Easy Macramé Wall Hanging for Beginners

If you’ve been wanting to try macramé, this is your sign. This wall hanging uses just three basic knots, and by the end you’ll understand how nearly every macramé pattern is built.

Supplies

• About 80 yards of 5mm single-strand cotton cord
• A 24” wooden dowel or a smooth branch
• Sharp fabric scissors
• A comb or pet brush (for the fringe)
• Something to hang your work from while you knot (a coat rack or clothing rail is perfect)

The three knots you’ll learn

Lark’s head knot: attaches cord to the dowel. Fold a cord in half, lay the loop over the dowel, pull the ends through the loop.

Square knot: the workhorse of macramé, made with four cords. The two outer cords knot around the two center “filler” cords.

Double half hitch: creates those pretty diagonal lines.

How to make it

1. Cut 16 cords at 4.5 yards each. It seems like a lot, but knots eat up cord fast.
2. Attach all 16 cords to the dowel with lark’s head knots. You’ll have 32 strands.
3. Make a row of square knots across all strands, about 2” below the dowel.
4. Alternate: for the next row, skip the first two strands and knot square knots using strands 3–6, 7–10, and so on. This creates the classic net pattern. Repeat for 6 rows.
5. Add a diagonal: use the far-left strand as a guide and tie double half hitches with each strand toward the center. Mirror on the right to form a V.
6. Finish: trim the ends into a V or straight line, then comb them out into soft fringe.

Tips for beginners

• Keep your tension consistent. Snug, not tight.
• Single-strand cord is much easier to comb than 3-ply.
• If you make a mistake, macramé is very forgiving: just untie it and try again.

Once you’ve got these knots down, try a macramé plant hanger next!