How to Make a Bohemian Macrame Rug

If you have been following me you know how much I love macrame.

I love the way a couple of strands of cord turn into a beautiful work of art.

Today I am back with a brand new macrame project.

This time it's a gorgeous bohemian rug and it is beginner friendly.

That's right! You only need to learn 3 knots to make this rug.

Let's get started!

You will need:

• Macrame cord
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Somewhere to put your macrame while you knot - I used my dryng rack.You can also use a clothing rack if you have one
• Washi tape
  
• A comb
• Patience
• Time

When choosing your macrame cord make sure you do it according to the piece you are making.I used 3 mm macrame cord which frankly isn't the best choice for making a rug but I love the end result and I got to utilize all of the cord I had.If you are going to make a rug I would recommend you to get at least 5 mm thick macrame cord.

One of the hardest parts of macrame is deciding how much cord you will need.I read somewhere that you need four times the length of your piece.Unfortunately there is no measuring rule but I can tell you it is always better to have more cord than less because it's easier cutting leftover cord than adding.

The longer the cord the better!

The rug I made ended up being 40 cm wide and 85 cm long (fringe included).

Naturally you start your project by measuring your cord.I cut 38 strands of cord,each being 8 meters long.The cord ended up being more than enough.So in total I used 304 meters of cord!

Some tips I have for you:

• Cut a single strand and use that to measure the rest.
• Even a single strand of the cord you cut is going to be long and messy,imagine how messy 38 of them would be! So I highly recommend you to create little ''nests'' of cord to make this process a lot smoother and more organized.
• Mark where your first and last cord is going to be on the drying rack.This is optional and it's more of a visual guide but it helps you keep the cords from moving around too much.
• You can make your rug however wide you want but make sure you always have an even number of cords.

It's time to learn your first knot! It's called a Lark's head knot.

Begin by taking the first of your 38 strands of cord and fold it in half.Place the loop you have created under the drying rack.Reach under the loop and over the rack and grab the two loose strands.Bring them down through the loop and pull and tighten the knot.

Repeat this step with the remaining strands of cord.

Feel free to refer to the video I have put.

As you can imagine the cords being 8 meters long will create a big mess on the floor.Not to mention it's impossible to work with cords that long.

This step is really going to be worth it once you see the difference.

It's as easy as it looks - take each cord and wrap it up around your hand multiple times until you reach the desired length.Make sure to leave a little bit of cord to make it easier to tie wrapped cords.Tie and repeat with the rest of your cords.

All of the steps above were the preparation of the so called ''base'' for your rug.

Now it's time to really start making the rug.

Decide how long you want your fringe to be.I left mine around 10 cm.As always - leave it a little longer. Measure it from the top and mark it with your washi tape.Repeat this step on the other side as well.

Cut a strand of cord,long enough to go across the width of your rug.We are going to use this strand to create a row of double half hitch knots. I will be refering to this cord as ''the holding cord''.

Take your holding cord and place it directly underneath the washi tape marks.Using your holding cord,place it over all other strands which I will refer to as your working cords.

From left to right, tie a half hitch knot with the first working cord - pass it over and then under the holding cord, followed by over itself to form a loop. Pull the knot tightly and push it up..Tie another half hitch knot to make it a double half hitch. Continue making double half hitch knots with the remaining working cords across the width of the rug.

Refer to the video tutorial above.

Once you have created the row of double half hitch knots,it's time to learn the third and final knot you need for this project - a square knot.It kind of resembles a square,doesn't it?

You will need 4 strands of cord to make this knot and you will be working with the outer two cords while
the two middle cords stay fixed.

Take the outer left cord and create a small loop placing it over the two middle cords,creating a shape resembling the number 4.Then take the outer right cord and place it over the left cord.Start creating your knot by taking the right cord under the middle cords.Then take the right cord through the loop formed by the left blue cord.Pull the cords to tighten and you have the first half of the square knot.

To make up the second half of the square knot you will repeat the steps working in the opposite direction.

Start with the outer right cord and create a small loop placing it over the two middle cords,again creating a shape of a mirror number 4.Now take your outer left cord and place it over the right cord. Create your knot by taking the left cord and going under the middle cords and through the loop formed by the right cord. Pull to tighten.

When you begin making your second row, leave the first two strands of cord and start with the next 4,as I have demonstrated in the video.This way the first and second row of square knots are nicely tied together.

Make 4 rows of square knots in total.

When you begin the fifth row make square knots taking the first four strands,then leave a gap.Make another square knot with the next four strands and leave the next 4 empty.This way when you are finished you have a sort of zigzag looking row of square knots.

I have put video tutorials showing you how to create the first and second row of square knots,so feel free to refer to them.

In this step we are going to fill in the gaps left and create a diamond pattern.

Start by taking the two strands of cord in the middle and make a single half hitch knot. Going to the left use the holding cord on the left side and make double half hitch knots until you get to the two outer cords of the square knot on the left.Leave them loose.Repeat the same process on the the right side,making double half hitch knots until you reach the middle of your square knot.

When connecting the two diagonals of half hitch knots,use one of the cords as a holding cord and the other one as a working cord and simply make another half hitch knot.

Continue making zigzags along the width of your rug.

In this step we are going to repeat the same process.The only difference is that we will be using more cords.

Again,take your two middle cords and using the left cord start making double half hitch knots.This time include the first two strands of cord we left in the previous step.Repeat the same on the right.

The easiest way to see if you are doing it correctly is to look at the two diagonals you have created - they both should be equally long.

Continue making the same zigzag pattern across the width of your rug.

It is time to turn the bland zigzag shape to a beautiful diamond pattern.

Connect each of the longer zigzag shapes applying the same tecnique - using one of the holding cords make double half hitch knots until you reach the middle,repeat with the other holding cord and connect the two holding cords with a double half hitch knot.

Taking the four cords,make a square knot.Close the square knot off by repeating the same steps above - complete the diamond pattern.

Refer to the photos for better understanding.

Repeat these steps across the width of your rug.

Once you are done with your diamond pattern make as many square knots as you want.

Start out by filling the gaps left from the diamond pattern first.Then continue with the rest of the rows - you already know how to do that.Once you are happy with the amount of rows you have got,divide your rug into two sections.

Continue making square knots,only this time make one knot less with each row.You should have a diagonal shape in the end.

Repeat on both sides.

Take the two middle cords you have and make a zigzag pattern - you already know how.This is going to be the big diamond.

Next,we are going to create little diamonds inside the big diamond.

Begin by making a single square knot in the middle.Close off the square knot with strands of cords from the sides.We are going to be using them as holding cords.

Taking the left holding cord,make three double half hitch knots.Repeat the same on the right side.Make a square knot in the middle and again,close it off with the holding cords by making double half hitch knots.The second diamond is complete.Make three more of them.

The last diamond you make is going to be a half-diamond.We won't be closing it off yet.

Take the holding cords of the large diamond and begin tying double half hitch knots until you reach the half-diamond.

Close off the square knot and finish creating the last diamond.

Repeat on the right side,using the right holding cord of the large diamond.

Fill in the gaps on the sides making square knots.

When you reach the end of the large diamond it's time to mirror all of the steps above.

Create five rows of square knots.Then make square knots for the zigzag row - leave a gap,make a knot,leave a gap,make a knot...

You have already done it once - make a zigzag row.

This time around I decided to alternate the square knots in the middle of the diamonds.On the first pattern I made the square knots in the middle of the first zigzag but here it is on the second.Macrame is very versatile - feel free to do whatever you want!

Next,close off all of the diamonds.Do not connect the two holding cords underneath the empty diamonds (the ones with no square knots in the middle).Continue by creating the second row of zigzags underneath them.

Lastly,make the same amount of rows of square knots as you did in the beginning - I ended up making four rows.

Cut another strand of cord,again as long as the width of your rug.

Make the last row of double half hitch knots,using the cord you just cut as a holding cord.

The final step is to cut the excess cord.

Start by cutting from the bottom,leaving as much cord as you want for the fringe.Then cut the rug from the top.

Create your fringe by unwinding each strand of cord,as shown in the video and comb it nicely.

Cut the fringe to your desired length and your bohemian rug project is now complete!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read or even scroll through my project! If you decide to recreate this rug - feel free to share it here.

Happy knotting!