Miniature Knotted Wreaths

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When I first encountered Jane LeGros’s miniature wreaths, I was charmed by the circular row of orderly little knots. It transported me back to my sailing days, when we used this particular knot — the half-knot spiral — to protect exposed wood and metal parts from the harsh marine environment. Although I haven’t sailed in some time, I still use macrame in my daily life to make curtain tiebacks, plant hangers, hanger loops for tools, and other useful and decorative items. Trimming these little wreaths is half the fun, and you can achieve many interesting effects with minute quantities of the tansy, baby’s-breath, or statice that’s left over from October’s harvest.

MAKING THE WREATH

Any type of ring can be made into an attractive wreath, but I found the most pleasing effects came from thin plastic curtain rings with an oval cross section (called “carbone rings” at our local variety store) and 3/8-inch wooden rings. Depending on the look you want, you can use any size cord from bulky, soft cotton to thin, strong silk. If you use bulky cord, the knotting goes fast and the wreath looks fuller. For convenience, these instructions are written for thin cord; if you’re using bulky cord, use half the number of pieces or ends and half the length.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Several rings 11/2 to 2 inches in ­diameter
12 to 16 yards of knotting cord for each ring
Dried plant material, ribbons, shells, and miniature evergreen cones
Hot-glue gun
Wire hangers for tree decorations ­(optional)

THE PROCESS

Cut two pieces of cord about 6 yards long for each small ring or 8 yards long for each large one. Be generous when measuring; you can’t add cord partway through the project.

Fold the pair of cords in half and tie the loop onto the ring with a lark’s-head knot (see diagram). You will now have four ends. Separate them into two bunches of two and butterfly the end of each bunch to avoid tangles. (A butterfly is a small coil that is wrapped at the center.) Tie half-knots around the ring as shown, keeping the tension even and making sure the knots twist fairly uniformly around the body of the ring. The twist can be adjusted after the ring has been mostly covered, but too much adjustment will look sloppy. When the series of knots reaches all the way around the ring, tie the ends together in an overhand knot.