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Published on March 11, 2023
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heart garland.

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I’m a big fan of hearts so I Googled “macrame heart garland” and was inspired by artist Isabella Strambio. It looked daunting because this was my first try at creating a shape with knots (versus shapes/images with color blocking). It was easier than I thought it was going to be; and it only uses two knots. Bookmark this craft for Valentine’s next year. 🙂

Materials*:

How to:

For a garland with five hearts, cut one strand of rope at least 6 feet long. This will be your base cord and the length will give enough extra rope between each heart and hanging cords on each side. I like to tie ends with an overhand knot to create hanging loops. For each heart, cut twelve 4-foot strands of rope.

Tape down the hanging cord as you knot. Attach twelve 4-foot strands to the hanging cord with lark’s head knots. Ensure the knots are not squished too close together.

The hearts are made up solely of square knots (SK). Here is the pattern:

  • Row 1: Leaving a 1″ margin at the top, create 2 SK across the row with cords 5, 6, 7, and 8; 17, 18, 19, and 20
  • Row 2: Create 4 SK with cords 3, 4, 5, and 6; 7, 8, 9, and 10; 15, 16, 17, and 18; 19, 20, 21, and 22
  • Row 3: Create 6 SK across the whole row

You can also create one top of the heart first, then the other, before connecting in row 4, as seen in the photos. Either way you do it, try to keep the base cord as straight as possible, otherwise you’ll get ‘loose’ cords throughout your project (this happened to me!).

  • Row 4: Create 5 SK across the whole row skipping cords 1, 2, 23, and 24. The third SK (center) connects the two sides of the heart.
  • Row 5: Create 6 SK across the whole row.
  • Row 6: Create 5 SK across the whole row skipping cords 1, 2, 23, and 24
  • Row 7: Create 4 SK across the row skipping cords 1-4 and 21-24
  • Row 8: Create 3 SK across the row skipping cords 1-6 and 19-24
  • Row 9: Create 2 SK across the row skipping cords 1-8 and 17-24
  • Row 10: Create 1 SK with cords 11, 12, 13, and 14.

Trim excess rope. I went for the straight across; you can also cut parallel to the heart edges. I also kind of like the pre-cut ‘jagged’ look.

Repeat making hearts until you get your desired garland length. A single heart would also make the most adorable chair back decor or place setting.

Happy Not-Valentine’s Day! 😉

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