Sunday, May 26, 2013

How My Time Vanishes

It's not that I'm unaware there are other things I should be doing, it's just that I'd rather be doing something with immediate, tangible results. Presumably this has been part of the appeal of manual labor for this generation that feels stuck and, well, flail-y. So instead of working toward long-term goals, I often find myself taking solace in some small projects around the house and yard.

You're familiar by now with my gardening tribulations, and some of my more notable baking incidents. I also sew, knit, crochet, and macrame, not to mention bind custom books, rewire light fixtures, weave beadwork, and probably a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting right now. Sometime last year (!) I picked up a pile of various twines from the hardware store to make a few more plant hangers with. After staring at my old project-to-do list for all that time I finally got fed up with myself and have started crossing things off. (First to be crossed-off was the dress I bought at the vintage shop and modified to fit and bit a little more modern (ruffles had to go)).

The next easiest project was the following collection of macrame plant hangers. When my apartments in Vermont and Arlandria lacked window ledges or sufficient sunlight, I started hanging plants in front of every decent sun-source I could. Phototropic, indeed. Some of these are from years ago when I made my first batch. The more recent ones are more awesome, I think. They're labelled on mouseover...

macrame, plant, hanger, basket. craft, spider plant macrame, plant, hanger, basket. craft, mint geranium
macrame, plant, hanger, basket. craft, philodendron macrame, plant, hanger, basket. craft, job's tears, jade tree
macrame, plant, hanger, basket. craft, arum macrame, plant, hanger, basket. craft, spider plant
macrame, plant, hanger, basket. craft, marigold, alyssum Next on my macrame list is a hammock. Anyone have a pattern for a two person cotton twine hammock? I only have a single person sized pattern, not confident about load-bearing capabilities if I double it...
ps. Don't question the table I used to lay these out. It was fast. ish.

3 comments:

  1. You made all of these? I absolutely love them! How long does it take to make something like this? I'm really loving the one on the top right.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! Yep, I made all of them. Some took just an hour, like that one you mentioned, others took longer (up to four hours) either due to skinny twine/more knots or those big pesky crown knots in the last photo. You can find some instructions online, but I recommend getting some old macrame books or the Klutz hemp bracelets book for basic knots.

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