Add a touch of bohemian chic to your special event with this exquisite macraweave placemat. Make one as a centrepiece or, if you’re feeling very creative, a whole set. The tight circular jute design offers great protection for your table.
1. Wrap the 25cm (10in) ring with the 6m (193⁄4ft) length of 3mm (1⁄8in) jute, securing the cord ends with a hot glue gun.
2. Take eight 1.5m (5ft) lengths of 3mm (1⁄8in) jute and divide into two groups of four cords. Lay each group down on a flat surface so they cross over at the centre. Tie a Chinese crown knot to secure the two groups of cords together.
3. You now have four groups of four cords radiating out from what will become the centre of the placemat. Tie a square knot with each group of four cords, working a total of four square knots in all.
4. Take one working cord from one square knot together with one cord from its adjacent square knot, add one 1.5m (5ft) length of 3mm (1⁄8in) jute to it and tie a square knot (see Adding Cords with Square Knot: To Working Cords).
5. Repeat step 4 three times working around the centre, adding cords to the working cords of the other square knots. This will give you a total of eight square knots radiating out from the centre.
6. Using four 1.5m (5ft) lengths of 3mm (1⁄8in) jute, add cords by square knot to the filler cords of the square knots tied in step 3 (see Adding Cords with Square Knot: To Filler Cords).
7. Alternate cords (see Essential Terminology) and tie a row of eight square knots around the centre.
8. Separate the thirty-two single cords so they are radiating outwards from the centre of the design. Place the 25cm (10in) wrapped ring on top of the cords, ensuring the design is in the centre of the ring and the cords are evenly spaced around the ring.
9. Tie all cords onto the ring with double half hitches, ensuring the spaces between each cord are even all the way around. This creates a negative space that will be used as the warp for your weave in steps 19 and 20. Trim the thirty-two 3mm (1⁄8in) lengths of jute to 5cm (2in) (these cords will no longer be worked into the design and will be finished off in step 21).
10. Mount thirty-two 1.2m (4ft) lengths of 5mm (3⁄16in) jute to the ring in between the trimmed 3mm (1⁄8in) cords, using double reverse lark’s head knots.
11. Using the remaining 1.2m (4ft) lengths of 5mm (14in) jute, add thirty-two cords by square knot to the filler cords of the cords mounted in step 10.
12. Alternate cords and tie a row of thirty-two square knots directly beneath the last row.
13. Separate the cords into eight groups of sixteen cords: group 1 – cords 1–16; group 2 – cords 17–32; group 3 – cords 33–48; group 4 – cords 49–64; group 5 – cords 65–80; group 6 – cords 81–96; group 7 – cords 97–112, group 8 – 113–128. Complete steps 14–18 for each of the eight groups to create the points of the star.
14. Work a decreasing square knot pattern directly beneath the last row that you tied, beginning with four square knots and finishing with one square knot in the last row.
15. Number the cords 1 to 16. Make cord 1 a holding cord, bring it down left to right along the edge of the pattern and tie diagonal double half hitches onto the holding cord with cords 2–8.
16. Make cord 16 a holding cord bring it down right to left along the edge of the pattern and tie diagonal double half hitches onto the holding cord with cords 9–15
17. Tie a double half hitch with cord 1 onto cord 16 to secure them together.
18. Trim the cord ends to 4cm (11⁄2in) and use a hot glue gun to secure them on the back of the design.
19. Take five of the 4m (131⁄4ft) lengths of 3mm (1⁄8in) jute and join together (see Essential Terminology), to be used as your weft thread. Starting directly beneath one of the square knots in the centre of the design, begin to soumak weave working in a clockwise direction using a two over two under pattern. Continue to weave until you have a cord end of approx. 10cm (4in) remaining.
20. Join together the remaining five 4m (131⁄4ft) lengths of 3mm (1⁄8in) jute, adding the cords where you finished off in step 19, and continue to soumak weave as before to fill the ring.
21. Use a weaving finishing technique to weave in all ends into the back of the design.
