Simple Macrame

Last time I got together with my BBF (best bead friend) Christine we did some swapping of beads. A usual activity. She gifted me really cool shell 'nugget' beads that have a bit of a rough cut to them to show off the inside of the shell. I think I remember her saying that they were abalone. Check out the greens in these - so very cool.


I wanted to do something sort of Mystic Seaport inspired and turned to an old technique I learned as a kid: macrame. When I was younger I used to do those macrame pot hangers. I know, you can all just picture me in my striped bell bottoms knotting away on my pot hanger. I do have a few pictures from that time, but they will remain in the old shoe box in the attic.

Ok back to the beads. I figured how hard could it be to do a few basics knots with some fiber? Actually not that hard, except for the fact that it was a bugger to keep that thing still while I was working those knots. 

As a kid, I used to include the big wooden hoop in my macrame and I would slip it under the leg of a piece of furniture. Then I would kneel on it to keep it tight when I did my knotting. 

Today my knees are not that happy doing that maneuver, and my project was not that large (thankfully). I resorted to some tape on my lap desk, which did the trick. It fought me a bit, but not too bad. And I surprised myself by remember how to do the wrap on the ends where you pull the loop back through itself.

I added a cute little anchor charm that works well as a closure through the end loop.

I think the hardest part of this project was getting a decent picture. Can you tell? I tried my usual trick of photographing on a piece of water-color paper as it helps to absorb the reflection of direct sunlight. I also tried it on my burlap bust, and I asked one of my daughters to model it for me. Then I tried it on the slate path outside the house and on the front-door railing. Do you ever have that problem trying to get the right angle? Or getting the depth of the beads to pop in the way you were looking for?