The technique of weaving macrame is familiar to many modern needlewomen. And although this art came from the distant past, it remains to this day a relevant and original way of decorating homes and clothing items.
Macrame is a technique of the so-called knot weaving, which replaced the simpler and more primitive knotless. The name "macrame" is of Arabic origin; this word can be translated as "fringe" or "lace". In some European countries, macrame spread in the second half of the first millennium, but this technique acquired widespread use only after the middle of the second millennium.
With the help of macrame, needlewomen in the past created not only unique decorative items for clothes, but also weaved unusual covers for household items, furniture and even musical instruments. Even representatives of noble families wore outfits adorned with gold threads, which took on bizarre shapes thanks to the knot weaving technique.
Macrame is woven from a wide variety of materials. These can be simple ropes made of flax, hemp or synthetics, gold threads, floss, silk, soutache. For the knotting technique, threads twisted as tightly as possible are suitable. If the threads are not twisted tightly enough, the relief and pattern of the product will turn out to be indistinct, and the product itself will wear out too quickly and lose its original shape. The knots used for weaving macrame appeared not only specifically for this craft, many of them, due to their unique combination of strength and beauty, were borrowed from sailors.
Macrame weaving is so popular among needlewomen also because it does not require any complicated devices and tools. Usually, for knotted weaving, in addition to threads, only dexterous fingers are needed to weave the threads and tighten the knots. For macrame, pins are more useful to secure the finished part of the product, and ordinary crochet hooks. Also, to facilitate the process of weaving macrame, there are special vices, which are called clamps.