Macramé for Home Decor: 40 Stunning Projects for Stylish Decorating

Graphic designer Grenier (Hello! Macramé) serves up an appealingly accessible brief for the continuing relevance of macramé, which, her introduction observes, possesses “extensive ancient roots” but has been largely dormant since “a brief craft boom in the 1970s.” Focusing on macramé’s usefulness for home design, she shows that its appeal hinges on it requiring only basic supplies and tools, including some sticks, a ruler, perhaps beads, and one’s own fingers. Grenier offers 40 projects, ranked by complexity and skill: “Knotty Level One” takes no more than four hours to complete and uses one to two knots; Level Two takes four to eight hours and uses two to four knots; Level Three, 12 hours and three or more knots. The projects also differ by style, with the freestanding room divider (Knotty Level Three) adding a stylish and oddly sleek-looking (for macramé) addition to living space, while the Granny Square lampshade (Level Two) takes on the more folksy homespun look that likely comes to mind to crafters when they picture macramé. The result is a crafting resource that offers something for everyone with an interest in the art of knotting. (June)