DIY Macrame Tutorial - Macrame Shelf!

DIY Macrame Tutorial - Macrame Shelf! Please see below for materials and written instructions.

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Material:
- 3mm Single Strand Twisted Cotton String
- Copper Rod (purchased at Home Depot)- could also use driftwood or wooden dowel
- Wood (Purchased at Home Depot)

Hey guys! I’ve got a super fun tutorial for you today - how to make a macrame shelf! I will also add in a few tips on how to change up the design a little bit. Let’s get started!

The dimensions of this project are:
- Copper rod - 20 inches in length
- Height - (measured from copper rod to ends of rope) 40 inches
- Wood - 5 1/2 inches wide, 18 inches long, 3/4 inches thick

You will need 318 ft (97 meters) of rope to complete this project.

Cut 14 pieces of rope - each piece is 84 inches (7 ft) long. Set 2 pieces of rope aside and attach the remaining 12 pieces of rope to your copper rod/dowel/driftwood using Lark’s Head knots. Attach in 6 pairs of 2 - measure 3 inches in from the end of your copper rod and attach one pair on the left and one pair on the right. Attach the remaining 4 pairs, keeping about 2 inches of space in between each pair.

Tie a square knot at the top of each pair. We are going to be making a “V” so we will tie 5 square knots in between the first row of square knots. About 2 1/2 inches down from your first square knot tie another square knot but alternate the inner and outer cords.

*If you’d like to change up the design a little bit ad create a “V” that has straighter lines do not alternate the inner and outer cords.

Working 2 1/2 inches down from the 2nd row, tie 4 more square knots.

Working 2 1/2 inches down from the 3rd row, tie 3 more square knots.

Working 2 1/2 inches down from the 4th row, tie 2 more square knots.

Working 2 1/2 inches down from the 5th row, tie one more square knot.

Cut 50 pieces of rope - each piece is 53 inches (4.4 ft) long.

I am going to use Cow Hitch knots here but I thought I’d show you what it looked like with Lark’s Head knots if you want to change up the design a bit. The difference - if you use Lark’s Head knots you will see the rope wrap around the front of your work (the Cow Hitch knot hides this).

Attach 5 pieces of rope per section using Cow Hitch knots on both sides of your work.

Tie one row of double half hitch knots along both sides of your work. Use the outside left and the outside right pieces of rope as your filler cords. I’ve sped this section up to 4x the speed as it is quite repetitive - if you’d like to view it in real time please click settings at the bottom right of the screen, click speed, then 0.25.

Connect the two sides by tying one more double half hitch knot.

Grab the 2 pieces of rope you set aside earlier and attach to your copper rod using Lark’s Head knots. Attach the first piece to the left of your first square knot at the top of your work. Attach the second piece to the right of the 6th square knot at the top of your work.

I drilled 4 holes in the corners. The holes sit 3/4 inches from the edge of the wood.

Using a tapestry needle, thread the rope through the two holes on the left side of the wood. Originally, I was going to tie one knot underneath each hole but I drilled my holes a bit too big so I tied the two pieces of rope together using an overhand knot. The only issue with this is that your piece of wood might slide back and forth. Ideally you drill your holes a bit smaller and tie one knot underneath each hole to make the shelf a little more secure.

Repeat on the right side of your work.

*If you’d like to add a little more detail to your work you could add 2 pieces of rope per side and tie spiral knots half way down your work and then attach 2 pieces to the back of the wood and 2 pieces to the front. Also the option to add 4 pieces of rope per side and create a few diamonds before attaching the rope to the wood.

Thanks so much for watching!