[A] See at the end of the concluding chapter, the table of numbers and
sizes and the list of colours of the D.M.C threads and cottons.
[Illustration: MACRAMÉ STRIPE—ARABIC SUBJECT.]
Macramé.
Macramé is an Arabic word, signifying an ornamental fringe or trimming,
which has been adopted as the term for a certain kind of hand-work,
known also as «knotted fringe» or «Mexican lace» and produced by the
knotting, interweaving and tying together of threads.
We have given the preference to the Arabic name because of its less
definite meaning, seeing that not only fringe and lace, but trimmings of
all kinds, in the shape of bands and stripes and headings, can be worked
in macramé.
Until its revival about ten years ago, when it was regarded by many as a
new invention, the art of macramé making had for centuries become almost
extinct and save here and there in the convents, was quite unknown.
The multitude of uses to which it can be turned as a trimming, the
infinite variety it admits of and its great durability and strength,
make macramé well worth a study; the difficulties that repel many at
first sight are only on the surface and any one who carefully follows
the instructions given in the following pages, will soon overcome them
and be able without pains to copy the charming designs that accompany
them, which remind us of the wooden lattices in the windows of Eastern
houses, doubtless familiar to many of our readers, under the name of
_moucharabieh_.
MATERIALS.—These may be of almost any kind; silk, gold thread, cord,
wool or cotton, can all be employed with good effect. Almost any of the
D.M.C cottons can be used for macramé; but the ones especially to be
recommended are: Fil à dentelle D.M.C[A], Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C[A]
and Coton à broder D.M.C[A] for the finer kinds of work, and for the
coarser, Fil à pointer D.M.C[A], Coton à tricoter D.M.C[A] and Ganse
turque D.M.C[A]. The twist in all these is so regular as to admit of a
high degree of perfection being attained with them: they are moreover
very agreeable to the touch, a great recommendation considering how much
they have to be handled by the worker.
[Illustration: FIG. 513. MACRAMÉ CUSHION.]
MACRAMÉ CUSHION AND OTHER ACCESSORIES (figs. 513 and 514).—The only
really important requisite for macramé work is the cushion, which should
be well stuffed, and weighted with lead (fig. 513). It is convenient to
have it made to screw on to a table like the Swiss tambour frames. There
are other kinds of macramé cushions but none, in our opinion, as
practical as these because any pattern can be worked upon them and
patterns that have a heading or a border of picots can not be worked on
any others. The pegs at the ends of the cushion are for fixing and
winding the long threads upon, which carry the knots, and which we shall
in future call «cords».
For making long lengths of macramé fringe, metal clamps, with
round-headed pegs attached to them top and bottom, to fasten the cords
to, as represented in fig. 514, will be found far better than a cushion,
as any number of threads can be knotted on to them at a time by pushing
them more or less closely together on the cord.
[Illustration: FIG. 514. CLAMPS FOR MACRAMÉ FRINGE.]
Besides the cushion and clamps, you will require, some big glass-headed
pins, made expressly for the purpose, a crochet needle for pulling the
threads through the stuff when they have to be knotted on to an edge,
and a French mètre or yard measure to measure the threads with; to these
implements may further be added, scissors and a metal comb and ruler for
cutting and straightening the ends of the threads.
The length of the threads must depend on their substance and size; that
is to say, that a knot will take up more of a coarse stiff thread than
of a fine pliable one, on which account, to avoid the necessity of
preliminary trials, the right length of thread, for the quality and size
of material, is given with each pattern. If, for any reason, our workers
should not follow the directions given, they must bear in mind that the
thicker and stiffer the material, the more they will have to allow for
the knots and vice versa.
FORMATION OF THE KNOTS.—Beginners must be careful, in macramé as in
tatting, not to move or slacken the cord, or horizontal thread that
carries the knots. The knots made by the «knotting-thread», as it will
be called in future, consist of loops formed over the cord and then
tightened. The knotting-thread and the cord are constantly changing
places, as you work, loops having to be made now with the one and now
with the other.
[Illustration: FIG. 515. KNOTTING ON THE THREADS.]
KNOTTING ON THE THREADS (fig. 515).—Excepting when you work with the
threads of a material obtained by unravelling and drawing out the cross
threads, you must knot on lengths of thread on to a cord; cut them
double the length the fringe is to be and fold them in half, so as to
form a loop by means of which you attach them to the cord, in the
following manner. Put the loop over the cord from the front and bring it
back underneath, put the ends down through the loop, detail _a_, and
tighten it, detail _b_, as shown in the engraving.
[Illustration: FIG. 516. KNOTTING ON THE THREADS ON TO A STUFF EDGE AND
FORMATION OF A FLAT DOUBLE KNOT.]
KNOTTING ON THE THREADS ON TO A STUFF EDGE AND FORMATION OF A FLAT
DOUBLE KNOT (fig. 516).—Push your crochet needle through the edge of
the stuff from the right to the wrong side and catch hold of the loop,
formed by the folding in half of the thread that is to be knotted on;
pull it out to the right side, put the ends through, and tighten the
loop, detail _a_. Detail _b_ shows two double threads, knotted on near
to each other in this way, and the first tying together of the two outer
threads for the flat knot which is formed as follows: you take the two
outer of the four threads hanging down and cross the right hand one
under, and the left hand one over the two centre threads. Whilst doing
this, hold the inner ones tightly stretched out on the 3rd and 4th
fingers of the left hand, detail _b_. The manner in which the two
threads are brought back and tied together again is shown in detail _c_;
the drawing up of the threads completes the so-called flat double knot,
detail _d_. Detail _e_, of the same figure, shows two flat double knots,
side by side, and the first step towards the formation of a third,
connecting together the two right threads of the one with the two left
threads of the other.
[Illustration: FIG. 517. KNOTTING ON THREADS ONTO A KNOTTED HEADING.]
KNOTTING ON THREADS ON TO A KNOTTED HEADING (fig. 517).—Make flat
double knots as in fig. 516, detail _d_, on a double cord and then knot
on your threads on to the loops of the double knots, putting the loop
through from the right side, so that it may lie at the back. Use double
threads so that the work beneath the heading may not be too open.
[Illustration: FIG. 518. KNOTTING ON THREADS ON TO A PICOT HEADING.]
KNOTTING ON THREADS ON TO A PICOT HEADING (fig. 518).—First, crochet
a row of chain stitches, then make flat double knots on the chain, far
enough apart for the thread between to form picots on the chain, then a
second chain of crochet drawn through the picots on one side, on to
which tie triple or quadruple lengths of thread, as shown in the
engraving.
KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH ROUND PICOTS (fig. 519).—Fasten the lengths
of thread to the cushion with pins, about half a c/m. apart, fix the
cord to one of the pegs at the left end of the cushion, hold it tightly
extended in a horizontal line with the right hand. With the left hand
knot the threads that are pinned down on to the cord, looping each end
twice round it, upwards from below and then drawing it through between
the two loops or knots thus formed, pulling each knot to the left as you
tighten it round the cord. Make the second row of knots in the same way,
taking care to lay the second cord as close to the first as possible
that the vertical threads may not be visible between. One series of
knots forms a bar; there are both horizontal and slanting bars as will
be seen later on.
[Illustration: FIG. 519. KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH ROUND PICOTS.]
[Illustration: FIG. 520. KNOTTING ON WITH A FRINGE HEADING.]
KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH A FRINGE HEADING (fig. 520).—Knot the
threads on with a picot heading, as explained in the preceding figure,
then cut the picots through and unravel and comb out the threads.
For this way of knotting on threads, a very strongly twisted material is
better than a loose one, as when it is cut and untwisted, it makes a
much richer and fuller fringe.
KNOTTING ON WITH PICOTS AND FLAT DOUBLE KNOTS (fig. 521).—Take two
threads, pin them on close together, make a flat double knot, fig. 516,
tying the outer threads over the inner ones, and loop the ends over a
cord to make a horizontal bar of knots.
KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH PICOTS AND TWO FLAT DOUBLE KNOTS (figs. 522
and 523).—Pin the two threads on as before and make two flat double
knots, one below the other; detail _a_ shows the first knot begun,
detail _b_ the two knots completed. Fig. 523 shows the picots secured by
a horizontal bar of knots beneath them.
[Illustration: FIG. 521. KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH PICOTS AND TWO FLAT
DOUBLE KNOTS.]
[Illustration: FIG. 522. & FIG. 523. KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH PICOT AND
TWO FLAT DOUBLE KNOTS.]
[Illustration: FIG. 524. KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH SCALLOPS.]
KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH SCALLOPS (fig. 524).—The threads for the
scallops must be cut much longer than those that are to be knotted on
below them. The button-hole loops must be so made that they turn upwards;
and there must be 12 of them, all made with the left hand thread over
the right hand thread, detail _a_. Then, knot on two double threads
underneath the scallop and besides, make knots with the threads that
come from the scallops, detail _b_.
[Illustration: FIG. 525. KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH LOOPS.]
KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH LOOPS (fig. 525).—Pin on two threads folded
in half, a little distance apart, detail _a_, and bind them together
with a flat double knot. Pin on more lengths close to them, the inner
threads of which are held by a “collecting knot”, as the flat double
knot is called when it is made over more than two threads (see also fig.
530). The ends of the threads can then be looped over one or two cords,
so as to form a single or double bar of knots, as required.
[Illustration: FIG. 526. KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH TRIPLE SCALLOPS.]
KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH TRIPLE SCALLOPS (fig. 526).—Knot on three
single threads in succession; first, the middle one, then the second,
with the knot right and left and the loop long enough to form the
scallop, then the third in the same manner.
KNOTTING ON THREADS FOR RIBBED PICOTS (fig. 527).—Take a double
thread and make two slanting bars of knots, see details _a_ and _b_,
then secure them, like the preceding scallops by a horizontal bar of
knots, see detail _c_.
KNOTTING ON THREADS FOR A GIMP HEADING (fig. 528).—This mode of
knotting on forms a broad gimp, consisting of vertical bars of knots,
made over a single cord. On the one side, that which is afterwards
turned downwards, the cord, the ribs are made on, forms loops, held with
pins, into which meshes of threads can be knotted when the gimp is
finished, for making either a fringe or a grounding.
Patterns in several colours may likewise be knotted into gimp headings
of this kind.
[Illustration: FIG. 527. KNOTTING ON THREADS WITH RIBBED PICOTS.]
[Illustration: FIG. 528. KNOTTING ON THREADS FOR A GIMP HEADING.]
FLAT DOUBLE KNOTS WITH HALF KNOTS (fig. 529).—These are double knots
followed by a third knot, or more correctly speaking, a half one of the
first flat knots.
COLLECTING KNOTS (fig. 530).—As explained in fig. 525, these are flat
double knots, made over more than two threads. The engraving shows, in
the first place on the left, a flat double knot made over two threads,
completed, and the first crossing of the thread for the collecting knot;
secondly, the second crossing of the threads; thirdly how the collecting
knot can, if necessary, be continued over 4 threads, and fourthly, how
the collecting knot should be made to finish with a flat double knot.
PLAITED AND WAVED KNOTS (fig. 531).—Plaited knots are formed by a
continuous repetition of the first crossing of the threads for making a
flat knot, detail _a_; waved knots by a slight twist given to the
plaited knots from left to right, detail _b_. These plaits of waved
knots are secured by joining together the threads of opposite meshes,
two and two, by a flat double knot.
[Illustration: FIG. 529. FLAT DOUBLE KNOTS WITH HALF KNOTS.]
[Illustration: FIG. 530. COLLECTING KNOTS.]
SINGLE CROSSED KNOTS AND DOUBLE CROSSED KNOTS (figs. 532 and
533).—Two plain crossings of the threads, detail _a_, to begin with;
after which you rapidly reverse the threads, turning the knot to the
wrong side, drawing it up tightly at the same time; this forms the first
knot, detail _b_. The second knot, fig. 533, is formed by 3 crossings,
detail _a_; reverse the threads rapidly, to form the double crossed
knot, detail _b_. For the following knots tie the threads together, as
for the flat double knot, detail _c_.
LOOPED PICOT AND KNOTTED PICOTS (figs. 534 and 535).—Looped picots
are made along a row of knots by setting the knots, far enough apart for
the loop between, to form a picot when the knots are drawn up close
together. In fig. 534, the detail _a_ represents the picot, in its first
open stage, detail _b_ the same picot when it is finished.
Knotted picots, fig. 535, are formed after one or more flat double
knots, by a knot made in the outer thread; to get this knot into the
right place, make it on a big pin and draw it up close to the flat knot
before you take out the pin.
[Illustration: FIG. 531. PLAITED AND WAVED KNOTS.]
[Illustration: FIG. 532. SINGLE CROSSED KNOT.]
[Illustration: FIG. 533. DOUBLE CROSSED KNOT.]
These picots are always made on both sides and can be repeated several
times along a row of knots. Detail _a_ shows the crossing of the threads
for the picots, detail _b_ the picots completed and followed by a flat
knot.
[Illustration: FIG. 534. LOOPED PICOT.]
[Illustration: FIG. 535. KNOTTED PICOT.]
[Illustration: FIG. 536. BEAD KNOTS.]
BEAD KNOTS (fig. 536).—A bead knot is made by turning back the
threads after a row of flat double knots. Detail _a_ shows three flat
double knots finished, detail _b_ the inner threads turned back over the
flat double knots, detail _c_ the two knotting threads, brought between
the two threads coming from the left to the right, and detail _d_ the
bead knot finished and followed by a flat double knot.
BARS OF KNOTS TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT (figs. 537, 538, 539, 540, 541,
542, 543, 544).—After knotting on the requisite number of threads on to
a double cord, make two button-hole loops with the right thread round the
left one, fig. 537, then knot each thread twice over the second cord,
fig. 538. These knots must be as close together as possible. This done,
begin to make the slanting bars, inclining from left to right, with 4
threads.
The first thread on the left, marked 1 in fig. 540, serves as cord to
the threads 2, 3, 4, which are looped in succession over thread 1.
Fig. 541 represents threads 2, 3 and 4, knotted thread 1 and in the
second bar, thread 2 becoming in its turn the cord, and having threads
3, 4 and 1 knotted over it, whilst it is being held, tightly stretched
in the right hand. The knotting should be done with the left hand.
In fig. 542, which represents a bar inclining from right to left,
threads 3, 2 and 1 are knotted over thread 4; and in fig. 543, in the
second row, threads 2, 1, 4 over thread 3. Here, it has to be the left
hand that holds the thread extended from right to left, whilst the right
hand does the knotting.
[Illustration: FIG. 537. BUTTON-HOLE LOOP TO THE RIGHT.]
[Illustration: FIG. 538. FASTENING THE THREADS TO THE CORD.]
[Illustration: FIG. 539. BAR SLANTING TO THE RIGHT. THE KNOT OPEN.]
[Illustration: FIG. 540. BAR SLANTING TO THE RIGHT. THREAD 2 KNOTTED
OVER THREAD 1.]
[Illustration: FIG. 541. BAR SLANTING TO THE RIGHT. THREADS 3, 4, 1 TO
BE KNOTTED OVER THREAD 2.]
Fig. 544 explains how the double bars are bound together by an ordinary
double knot.
[Illustration: FIG. 542. BAR SLANTING TO THE LEFT.]
[Illustration: FIG. 543. BAR SLANTING TO THE LEFT.]
[Illustration: FIG. 544. BARS JOINED TOGETHER.]
SINGLE CHAIN (fig. 545).—This is made with two single threads, by
knotting them alternately over each other, that is, each in turns
serving as cord to the other.
DOUBLE CHAIN (fig. 546).—The double chain is made in the same manner
as the single, only with a double thread.
Both the double and single chain are generally used in macramé gimps and
borders as a means of conducting threads of different colours, from one
part of a pattern to another, which could be done in no other way; also,
as a continuation to the Chinese knot, fig. 607, as described at the end
of this chapter.
[Illustration: FIG. 545. SINGLE CHAIN.]
[Illustration: FIG. 546. DOUBLE CHAIN.]
RIBBED BORDER (fig. 547).—Here, the same cord runs to and fro; the 4
threads that hang down, form little ribbed bars running right and left.
To distinguish from the knotting threads, the thread that runs to and
fro it, is represented in a darker colour.
MACRAMÉ FRINGE (figs. 548, 549, 550).—Entire length of the threads
for No. 8 of Coton à tricoter D.M.C: 80 c/m.
[Illustration: FIG. 547. RIBBED BORDER.]
1st row—knot on the threads, as in fig. 515, and in the following
order: 1 double white thread, 2 double red, 1 double blue and so on.
2nd row—make a horizontal bar of knots, see figs. 519, 520 and 521,
over a second cord.
3rd row—3 button-hole knots, fig. 524, each with 2 threads.
4th row—like the 2nd.
5th row—make slanting bars of double knots right and left, counting 6
threads for each bar, consequently 12 for 2. The 1st and 12th thread
serving as the cords for the knots. In the 2nd series of knots which
forms the double slanting bar, make another double knot over the cord
with the thread that served as cord in the preceding row.
When the slanting bars are finished, bring them as close together as
possible, tighten the last thread on the right and make another double
knot with the left thread; the position of all the threads is clearly
described in fig. 549. Then continue the bars in the opposite direction,
so that the 2nd thread on the left is stretched over the right hand
group of threads, and the 11th thread on the right over the left hand
group.
[Illustration: FIG. 548. MACRAMÉ FRINGE. MATERIALS: Coton à tricoter
D.M.C Nos. 6 to 16, Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C Nos. 5 to 25, or Fil à
dentelle D.M.C Nos. 25 to 70. COLOURS: Bleu-Indigo 311, Rouge-Turc 321
and white, or Bleu tendre 710, Rouge-Maroquin 3327 and Vert-Fauve 691.]
Make 3 rows of double bars and then take always 3 threads of a left hand
group and 3 of a right hand one, tie them loosely together in a plain
knot, put in, above the knot, a bunch of 8 threads, 15 c/m. long, fig.
550 detail _a_, draw up the knot close to the bars and wind thread of a
different colour several times round it, detail _b_, to form the tassel.
The other bunches of threads which are hung on between two bars of knots
must be tied on the same level with the first, but do not, nevertheless,
come into close contact with the bars.
[Illustration: FIG. 549. WORKING DETAIL OF FIG. 548.]
[Illustration: FIG. 550. WORKING DETAIL OF FIG. 548.]
INSERTION OR FRINGE (figs. 551 and 552).—Entire length of the threads
for No. 8 of Coton à tricoter D.M.C: 50 c/m., including the fringe.
1st row—knot on the threads as in fig. 515.
2nd row—1 double horizontal bar of knots, as in figs. 519 or 520, over
double cords.
3rd row—Take 8 threads for a group of bars; 2 light and 2 dark ones on
each side; the two sets of threads are numbered in fig. 552, a working
detail of fig. 551, from 1 to 4.
Begin by making all the knots over threads 1 and 2 of the left set, so
that threads 3 and 4 on the left will be outside and threads 1 and 2
inside the group. Make the same knots over the 3rd and 4th thread on the
right, then repeat the left group again and so on.
[Illustration: FIG. 551. INSERTION OR FRINGE. MATERIALS: Coton à
tricoter D.M.C Nos. 6 to 13, Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C Nos. 1 to 20, Fil à
pointer D.M.C Nos. 10 to 30, or Fil à dentelle D.M.C Nos. 25 to 50.
COLOURS: Bleu-indigo 311 and Brun-Chamois 418, or Brun-Rouille 3312 and
Bleu-Gris 3303.]
Repeat from the beginning, and make 2 double knots over thread 3 on the
right, fig. 552, with threads 1 and 2 on the left, then again 2 knots
over thread 4 on the right. When this series of knots is finished, make:
3 double knots over thread 1 (dark-coloured in the engraving) with the
left thread 2 and the right threads 1 and 2; make on the left: 3 knots
over thread 4 with the right thread 3 and the left threads 2 and 1, and
so on.
When this pattern is worked for a gimp and not a fringe, the threads are
made to end in knots, as explained in fig. 558.
[Illustration: FIG. 552. WORKING DETAIL OF FIG. 551]
GIMP MADE WITH MACRAMÉ SHUTTLES (figs. 553, 554, 555).—Cut 8 double
threads of the length the gimp is to be.
In order not to have to add on threads in the middle of the work, or
have long ends hanging down, which are very much in the way, we
recommend the employment of a new macramé shuttle, a kind of spool, such
as are used in the making of pillow lace. These shuttles simplify the
work enormously and are made hollow so that they can be mounted and
filled on the spindle of any sewing machine.
Knot on the threads, as in fig. 515, and make a single bar of knots.
Then leaving 2 threads on the right and 2 on the left disengaged, make 3
flat double knots with every set of 4 threads between. Make a slanting
bar of double knots over the 16th right thread, with the 15th, 14th,
13th, 12th, 11th, 10th and 9th thread; then make knots with the same
threads and with the 16th over the 15th thread. Make a similar bar on
the left, over the 1st thread, with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and
8th thread.
[Illustration: FIG. 553. GIMP MADE WITH MACRAMÉ SHUTTLES.
MATERIALS: Coton à tricoter D.M.C Nos. 6 to 16, Cordonnet 6 fils D.M.C
Nos. 1 to 10, Fil à pointer D.M.C Nos. 10 to 30, or Fil à dentelle D.M.C
Nos. 25 to 50.[A]