Macramé

Dear users, dear authors,
macramé is a rather rare topic here. Do any of you still do it?

When I was a kid—back in the ’70s—my family did a lot of knotting. Everyone had their own knotting project, usually a pillow. We had a piece of canvas and lots of leftover yarn. We cut it into strands and knotted them on. So the couch in our living room was always inhabited by our knotted pillows. I’m sure that’s what many living rooms looked like back then.

In any case, it helped build endurance and dexterity. And with that prior experience, I probably later ventured to make my large knotted rug. The ornate pattern isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I used to like it. Back then, we’d bought a plot of land and planned a house with a sunroom. And I wanted to knot a rug for the sunroom (3.30 x 3.30 meters). I certainly wouldn’t have chosen such a big project otherwise.

The rug is still in my sunroom today—it’s still nice and thick and soft—and it’s a favorite play area for the grandkids.



That ended up being my last piece of knotted work. Today, I’d find it too time-consuming. But something small for the grandchildren would always be okay ;-) Although I think the days of knotting are over. But who knows—maybe it’ll come back into style again, like so many things.

Warm regards—Ina

Ina, you really had a lot of patience there.
The pattern isn’t really my thing, but it does look really good.

I also did latch hooking in the 70s and 80s. In my case, they were runners, though more with graphic patterns. These rugs simply last a long time; one is still in my entryway/hallway leading to the basement.

I still get catalogs from a yarn company.
Apparently people are still doing latch hooking after all. For example, they have very pretty, small, colorful rugs for children’s rooms.

But it’s no longer of interest to me.

For my wedding in 1971, my mother knotted a rug for me.

She said back then that she liked the idea that even after she was gone, the rug would still be in my apartment. And that’s exactly how it turned out. Even though the rug is nearly 50 years old, it’s still in my living room, reminding me of how much love and work my mom put into it.

Back then was also the heyday of macramé. My sister-in-law once knotted a large sun wheel for us to hang on the patio wall. Unfortunately, the birds completely tore it to shreds because they found the material perfect for building their nests :-)

Today, knotting has probably gone out of style. However, many girls still enjoy knotting colorful friendship bracelets. My granddaughter (5 years old) is just starting to make bracelets with a braiding star.

Ina, that rug is amazing!
Personally, I’m totally into classic Persian rugs (though I neither want to knot them myself nor can I afford them ;-)).
As a child, I knotted a pillow. I still remember it had a robin motif.
Hmm. It really was fun. Maybe that’s truly one of the hobbies I should revive someday. :-)

@Ina: All I can say is WOW. Working on a project like this must require an incredible amount of joy, ambition, and discipline. I can’t even imagine how many hours went into that rug.
When I was a little girl, I once made a latch-hook pillow. The design was Snow White. But unfortunately, it’s no longer around. It’s actually a shame.

Oh, it’s lovely to read your memories. I can picture every single piece exactly. Anyone who still has their piece can count themselves lucky. Ruth’s rug has become more than just a rug by now—a fond memory of her mom. She really came up with something lasting as a wedding gift.

Recently I watched a documentary about the making of Persian rugs. It’s incredible how many women spend a year or longer knotting them. That’s practically priceless. And the knotting yarns are very fine, not as thick as our rug-making wool. It really is a special craft that requires an extreme amount of perseverance.

I wish you all a lovely Sunday. Best regards - Ina

It’s been ages since I last knotted small rugs.

I took a picture—there are still two bridges left.

Ruth mentioned macramé—the knotting technique. I used to enjoy doing that too. I made lots of plant hangers, candle holders, an Advent wreath, and lamps.

I actually found one of them—it’s been sitting in a corner of the attic. I dug it out and took a picture of it.

Does anyone else have old treasures like that lying around in their basement or attic and want to show them to us here?

Hello Marion,

Your knotted bridges look very good; you were very busy with those too!

Yes, I still remember the macramé things very well. Your lamp is also one of those treasured pieces that has become fashionable again. Back then, I made bags using this technique, which we then wore fashionably over the shoulder. They were more like nets with fringes on them. That was chic in the 70s. Unfortunately, there are no photos of them. But remembering is nice too.

What still exists is an old wall hanging embroidered in cross-stitch. It used to hang in our living room above the couch. Yes, people used to have things like that. It dates from 1977 - that was when I “signed” it (see bottom right).

Today, though, cross-stitch would no longer be for me. The same problem as with knotting: it takes too long until you're finished. I'd rather stick to my needles and crochet hooks.

Best regards - Ina

Here’s an original photo from back then ...

Hi Ina,

thanks for the kind words😊

Your wall hanging is absolutely amazing. You must have spent a long time embroidering it.

You just have to keep things like that, even if styles and trends have changed in the meantime.

I still have a few things from my late mother that I just can’t bring myself to throw away (embroidered tapestries), even though they don’t really match the decor. They can stay in the closet up in the attic.
I’m just like you—I’ve decided to stick with knitting and crocheting.

Have fun with your knitting and crocheting—Marion

Macramé seems to be making a comeback. I’ve already seen several ads promoting it.