Origins of Macramè

Macramè is the ancient art form of knotting many different geometric patterns together. No hooks, needles or hoops are used when creating these patterns. Macramè knotting can be used to make jewelry as well as decorative coverings and wall hangings. Materials used for macramè include natural fibers such as cotton, jute, sisal, linen and hemp.

These natural fibers all come from plants and herbs. They are processed into strands in which the fibers lay parallel to each other. Synthetic cords such as yarn, rayon, rattail and nylon can also be used.

The terminology “macramè” dates back to an Arabic origin and translates to ‘fringe’. This skill originated in the thirteenth century when Arabian weavers would knot excess fabric at the edges of loomed fabric. It then became popular in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries on French and Italian ships.

Macramè was known to sailors as “square knotting”, a fancy rope work used to make small decorative items aboard a ship. Sailors would describe the rope materials used by their circumference, however, now cord size is given in diameter length. They typically used cotton, hemp or steel cord to ornament the ships rigging.

The round braids, hitching and Turk’s head macramè styles were often used as protective wrappings for rails, spars and rigging. Mats were made from hemp and cotton to create nonskid surfaces on deck. Macramè has evolved into an art form in which the possibilities of creation are endless. Wall hangings, clothing, pot coverings, bags, belts, and jewelry are all macramè products that can be made at home with cord.