How to Make a Macrame Bead Necklace
The spiral knot is one of the easiest and prettiest macrame knots, which makes it perfect for making necklaces. It has a delicate appearance even when it is knotted in heavy, rustic cord. It creates a flexible length of knotting that lies gracefully around the neck, but the knots are solid and strong enough to hold large beads in place. Choose a cord that will feel comfortable against your skin for best results.
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Things You'll Need
- Knitting needle, dowel or bamboo skewer
- Masking tape
- Flat work table or surface
- Macrame cord, plastic lacing, decorative yarn or other medium-weight cord-like thread
- Beads (these need a center hole large enough to string on a doubled length of your chosen macrame cord or thread)
- Scissors
- Tape measure
Instructions
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1
Measure and cut a length of macrame cord that is ten times the length of your desired necklace plus 4 inches.
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2
Double the lengths of cord and place them on the table with the loops at the top, about 1 foot from the edge of the table nearest you. Place the knitting needle on top of the cords, about a 1/2 inch below the top of the loops. Tape the needle to the table securely, affixing a length of tape over each end.
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3
Thread the ends of the cords up, over the knitting needle and through the corresponding loops at the top. Pull the ends straight down towards you.
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4
Thread a dozen beads onto the two middle cords, but do not push them to the top of the cords; rather, leave them at the lower end toward the table edge nearest you. These two middle cords are called the filler cords.
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5
Lift the left-most cord up and form a short L-shaped curve in the uppermost section of the cord that loops just to the right of the two filler cords. Place the end of this cord across and perpendicular to the filler cords. Lift the right-most cord up and place it over and perpendicular to the length of cord you moved first, then thread the end of the right-most cord underneath the two filler cords, and up through the loop of the short L-shaped curve. Pull the ends of the left-most and right-most cords to form your first half-square knot. Continue knotting as described at the beginning of this step until the knots have formed a complete spiraled rotation. (This knot is called the half-hitch, spiral or spiral half-hitch knot.)
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6
Slide the top bead up from the bottom of the filler cords. Continue knotting as described in step 5, tying the knots below the bead, holding it in place. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until your necklace is the desired length. Thread more beads onto the filler cords as you use them up.
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7
Remove the masking tape from the knitting needle, and slide the cord loops off the needle. Tie the ends of the necklace together with a square knot, which is is tied in two steps. First, tie a half-hitch knot as outlined in step 5. Then tie a reverse half-hitch knot, which is the mirror image of the half-hitch: The reversed L-shape and loop are the right side of the knot. Pull the knot securely, then cut off the excess cord ends.
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Tips & Warnings
For a prettier, more professional finish, use jewelry finding hardware to create a clasp for your necklace, rather than tying the ends together. Look for hardware designed for macrame cording, which is usually thicker than the chains or beading wire used for other types of jewelry-making.
If the ends of the cords tangle, wrap the ends and secure them with a rubber band or a twist, releasing only as much cord as you need for the next few knots.
References
- Photo Credit wood beads, colored beads image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
