Monday 4 October 2021

Get Knotted!

Back in the 1970's I had a very trendy bathroom [imho] in our rented flat. The walls were painted mushroom brown, and at the window, in front of the textured glass, 
there was no blind or curtains - just a number of macramé hangers, holding pots containing lush green spider plants which dangled over the bath taps [similar to this one]
Last week, discussing crafts with my SIL Marion, she said that macramé is back in fashion. 
Then we saw a load of plant hangers in the florists [£12 not  including pot or plant!]
It is indeed an up and coming craft among the young it seems- the fact it is handmade, from biodegradable cotton yarn and wood makes it very eco-friendly.]




As well as plant hangers, there are wall hangings and even wedding dresses [this is carrying things a bit too far for my liking. They surely would be cold, require very carefully chosen underwear, and run the risk of getting hooked on the bridegroom's cuff buttons during the first dance] but each to their own I suppose.

Real Simple Magazine said in the USA in December 2019 "While we love macramé as an art form and the handmade quality it brings to a room, we expect the trend to taper over the course of 2020. Handwoven wall hangings, bohemian hanging chairs, and hanging planters all had their moment in 2019, but we have finally reached peak macramé." I am not sure they were right, in terms of UK trends. 

I can do macramé - I learned as a teenager in Girls' Brigade. But that doesn't mean I want to! I kept a huge tub of macramé beads for years. I used many of them a couple of years ago, to make snakes with children at church, then gave away the rest.

But knotting string to make plant holders is a craft I am happy to leave to somebody else now. Maybe this is an activity for people on the fringe?

Thanks for all the comments about sunflower seeds yesterday - I shall leave some for the birds, put some in the snack jar, and keep some to sow next year. 











15 comments:

  1. I do think it looks pretty but I'm also not convinced by the wedding dress!

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  2. I made loads of macrame plant hangers and also owl wall hangings

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    1. Owls definitely lend themselves to interpretation in macramé

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  3. I had a 'senior' moment in Hobbycraft recently. I saw a pattern for what I thought was a crocheted wallhanging when in fact, as i discovered when I got it home, it was for a macrame wallhanging! How on earth I didn't spot it right away, I have no idea because I too used to do macrame back in the day. I crocheted the wallhanging anyway in a similar pattern and gave it to my sister! ps roasted sunflower seeds are delish as a snack too.

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    1. Very impressed that you converted the pattern to crochet. Roasted/toasted seeds sound very healthy

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  4. Macrame seems to have passed as a trend here, although I don't recall much of a resurgence where I live in the US. I'm not much of a crafter so I could be oblivious. I think that dress would need to be lined! Celie

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    1. I totally agree about a good lining, Celine. Preferably SO good that you could omit the string dress!!

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  5. I have seen VERY expensive macramé stuff in Anthopologie in Bath.

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    1. Step away from that store, Lesley, before you decimate your bank balance!!!

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  6. Macrame was more in at the end of last year here in Canada. I will admit to buying a spider plant though the other week.

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    1. Spider plants are supposed to keep the air clean, aren't they?

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  7. Macrame was a big craze in Canada in the 70s and I made 3 wall hangings and a couple of hanging planters. A friend had a hanging glass table! I designed all my hangings and the largest had beads hanging from the bottom within reach of our cat, who loved to bash them around. I still have one hanging and one planter, and a couple of lawn chairs on which I used macrame to replace the webbing!

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    1. That is a very intelligent and creative way to repair lawn chairs

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  8. I used to do some macrame back in the 70s, but, haven't done any recently. I wouldn't mind getting a spider plant, though!

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