The New Macrame: Contemporary Knotted Jewelry and Accessories [Paperback]

Katie DuMont (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2001

Now macramé is for making attention-grabbing jewelry, hot accessories, and other projects. Best of all, if you can tie your shoes, you can create any of these great-looking items. No expensive material to buy, no fancy equipment needed, and no experience required. The “Knots 101” course will show you how every stitch is done, so you can get started almost immediately.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The 1960s hippies have returned, adapting their wares to the millennium. Last year's fashions with beribboned jeans and Indian inspirations presaged the re-emergence of macrame, as documented in DuMont's book. Here, 15 artists from the U.S. and Australia contribute to the making of knots for the twenty-first century, using new materials with old techniques to create eminently practical and stylish objects. The author begins with a historical overview, pointing out the craft's origins in thirteenth-century Turkey and its popularity among Victorian England households. With an emphasis on macrame's simplicity, she then turns to explaining basic knots (and their variations) in illustrations, color photographs, and words. At least half of the nearly 30 projects, with comprehensive directions, ensure that rank novices won't get tied up. Barbara Jacobs --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Asheville, NC

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Lark Crafts (June 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579902278
• ISBN-13: 978-1579902278
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The New macrame, May 26, 2000

By 

Kristin L. Napolillo "[e-mail]" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Macrame: Contemporary Knotted Jewelry & Accessories (Hardcover)

I found this book to be severly lacking in good instructions and illustrations. I began the Rainbow Card Caddy project but I could not make my project look like the one in the book based on the instructions given. The book has illustrations of the knots but they are not enough to complete the project as written.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good photos, needs more directions, June 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Macrame: Contemporary Knotted Jewelry & Accessories (Hardcover)

I liked all the color photographs for ideas, but I agree with the other reader that when I went to try a project, I had a hard time understanding the knotting directions...could have used more pictures/instructions in the "how to knot" section. If you already know the basic knots, this might be a good "idea" book.

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not enough "new" to make it worth buying., December 31, 2001

By 

QuinnCreative "-Q" (Glendale, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Macrame: Contemporary Knotted Jewelry and Accessories (Paperback)

When a book is called "The New Macrame," a reader has a right to expect either entirely different knotting techniques or totally different projects. What is new about this book is that it contains many more color pictures than previous macrame books. It also has several updated looks in jewelry--for example, there is a "Y" necklace style, a ring and earrings made of wire instead of hemp, and an aroma therapy bottle necklace.
However, if I squinted a little, that aromatherapy bottle cover could have been a plant hanger of the 1960s. And the "Y" necklace still has it's roots in the 1960s hairy hemp and big ol' E beads. And that's my main objection to the book. It's not really new.
The square knot, half knot, lark's head, and half hitch aren't new. Using wire is new, but one ring and one set of earrings doesn't qualify the book as "new." Showing the old knots with new materials--Conso, Stringth, or colored art wire would have given the reader a useful comparison. But that isn't in the book.
The descriptions are shown, both with a line drawing and a photograph, and for the person with experience, that's enough. But for someone new to macrame, each knot diagram could have had one more stage, half way through, shown. This book makes the mistake many user's manuals make--the writers don't pay attention to the needs of the audience. If it's a book for beginners, more steps are needed. If it's a book for advanced knot-tiers, give us advanced projects.
The titles of the projects are also off-putting. Who wants to make a "Yuppie Puppy Leash and Collar"? And why would you call an earring pattern "Take Two Earrings and Call Me in The Morning"? or a belt a "Fringe Benefit Belt"?
Beginning macrame students would do far better looking for help in "The 'knotty' Macrame and Beading Book" by Wendy Connor and advanced students will be happier with "Braiding and Knotting Techniques and Projects" by Constantine A. Belash.