Double Half Hitch Macrame Knot Tutorial

I thought I'd start a little tutorial series here on my blog and show you how to do some of the macrame knots that I use in micro macrame pieces like this bracelet.  The most common knot in the micro macrame pieces I make is the double half hitch (DHH).  All of the knots you can see in this piece are double half hitches.    

In order to make this knot, you need one cord called a "holding" cord and another called the "knotting" cord.  The cords will change positions throughout a design and a cord that is the holding cord can become a knotting cord in another row, but that's all stuff for another lesson.  In this post, we're just going to focus on making the knot, and for this knot, you need one holding cord and one knotting cord.  

The holding cord will be the one you tie the knot around - the knot bearer, if you will.  The knotting cord is the one you actually use to tie the knot.

Did you get that?  Start with the knotting cord under the holding cord.  Take it up, over and around the holding cord and then back through the loop.  Make the second half of the knot (it's a DOUBLE half hitch, remember) the same way - up, over & through the loop.  Tighten neatly.  One trick to a nice looking macrame piece is consistent tension, so work on that.  Tight but not too tight.

Working the knot from left to right will make a row that goes across from left to right.  But what if you need to come back across your piece?  You will need to know how to make the same knot from right to left:

Looks easy enough, right?  You can do this!  And if you can do this, you can make this:

You can find the tutorial for this bracelet in my Etsy shop here.  To make it easier to try out micro macrame without having to buy a bunch of cord and beads, I've put together some kits for you.  They have all of the cord, beads and findings you need to make one bracelet.  Go forth and knot!  

Just One More...

Just this one more and then I swear I will move on.  The deep jewel tones in this color palette have become an obsession, but they're just so darned pretty!  It all started with some raku pieces and a pile of matching beads and cord and here I am two weeks later...  

This piece was inspired by a raku scarab pendant by Duane Collins of Elements Pottery.  I made a metal support for it (see what I did with the pyramid shape there?) which gave me a place to tether my macrame and still let the pendant hang freely.  

I used a couple colors of blue cord along with a burgundy color and a whole bunch of glass seed beads with rainbow finishes.  I added another raku bead, this one from Star Spirit Studio and then transitioned into a spiral rope that goes up and around the neck and then joins back up in the front with a clasp I made myself.

And now I swear I'm going to get out some other beads and cord and do something different.  It's time.  If you still haven't had enough of this color combo, check out this past post.

The Darker Side of Raku

If you've been following along, you know I've been working with some raku pieces from Star Spirit Studio and playing with the beads and cord from this big pile:

I had a customer call dibs on the horse piece in the upper right part of this photo - before I'd even had a chance to make something with it!  I asked her what colors she preferred and she indicated that the harvest gold and avocado green color schemes from the 70's sent her running and screaming and that she much preferred cool colors.  Well, alrighty, then.  I can do cool.

I used two the two blue cord colors and the maroon for some contrast, then stuck with beads that had an iris coating (both matte and shiny) to keep the bead color from taking away from the focal.  I LOVE the result.  So much, in fact, that I made another bracelet in the same cord and beads.

And I still don't have these colors worked out of my system! I'm working on another piece and I'll be back to show you it when it's finished.  Meanwhile, you can check out the other pieces I made from the raku palette here and here.  And if you're interested in making something like this for yourself, both of these bracelets are made using the pattern I demonstrate in this CraftArtEdu.com Micro Macrame Bracelet Watch class.

More Micro Macrame in Raku Colors

Remember this big ol' pile of gorgeous inspired by Star Spirit Studio's Raku pieces?  If you missed the piece I made from the skull pendant in this photo, be sure to check out this post.  There are just so many great pieces and great colors here, I can't put them away.  This week made a set with no actual raku pieces, but in the same color palette:

The way the colors undulate through the bracelet fascinates me. This bracelet is done from the Leaves Bracelet micro macrame tutorial available in my Etsy shop.  I've just added the extra element of different colored cords.

I had a couple other projects in mind and a custom order I need to do, but I don't think I can't put these away just yet.  Stay tuned!

Happy Halloween!

Wishing you a happy and safe Halloween :)

Halloween/Day of the Dead Jewelry Blog Hop

When Diana Ptaszynski of Suburban Girl Studio announced her Halloween/Day of the Dead Jewelry Blog Hop, I knew just the piece I wanted to use.  Diana's rules for this hop are just that you make one piece of Halloween or Day of the Dead themed jewelry and that you use at least one art bead in it.  When I signed up, I had just been to my first bead show and scored the gorgeous pieces above from Star Spirit Studio.  See that sugar skull on in the center, slightly to the left?  That's the piece I knew I had to use.  So I drug out a bunch of beads and cord.  

When I say a bunch, I mean a bunch, huh?  The raku finish on the pendants has a huge range of color in it.  It varies from piece to piece as you can see from the photo above, and some are more colorful than others.  The sugar skull has really clear colors and I decided to play off that.

I went with micro macrame for this piece and used four different colors of cord:  pink, blue, green and khaki.  I let the colors wander where they wanted.  Sometimes they meandered or flowed gently, and sometimes they intertwined so much it almost looks like plaid.  I used quite a few different beads, too, but I let those take a back seat to the knotting.

The pendant really needed to have a place of honor, so I gussied up the front of the necklace a bit and added a bail.

For a bit of fun, I added a bit of wire wrapping in some links echoing the large bead from the center and then added a large floral clasp at the back.  And there you have it.  My sugar skull all dolled up and ready to party.  Let the festivities begin!

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what everyone else made!

Diana Ptaszynski

Staci Smith

Kathleen Breeding

Sue Kennedy

Dianne Miller

Lisa Liddy

Toltec Jewels

Linda Landig

Laura Medeiros

Veralynne Malone

Lynn Jobber

Michelle McCarthy

Karen Totten

Jayne Capps

Jenny Davies-Reazor

Joan Miller

Melissa Meman

Melissa Trudinger

Kari Asbury

Inge von Roos

Andrea Glick

Stephanie LaRosa

Lola Surwillo

Jennifer Cameron

Diane Hawkey

Kristi Harrison

Nicole Valentine Rimmer

Tanya Goodwin

Shai Williams

Sandra McGriff

Sarajo Wentling

Marie Covert

Lisa Stukel

Lauri Vyselaar

Sherri Stokey  <--- You are here

Pam Traub

Lori Dorrington

Kristen Stevens

Eleanor Burian-Mohr

Sally Russick

Dawn M. Gallop

Christine Damm

Micro Macrame Bracelet Watch eClass

It's done!  It's done!!  The class for this knotted watch band is finally DONE!  Put a done stamp on this one, it's done!  (Can you tell I'm happy to have it finished?)

The brand new eClass is available here at CraftArtEdu and they're offering it at a special introductory price for a short time.  And (insert drum roll here)... I even got busy and put together some kits to go along with the class.  They're available in my Etsy shop.

I made this bright capri blue version when I was photographing the steps for the class and  I have a kit so you can make the exact same watch if you like.  You can find it here.

If you've visited my shop before, you might have noticed the watch in my banner.  It's this same pattern knotted in oyster cord with the softest gray beads with rainbow finishes - both matte and shiny finishes.  I made a couple of kits in these colors here.

I also made up some kits in cobalt and in black.  I was on a roll.  Then I decided I might as well make up some kits for some of my other tuts since the shop was getting pretty picked over.  If you're looking to make Christmas gifts, the selection is pretty good right now.  

I even put together a new combo for the Hydrangeas set using the colors I love.  I still have to make up a sample, but here's the palette:

I'm off to work up some earrings to show off these colors.  Oh, and did I mention the class is done?