extra. Leftover cord is much better than redoing half a project because one strand came up short.

How to macramé: start your first project

Pick a small project. Practise the knots before you start. Cut more cord than you think you need.

1. Pick a project under 2 hours. A plant hanger or keychain. Save the big wall hanging for piece three or four.
2. Practise each knot 10 to 15 times. Use scrap cord. Tie until you can do it without thinking.
3. Measure and cut. Cut each cord about 8× your finished length. Folded with a lark's head knot, that gives two working strands of 4× each. Cut one or two spare cords. Always.
4. Mount the dowel at chest height. Attach each cord with a lark's head knot and space them evenly.
5. Tie the pattern. Check tension every 10 knots. Uneven tension is the most common beginner flaw. Trim the fringe at the end, never partway through.

Your first piece won't look like the pattern photo. The second will be closer. The third usually looks like the pattern. That's normal.

What macramé isn't great for

Macramé is easy to start, but it has real limits. Better you hear them now.

• Your shoulders will feel it. Working with your arms raised for hours strains your neck and shoulders if your setup is wrong.
• Social media makes it look faster than it is. A 30-second reel can hide 6 hours of knotting.

Is macramé right for you?

Published: 29 May 2026 · Last updated: 18 Oct 2026. Macrame.co.in is run by Saras Creations, manufacturing cord in Jaipur since 1991.