How to Make a Macrame Wall Hanging - Beginner Pattern

You need cotton macrame cord (7mm thickness is the standard for wall hangings), sharp scissors, a measuring tape, masking tape, and a 2-foot wood dowel or natural branch.

Cotton cord gives a soft, lived-in look once it unravels at the bottom into fringe. Avoid synthetic cord - it doesn't fray the same way and the texture feels plasticky.

Cut 8 cords at 8 feet each - these go in the center of the design and need extra length for all the knots. Then cut 18 cords at 6 feet each - these add to the sides later.

Lay them flat on the floor as you cut so the lengths stay even. Cotton cord stretches if you measure it under tension.

Tape the dowel to a flat surface or hang it on a hook so it stays still. Fold each 8-foot cord in half. Loop the fold over the front of the dowel, pull both tails back through the loop, and snug it up.

That's a larkshead knot. Repeat with all 8 cords, spaced evenly across the center of the dowel.

Group the hanging cords into bundles of 4 (the two outer cords are the working cords, the two inner cords are the filler).

Drop down 3.5 inches from the dowel. Tie a square knot at each bundle. A square knot is two half-knots tied in opposite directions - left over right, then right over left.

Drop another 2.5 inches and tie the second row of square knots, but offset between the first row's knots (this is called alternating square knots).

Repeat with another row of 2 knots offset 2.5 inches below, then a final single knot at the bottom point. The result is a downward-pointing V of square knots in the center.

Take the 18 shorter (6-foot) cords. Attach them with larkshead knots in groups of 3 - that's 3 cords per section, alternating sections on each side of the central V.

Once all are attached, the dowel is fully covered with cords hanging down. The design is starting to take shape now.

Starting from the leftmost cord at the top, tie diagonal double half hitch knots working down toward the center. Each knot wraps the working cord twice around a holding cord laid diagonally across the design.

Repeat from the right side. The two diagonal lines meet at the bottom of the central V to frame the square-knot section in a diamond shape.

Tape a piece of masking tape across the bottom in a V or straight line - this is your cut guide. Trim the cords with sharp scissors right along the tape edge.

Pull the masking tape off and comb out the fringe with your fingers if you want a fluffier, lived-in look. Hang the dowel on a wall hook.