Guess what I am learning to do? Yes, throwback to the late 70s/early 80s for me. The last time I tried my hand at macramé was in maybe the fourth grade or so. We used these cork boards and pinned down our project and then did our knots with the pins. I recall it being really difficult and confusing, but what can you expect when you are still refining your mind processes and motor skills.
I took a class earlier in the week to learn how to make a macramé plant hanger and this is my first go. Not perfect and plenty of room for improvement, but not too shabby either. It was much easier to work standing up and with the cord hanging from a pole. I love make and take classes like this.
I have to say there is something really meditative about making various kinds of knots. I think we learned four different basic knots and used three to make our hangers. I am contemplating signing up for another class in which you make a wall hanging.
And because it was so fun and I enjoyed it so much I had to look for books at the library. The best of the batch for me is Weaving within Reach: Beautiful Woven Projects by Hand or By Loom by Anne Weil, which seems really accessible and easy to use with projects that I can actually imagine making and using. However I am also perusing Macramé: The Craft of Creative Knotting for Your Home by Franny Zedonius and Raw Crafts: 40 Projects from Hemp, Jute, Burlap, and Cork by Denise Corcoran. You never know where you might find inspiration, right?
A local community college has been upping their offerings of noncredit classes and there is a whole section of a warehouse in my downtown (known as the Makerhood as there are other crafty places in the neighborhood) that is dedicated to what they call "lost arts". I am contemplating signing up, too, for a rug making class that is taught using a table loom. I think the first class starts with learning and making a rag rug. It lasts for five sessions three hours in the evening for five consecutive weeks this fall. It is a commitment but it sounds like fun. If I am not reading (or watching movies) then it is these creative kinds of endeavors that make me happy.