Craft Focus - Aug/Sep (Issue 68)

100 craft focus Reprinted with permission from Modern Macrame: 33 Stylish Projects for Your Handmade Home by Emily Katz with interior design photographs by Nicole Franzen. It’s published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House. Call +44 (0)1273 402 873 or go to gmcgroup.com for details. 9 6” below, work a round of SKs. 10 To form the basket, work a round of ASKs 2” below the previous round and then a second round of ASKs directly below that. 11 Find the two longest remaining cords and use them to work a spiral of 12 HSKs around all other remaining cords. Finishing 12 Trim all cords 6” below the lowest knot. 13 Unravel the cords THEKNOT tying Plant hanger pointers • When making plant hangers, always measure carefully so that your knots line up properly. That way your finished piece (and its contents) will be properly balanced. • When you get to the bottom, feel free to make additional knotting or leave the fringe a bit longer than the pattern states, if desired. Make your plant hanger to suit both you and your space. • In each pattern, you will find a measurement for the finished length of the plant hanger when empty. Once you place a pot inside, however, the plant hanger’s total length may actually decrease by several inches. This is because the ropes of the plant hanger no longer hang down vertically with a pot inside, but at an angle. How much a particular pot will shorten your plant hanger is difficult to predict as it depends on the pot’s exact size and shape. In general, the larger and wider the pot, the greater this shortening effect. If, however, the rope you use to make your plant hanger is stretchy, the weight of the pot may pull the ropes out to counteract this effect. If your length requirements are very specific, you may wish to wait to cut the fringe at the bottom until after you have placed your pot inside so that you can tailor the fringe length precisely to your space. Knotting 4 With the SKs facing you, pick up the four front-most cords that are closest to the centre. Work a sinnet of six SKs using these cords. 5 2” below, work a column consisting of two SKs, a spiral of 12 HSKs and then six SKs. 6 Turn your work so that the opposite side is facing you, and divide the remaining eight cords into two groups of four, making sure none of them are twisted around each other. Work a sinnet of six SKs with each group. 7 Four inches below the sinnet on your right, work a column consisting of two SKs, a spiral of 12 HSKs and then four SKs. 8 Next, 5½” below the sinnet on the left, work a column consisting of two SKs, a spiral of 12 HSKs and then two SKs. At this point, the lowest knots you’ve worked should line up with each other vertically. If they are not even, take a moment to adjust your knotting.