Book Review – Macrame Jewelry

Macrame Jewelry

Macrame is one of those crafts that looks much fancier than it actually is once you learn the basic knots. And honestly, isn’t that the best kind of craft? The sort where people say, “Oh wow, you made that?” and you can casually pretend it was no big deal while secretly feeling rather pleased with yourself.

The Macrame Jewelry Crafts eBook by Leisure Arts is a lovely little digital book for anyone wanting to try handmade macrame jewelry without committing to a giant wall-hanging project that takes over the dining table for three weeks.

This eBook focuses on learning a few simple knots and turning them into wearable accessories. It includes 20 different macrame jewelry projects, with designs for necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, and comes as a 34-page PDF download.

What makes this book appealing is how approachable it feels. Macrame jewelry is a great entry point for beginners because the projects are smaller, quicker, and less intimidating than large home décor pieces. You can practise knotting techniques on a bracelet or pair of earrings before moving on to bigger macrame projects.

The designs are also very gift-friendly. Handmade jewelry is always a nice option for birthdays, stocking fillers, Mother’s Day gifts, market stall items, or those “I need something thoughtful but I forgot until this morning” moments. We’ve all been there.

If you have a stash of beads, cords, charms, or leftover jewelry findings, this is a practical way to use them up. Macrame jewelry works beautifully with cotton cord, hemp cord, waxed cord, beads, metal accents, shells, and even small gemstone beads. It is one of those crafts where a small change in cord colour or bead style can make the same pattern look completely different.

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects.

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor.

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf.

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn.

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn.

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too.

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.

Have you read?