An ancient type of needlework - rope weaving with the modern name "macrame"

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

The venerable type of needlework - macrame - came to us from ancient times. It is based on weaving strong knots from a rope that create strength, safety, and also lengthen cables, ropes, cords. Fishermen wove fishing nets, nets, hammocks from ropes. Modern needlewomen widely use this type of creativity to create decorative jewelry, designer products that decorate the interior, and various accessories.

Various techniques

Rope weaving is embedded in several types of needlework. This allows you to create diagrams and different ways to use nodes. Mandalas are woven from ropes, which are amulets and amulets for various occasions. Another type of weaving is kumihimo. Represents the creation of braids for girdling. Lace is also woven from rope on special bobbins. A similar technique is tatting. In this type of needleworkrope weaving is carried out using a shuttle. And yet, the main type of weaving, in which the rope is directly involved, is macrame.

What do you need to get the job done?

Rope weaving implies an expressive texture of the future product. Based on this, it is necessary to acquire round and highly twisted threads. Of these, they mainly create planters for flower pots, rugs, various panels on the walls, tall baskets, floor vases, lampshades and many other large-scale products. It is better to refuse fluffy threads immediately. The main pattern in the fluff is lost and rolled, the product looks sloppy. Silk thread is also not recommended because of its smoothness. Braided patterns slip and unravel, and it is very problematic to tie silk tightly. In the process, various strong pins, a centimeter tape and scissors will be needed. You will also need to find a strong and stable support on which the work being performed is attached. Many use the back of a chair or chair. For small items, rollers or homemade tight pillows stuffed with sand are suitable. You can also adapt the foam. The main thing is that the material is easy to pierce.

Tips for beginners

Do-it-yourself rope weaving is a difficult process. In the process of work, the hands are very tired and the skin is rubbed. To avoid trouble, it is advised to use knitted gloves. A pre-prepared thread that needs to be boiled will also help facilitate weaving. Thisreception will give it softness and elasticity. When using twine, periodically wet your hands in water. If you want to create a wool rope product, then choose a thick and tightly twisted thread.

Before the start of macrame, knots are tied at the ends of the prepared threads or glue is dripped to avoid unraveling. Products made of plain threads look original, emphasizing the texture and highlighting the nodal patterns. Also, tinting in advantageous places of the product is not excluded. White cords can be given a golden hue by boiling them in an infusion of onion skins. A bright shade can be bleached by dipping the rope in a warm soapy solution and gradually heating while stirring. Then the colored water is drained and replaced with a new solution, achieving the desired shade. The finished product is ironed from the wrong side, covered with several layers of gauze soaked in water. The heated iron is gently applied to the product until the fabric dries.

Where to start?

Do-it-yourself rope weaving begins with measuring the threads of the required length. It is impossible to say the exact size of the ropes, since it depends on the density of the weave, and on the thickness of the thread, and on the fact that each knot requires a certain length of rope. It is recommended to cut cords 5 times larger than the finished product. Wrap ropes that are too long on any devices so that it is convenient to work with them. Working threads are fixed on the auxiliary, located horizontally, in several ways. In any case, to attach the threads using the macrame method (diagrams are shownin this article), you need to fold them in half, forming a loop. Then stretch it under the auxiliary cord, bend it and thread the ends of the rope into the loop formed. Having thus prepared the required number of threads, you can start weaving.

4 rope braiding

4 threads are mainly used to create long and narrow items, such as a strap, a clutch handle, a bracelet, or, as young people also call it, a bauble.

Let's consider how to weave an ornament on a hand from 4 ropes. Two auxiliary threads are involved in the weaving of the bracelet, which will be braided by two workers. Measure the width of your wrist and double the size by adding another 20 cm. This rope, folded in half, will be the central part. To cut the working thread, increase the length of the auxiliary thread by 6 times and also connect the ends, forming a loop. Combine the loops of two ropes folded in half and tie a knot at a distance of about 1 cm. Separate the ropes so that the two auxiliary ones are in the center, and the threads braiding them are at the edges. Hook the loop on a carnation or a device you have invented. Pull the ends of the two central threads and attach to the work surface.

Weave a bauble

Macrame (diagrams will help to cope with the work) begins with the leftmost thread, which is placed above the two central ropes and wound under the rightmost thread. Then the right one is pulled under two auxiliary ones and inserted into the loop formed by the first working thread. It turned outknot to be tightened. Repeat in mirror image. We place the thread on the far right above the two auxiliary threads and wind it under the working thread on the left side. Now we skip the upper thread under the two central ones and bring it up through the loop from the first thread. Tighten the knot again. During weaving, both auxiliary and working threads can be strung with beads or beads, decorating and transforming your product.

Braiding from clothesline allows you to create very original things, such as rugs, decorative curtains, hammocks.