Five of the basic macrame knots are Lark’s Head knot, Square knot, Spiral stitch, Overhand knot, and Wrapping knot. Macrame is an easy craft because you only need to learn a few knots to create a macrame piece. You need to know a few basic macrame terms to get started. Cord The cord is the material that you use to make macrame knots. Cotton, jute, or hemp are the fibers for making a cord. Working cord The working cord is the rope or set of strings that you use to make the actual knots. Filler Cord The filler cord is the string or the set of ropes your knots wrap around. Sinnet A knot or a set of knots that worked repeatedly is called a sinnet. The following are five of the common macrame knots and step-by-step instructions you can use to start your macrame project. Lark’s Head Knot The Lark’s Head Knot is a straightforward knot that you can use to attach your cord to a ring, dowel, rod, or other rope. You can tie it forward-facing or backward-facing. Here is a guide to securing a forward-facing Lark’s Head Knot. Measure and cut a specific length of the macrame cord. Fold your string in half, then bring the ends together. Bring the folded loop up in front of a ring or dowel, then get it back down behind the dowel or ring. Make sure that the loop points downwards. Pull both ends of the macrame cord through the loop you made. Tighten your knot by pulling on the ends of the cord. Straighten the ends so that they look even. Square Knot A square knot is a standard knot widely used in macrame. You need at least four cords (2 working and two filler cords) to make a square knot. The two outer cords are the working cords, and the two inner cords are the filler cords. You make a square knot from two half-square knots. Square and half-square knots can be left or right-facing, depending on which cord you start with. Start the process by measuring and cutting two pieces of rope. Attach them to a dowel using Lark’s Head Knots. You now have four strands of cords. To make a half-square knot (left-facing), bring the left working cord over the two filler cords and under the right working cord. Next, bring the right working cord under the two filler cords and up over the left working cord. Tighten the knot. Make a mirror image of the left-facing half-square knot. Follow steps 1 to 3, but make a right-facing half-square knot this time. Tighten the knot. Spiral Stitch The Spiral Stitch, also called a Half Knot Spiral, is a system of half-square knots worked one after another to create a vertical column. You can create a right or left-facing spiral by tying right or left-facing half-square knots. Just make sure that you tie your half-square knots in one direction consistently. To start making a spiral stitch, begin with four cords. Two are working cords, while the other two are filler cords. Tie a left-facing half-square knot using the two working cords. Keep tying left-facing half-square knots. Your cords will start to spiral as you work. Keep making left-facing half-square knots until you reach your desired length. Overhand Knot The overhand knot is one basic knot frequently to avoid unraveling the rope. You can also tie two or multiple cords together at the bottom of a macrame piece. To tie an overhand knot, start by gathering the cords together. Bring the ropes up and over themselves, creating a loop. Bring the ends back and through the loop to produce a knot. Tighten the knot. Wrapping Knot A wrapping knot, or gathering knot, is one of the most common to finish a macrame piece. Two working cords are in a wrapping knot; the rest are filler cords. You can also use the wrapping knot at the beginning of a macrame project. To make a wrapping knot, start by gathering a group of cords. Get a separate length of working rope. Fold the end of the working cord, then lay it next to the area you want to wrap. Wrap the long end of the working cord around all cords; the filler cords plus the working cord itself. Wrap the working cord around the group of yarns until only a tiny part of the folded working cord is left unwrapped. Pass the long end of the active thread through the folded loop. Then, pull the top end of the working cord up. This step will pull the looped end underneath the wraps. You can trim both ends of the working cord for a clean finish.