How to Make Incense Bottle Hangers From Macrame

Make straps to hold an incense bottle.

Incense serves many purposes. Pagans use it in rituals and many religions also burn it during rites and ceremonies. In the secular world, people burn incense to scent their homes or to help repel insects.
Incense comes in several forms, including sticks, cones, bricks and loose powder. The powder type burns in a brass or aluminum censer. These censers have a bowl-shaped bottom and a pointed lid pierced to let out smoke. Users hold them by straps or chains attached to the bowl by rings. You can make your own macramé straps at home and save a little money while you personalize your censer.

Things You'll Need

• 1/4-inch thick cotton cord
• Scissors
• Censer with rings attached
• 4-inch metal ring
• Pliers

Instructions

1. Cut 6 lengths of cord 6 times the length you want your straps to be. For instance, if you want hangers 3-feet long, cut your cords 18-feet long. Gather them into pairs.

2. Fold each pair in half with the right half of the cords hanging about 4 inches longer than you want your finished straps to be. In this case, the right half should be 3-feet, 4 inches long. The other side should hang much longer.

3. Pinch the fold and bend it down across the cords to form a second loop. Push the first loop through the second and tighten. Repeat with the other two pairs of cords and pry your 4-inch ring open with pliers. Slip the loops onto the ring and squeeze it shut.

4. Separate the groups of cords from each other with one group directly in front of you. Arrange the cords so that the long cords frame the shorter cords. The short cords should be parallel to each other.

5. Bring the long cord on the left to the right over the center cords and under the right long cord. Bring the right cord to the left under the center cords and up through the loop formed by the left cord. Pull the cords tight.

6. Repeat Step 5 until you reach the end of the cords; this should create a spiral pattern. Tie the ends of the cords off as in Step 3 and weave the other two groups of cords the same way.

7. Pry open each ring on your censer with pliers. Slip the rings through the knots at the bottom of your straps and squeeze the rings shut. Your censer hangers are finished.

References

• Purdue: Macramé
• Free Macramé Patterns: Learn Macramé
• King of Swords: 4 Inch Hanging Burner