The World's First KnotAlong: A Free Micro Macrame Tutorial

Today's the day, folks!  A couple of weeks ago, I promised I would teach you how to do micro macrame and I'm here to do just that.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you obviously missed this post, but it's okay!  You can still join in whenever you are ready.  If you did catch that post, you should have the supplies and materials all ready to go for this project.

Here's how it works.  I've prepared a video lesson to walk you through the steps required to make the pendant shown above.  In the process of making this pendant, you'll be learning how to make larks head knots, square knots, overhand knots and double half hitches.  You'll also be learning some micro macrame basics, the terminology and some tips and tricks I've picked up after eight years of knotting.  

Since we can't all physically be in the same room to do this, I've set up a virtual room where we can meet up:  KnotAlong Event.  That's where you will be able to post photos of your work, ask questions if you get stuck and just generally commune with other people learning macrame.  

 Are you excited?  (I am!  I can't believe I'm going to try to teach macrame to a whole bunch of people all at once!)  Let's do this (oh, and don't forget you can make the video full screen if you want)!

If you're having fun with this project, do me a favor and share it with your DIY friends.  You can help me in my quest to bring macrame back!  And if you're really having fun, you can find more tutorials (.pdf format available for instant download) in my Etsy shop and more classes (which include videos) at CraftArtEdu.

I bet you thought I forgot the giveaway I promised?  Since we're all about learning micro macrame here, I'm giving away a complete set of the tutorials I have listed in my Etsy shop to one lucky person.

 

Enter through the widget below.  I'll be choosing a winner on August 31, 2015.  Good luck & happy knotting!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
PS.  Want a chance to win another prize?  How about a micro macrame bracelet?  The sign up for it is at Love My Art Jewelry and you can enter BOTH drawings!

Learn Micro Macrame with Me - For Free!

In case you haven't heard, I'm hosting the world's first KnotAlong starting this Friday, August 21, 2015.  I'm going to be demonstrating how to make several macrame knots that I use in my jewelry pieces, including Larks Head, Double Half Hitch and Square Knots.  In the process of learning those knots, I'm going to teach you how to make this micro macrame pendant:

Sounds like fun, right?!  And the best part?  It's free!  That's right - I'm not charging a thing for the class.  Okay, there might be a cost if you need to buy some of the materials involved, but there aren't too many.  If you haven't gathered them up yet, you can find the list here, along with a little video showing all of them and some sources.  You might have most of the thing you need laying around if you dabble in DIY.  Or maybe you can borrow them from Great Aunt Martha if she belongs to the sewing club down at the Senior Center (what?  could happen!).

I'll be putting the video up on Friday morning.  It's finished and ready to go and I'm telling you, it's really detailed! I will show you every single step from cutting the cord to adding a dab of glue at the very end.  I demonstrate every knot - more than once!  You'll be able to pause it and go back if you need to see something again.  You'll even be able to refer back to it later if you get stuck on your next project.

I've created a Facebook event page where we can interact, too.  You can post photos if you really muck something up and need help.  Or you can ask questions if you're too embarrassed to post a picture.  Either way, I'll be there to help out.

Are you ready?

A Micro Macrame Primer and Upcoming KnotAlong!

Note:  I'm really excited about this project and I want to get the word out to as many people as possible.  This post is running at Love My Art Jewelry as well, so if you follow both blogs, I apologize for the duplication.

Do you ever see a beautiful piece of handmade jewelry and get depressed?  Not because there's anything depressing about the piece, but because you think you'll never be "good" enough to make something that lovely?  Well, stop that!  This is a no-whining zone and self pity is counterproductive.  

Don't get me wrong, I've been there.  It's an easy trap to fall into, but basically you have two choices:  you can either admire the piece for its artistry and purchase it from the person who has probably spent countless hours creating it (and possibly several years learning before that) or you can take a stab at it yourself.  

 

I'm curious and I'm from a background where I want to try doing everything.  I wallpapered most every room in my house back in the 80s, learned how to give home permanents, make candles and can tomatoes just "because".  As you can probably guess, not all were wise decisions.

 

  (She's still mad at me about that one, by the way.)  Luckily, I'm now at an age where I know my limitations and instead of taking that as a personal failing, I'm getting better at appreciating the talent of others.  Even if I could make a polymer clay lotus pendant like the one from Staci Louise that I used in this necklace, I would probably never get the feeling she has in her piece. And that's okay - it means Staci is doing something right!

If you decide you do want to try something for yourself, find a good tutorial or class and then go into it with the right mindset.  Learn for the joy of learning and you will leave with a greater appreciation of the artist's process, even if you never use the technique again.  And if you do discover something new that you love, that's even better!

So, for those of you who've made it this far in the post (and hopefully the others are over shopping in my Etsy store), I'm going to give you a micro macrame primer.   I'm going to cover the tools and materials you will need to get started with micro macrame, then I'm going to give you a couple weeks to round up your "stuff".  While you're doing that, I'll be busy writing up/recording a special beginner project for us:  the world's very first KnotAlong!   I'm going to meet you back here  in two weeks (on August 21st) for your first "class".

Are you ready, kids?  I can't hear you! :)

 If you want to play along with my KnotAlong (and why wouldn't you?), you have two weeks to gather up these things.  I've added some suggestions for sources* to get you started.

• Pinning surface:  You can use cork or anything that will hold a pin.  If you want to purchase a foam board, here are some sources:   Amazon, Art Beads, Etsy, Walmart, Fusion Beads
• Fray Check:  Fire Mountain, Amazon, Walmart, my local Walmart carries this in the sewing aisle as do most fabric stores.
• GS Hypo Cement:  Fire Mountain, Amazon, Walmart, Art Beads
• Tex 400 nylon bead cord (I recommend C-lon or Superlon brand):  Bello Modo, South Pass Beads (they have Hypo Cement, too), Shipwreck Beads, Jewels in Fiber.  You will only need about 6 yards for our project, so you will have lots left on your spool for your next project.  Don't get hung up on the cord, either.  If you have some 1mm hemp on hand, it will work.  I don't recommend Rattail or other "slippery" cord.
• Pins - straight sewing pins and/or T-pins:  can be found in fabric stores, the sewing aisle at Walmart, Michaels, Hobby Lobby
• Scissors
• Something to straighten cord (hair straightener, curling iron, regular iron, etc.)
• Approximately 60 8/0 seed beads. Inexpensive craft store beads will work fine for this project.

You won't find a better time to jump into micro macrame than this.  Here's a peek at what we're going to make:

I might even sweeten the pot a little.  I'm thinking maybe a giveaway for those who participate...  So?  Who's with me?

*Sources listed are US suppliers.  Some others to try:  UK - Knotting Ways, 

Australia - Benjamin's Crafts, Over the Rainbow, France - Perles & Co.