doubling the width of a macrame pattern

Doubling the width of a macrame pattern is a useful skill, especially if you want to transform a lovely little wall hanging into a wide, more prominent piece of art. Last year I translated an old macrame pattern from French to English and shared the tutorial with my readers. It’s not a complicated pattern with advanced knots but rather a simple design suitable for the beginner macrame artist. And I think its simplicity is lovely.

Because I receive frequent questions about how to double the width of this wall hanging, I decided to create a fresh tutorial for doing just that!

This may seem like a no-brainer. Just repeat the pattern, right? Actually, nope. Sometimes there are nuances in designs that need to be considered. For example, below is a graphic of what it would look like to increase the width of a macrame plant hanger using 3 different methods. First, by simply repeating the pattern, you can see the result. The second method  repeats & flips the design (as if opening the pages of a book). It’s a little better but not perfect. And lastly (the best approach) is to repeat, flip, and then edit the design. This ensures you will end up with a pleasing, artistic pattern. 

Confused? Don’t worry. I just wanted to share this with any of my left-brained analytical readers. But if you just want to get on with the project, keep reading. I’ve done the thinking for you, and here’s an easy-to-follow tutorial for making a wider version of the sweet wall hanging I posted not too long ago.

The tutorial below has a similar design (illustrated in the mock up above) but with a finished width of 44″ instead of 22″. The length remains 48″ but can be easily adjusted by adding more rows.

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macrame supplies needed

•  One dowel rod 56″ long
• Two ceramic drawer knobs to use as finials (optional)
• Ten 100-foot rolls of cotton clothesline (3/16″) (found the best price here.)
• Masking or painter’s tape
• Scissors

getting started

Cut rope into 56 pieces, each 16 feet long. Tie the cords onto the pole, with Lark’s Head Knots.

learn the square knot

The Square Knot is the most basic of all macramé knots, and it is the only one you’ll need to know in making this wall-hanging. Using this tutorial, practice a few times until you get the hang of it.

macrame pattern

Now that you have 56 Lark’s Head Knots tied onto your pole, and you’ve mastered the Square Knot, it’s time to begin weaving the wall-hanging.  This project consists of 25 total rows.

1. Start with 1st cord:   28K
2. Start with 3rd cord:   27K
3. Start with 1st cord:   3K – S4 – 6K – S4 – 6K – S4 – 6K – S4 – 3K
4. Start with 3rd cord:   2K – S8 – 5K – S8 – 5K – S8 – 5K – S8 – 2K
5. Start with 1st cord:   2K – S2 – 1DN – S2 – 4K – S2 – 1DN – S2 – 4K – S2 – 1DN – S2 – 4K – S2 – 1DN – S2 – 2K
6. Start with 3rd cord:   2K – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K – S8 – 5K – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K – S8 – 2K – S2
7. Start with 5th cord:   2K – S4 – 2K – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K
8. Start with 7th cord:   4K – S12 – 4K – S12 – 4K – S12 – 4K
9. Start with 9th cord:   3K – S16 – 3K – S16 – 3K – S16 – 3K
10. Start with 11th cord:   2K – S20 – 2K – S20 – 2K – S20 – 2K
11. Start with 13th cord:   1K – S10 – 1K – S10 – 1K – S24 – 1K – S10 – 1K – S10 – 1K
12. Start with 11th cord:   2K – S20 – 2K – S20 – 2K – S20 – 2K
13. Start with 9th cord:   3K – S16 – 3K – S16 – 3K – S16 – 3K
14. Start with 7th cord:   4K – S12 – 4K – S12 – 4K – S12 – 4K
15. Start with 5th cord:   2K – S4 – 2K – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K
16. Start with 3rd cord:   2K – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K  – S8 – 2K – S4 – 2K – S8 – 2K
17. Start with 1st cord:   2K – S12 – 4K – S12 – 4K – S12 – 4K – S12 – 2K
18. Start with 3rd cord:   2K – S8 – 5K – S8 – 5K – S8 – 5K – S8 –  – 2K
19. Start with 1st cord:   3K – S4 – 6K – S4 – 6K – S4 – 6K – S4 – 3K
20. Start with 3rd cord:   27K
21. Start with 1st cord:   28K
22. (Begin this row about 5 inches lower than the last row.) Start with 1st cord:   28K
23. Start with 3rd cord:   27K
24. (Begin this row about 5 inches lower than the last row.) Start with 3rd cord:   1K – S8 – 1K – S8 – 1K – S8 – 1K – S8 – 1K – S4 – 1K – S8 – 1K – S8 – 1K – S8 – 1K -S8 -1K
25. (Begin this row about 4 inches lower than the last row.) Start with 9th cord:   1K – S20 – 1K – S18 – 1K – S18 – 1K – S20 – 1K 

trimming the bottom

Place the wall-hanging on a flat surface (I used the floor) and straighten all the cords. With careful measuring, place the tape across the strands of cord to form a “V.” This is your guide for cutting. 

finishing touches

For an extra Bohemian touch, I used ceramic drawer pulls as finials, screwing them into the ends of the pole.

extra tips & explanations

When skipping space between rows, use tape as a guide and a level to make sure they are even.

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