Leprechaun Decoration

Description:  This Leprechaun Decoration features a tall hat with a ruffled brim, and he even has pointy ears.  To decorate the hat, you can use a buckle, or add one or more Cloverleaf knots.  This is a great holiday project for families and youth groups.  Patty Berberich sent the image to me, and inspired me to share this unique Macrame pattern.

• Hat:  6mm Braided Cord – Green (43 yards)
• Face:  4mm Braided Cord – White (26 yards)
• Hatband:  4mm Braided Cord – Black (8 yards)
• Beard:  6mm Twisted Cord – Orange (10 yards)

• One 8-inch Dowel (3/8-inch diameter)
• Two 20mm Round Beads for Eyes
• One 30mm Round Bead for Nose
• Metal Buckle
• Project Board and Pins

• Larks Head knot
• Alternating Square Knots (ASK)
• Picot Designs
• Double Half Hitch (DHH)
• Cloverleaf Knot (optional)

• Cut 12 green cords, each 2.5-yards long (90 inches)
• Cut 1 green cord, 2-yards long (72 inches)
• Cut 1 cord, 11 yards long – Hat Brim
• Cut 4 black cords, each 2-yards long (72 inches) – Hat Band

Face:  Cut 16 white cords, each 1-yard long (36 inches)

Ears:  Cut 10 white cords, each 1-yard long (36 inches)

• Cut 1 orange cord, 24-inches long (holding cord)
• Cut 28 cords, each 12-inches long

Prepare the ends of all the strands, except the ones for the beard.  Use glue, tape, or wax to coat them, to prevent unraveling.

Creating the Hat

Step 1:  Fold the 2.5-yard green cords in half, and mount them onto the dowel with Larks Head knots.  When finished, you will have 24 strands to make the hat for the Leprechaun Decoration.

Step 2:  Tie 17 rows of Alternating Square Knots.  Each knot should consist of 2 working cords and 2 fillers.

Step 3: Fold the 2-yard green cord in half and place it to the left of the knots, lined up with the last row of ASK.  Secure it to your board.  Direct the right half of it towards the right; so it runs horizontally, just below the last row of ASK. Secure it near the right edge of the hat.  It will be used as a holding cord, so make sure it has tension.

Step 5:  Direct the left half of the holding cord to the right, so it rests just below the bar made by the DHH.  Secure it near the right edge of the hat, and make sure it’s taut.

Fold the 16 white cords in half (for the face of the Leprechaun Decoration). Mount them to the holding cord with Larks Head knots.  Cords 2, 5, 8, 9, 12, and 15 should go around both parts of the holding cord, passing through spaces between the ASK.   This will link the face to the hat.

Tie both ends of the holding cord together on the right, using a Square Knot without fillers.

Making the Face

Step 6:  Tie 4 rows of ASK with the white cords only, for the face of the Leprechaun Decoration.

Step 7:  Mentally number the cords 1 thru 32.  In the 5th row, start by tying 2 ASK with cords 1 – 4  and 5 – 8. 

Place the bead (for one eye) onto cords 10 and 11.  Tie 2 ASK using cords 13 – 16 and 17 – 20.   Place the 2nd bead on cords 22 and 23. 

Step 8:  For row 6, tie a total of 3 ASK, using cords 3 – 6, 7 – 10, and 11 – 14. 

The bead for the nose of the Leprechaun Decoration should be placed on cords 16 and 17.

Step 9:  For row 7, tie a total of 8 ASK, using all the cords. 

To round the bottom of the face for your Leprechaun Decoration, decrease the number of ASK in the next 3 rows as follows:

Row 8:  Make 7 ASK with cords 3 thru 30.

Row 9:  Make 6 ASK with cords 5 thru 28.

Row 10:  Make 5 ASK with cords 7 thru 26.

Step 10: Direct cord 1 towards the center of the face (right), and secure it so it’s taut. It should be diagonal, following the slope of the ASK.  Attach cords 2 thru 16 to it with DHH.

Direct cord 32 towards the center (left), and secure it.  Attach cords 31 thru 17 to it with DHH (in that order).

Attach one holding cord to the other with a DHH.  Trim the ends so they are approximately ¼-inch long.

Creating the Brim for the Hat

Step 12:  Locate the 2 holding cords used for the bottom of the hat, which are on the right side of the Leprechaun Decoration.  Take the 11-yard green cord and add it to both of them with a Square knot, after folding it in half.  The best place to attach it is on the right.  

You should now have 4 strands to work with.  Tie a sennit of Square Knot Picots, placing the knots 3 inches apart.  Tie enough knots to make the sennit 15 inches long. 

Finish the edge of the brim by directing the four strands to the back of the sennit, applying glue to hold them in place.  You can weave the ends through one or more knots, too, if you wish.

Step 13: Fold the brim so it extends beyond the edges of the hat, equally on both sides.  Use scrap cord and glue to secure it along the bottom edge of the hat, in several places.

Creating the Hat Band

Step 14:  Take the four 2-yard Black cords and fold them in half.  Just above the brim for the hat, direct them into the spaces along the right edge of the hat, and attach them with Larks Head Knots. 

Step 15:  Tie a rows of ASK with the 8 strands, stopping when the band is long enough to reach the left edge of the hat.  Slide the buckle on, so it rests in the middle of the band.

Tip: You can eliminate the buckle if you wish, and make a Chinese Cloverleaf knot to decorate the hat for your Leprechaun Decoration. Click on the link to go to the page with the instructions for making that knot.

Direct the ends through spaces near the edge, and tie Square knots without fillers, using two strands at a time.  These knots should rest in the back of the design.

Attach cord 4 to all three holding cords next, with DHH. Direct cord 4 diagonally as well. 

To finish the accumulated edge, attach cord 5 to the four holding cords, with a DHH.

Cut off two holding cords from the edge you just made, along with cords 9 and 10 (from the right part of the ear).  Use the remaining strands to secure the left ear to the face, near the left edge.

Step 17:  To make the right Ear for the Leprechaun Decoration, follow steps A thru J above.  The accumulated edge (step K) needs to be made on the opposite edge of the ear (right):

The strands coming off the diamond on the left are not used.  Mentally number only the cords on the right, 5 thru 10.  Direct cord 10 to the right, following the angle of the lower part of the diamond.

Tie a Double Half Hitch with cord 9, onto the holding cord (#10). 

Next, direct cord 9 to the right, so it joins cord 10 as the second holding cord.

Attach cord 8 to both holding cords 10 and 9, with a DHH.

Next, secure it diagonally, to be used as the third holding cord.

Attach cord 7 to all three holding cords, with DHH.

The final step is to direct cord 6 diagonally as well.  Attach cord 5 to the four holding cords, with a DHH.

Cut off two holding cords from the accumulated edge you just made, along with cords 1 and 2 from the ear.  Use the remaining strands to secure the right ear to the face, near the right edge.

Creating the Beard & Finishing Touches

Step 18:  Use the 24-inch orange holding cord, and fold it in half.  Direct it through spaces in the face of the Leprechaun Decoration, just behind the nose.  The ends need to pass from back to front, and should be centered.  Direct the ends horizontally, across the face.  Secure it so it’s taut, attaching it to the loops at the edges of the face.

Step 19:  Attach the 12-inch orange cords to it, with Larks Head knots.  Save a few strands to put in front of the ears, directing them through spaces in the face.  You can also put 2 strands above the eyes, for eyebrows.  The ends of the holding cord become part of the beard.  When the cords are all in place, unravel them and brush.  Trim the strands to neaten the beard for your Leprechaun Decoration.

Use a piece of scrap cord to make a hanger in the back of the decoration. Hang it up on your wall, and enjoy!