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Shopping Bag

Description: The Shopping Bag is very similar to the net bags used in Europe. It features widely spaced rows of Alternating Square Knots, which creates a design similar to a fish net.

The top edges are closely tied for added support, and there are two straps.

This Macrame project is rated moderate. Beginners should not attempt this bag until they have made other projects successfully.

The finished size is 18 inches tall. The area at the top is 9 inches wide. The bottom stretches to 15 inches when pulled sideways. When made with 24-ply cotton cord material it can hold over 15 pounds.

Dawn Kepler inspired me to create this Macrame pattern.

Important: The Shopping Bag is made in two pieces (front and back).

You start by making the first strap in steps 1 - 5. The first knot is tied at the center of the cords and you work in both directions.

In step 6 you make a second strap.

Then you begin the front piece by attaching the working cords to one strap in steps 7 - 21.

You then repeat the process to make the back piece in step 22.

In step 23 you connect both halves at the sides.

In steps 24 - 30 you make the rest of the bag and finish off the bottom, working all the way around both halves of the Shopping Bag.

Supplies Needed:

4 mm cord material (125 yards)

Fabric glue that dries clear

Measuring tape

Project Board and pins

Rubber bands

Knots Used in Design:

Alternating Square Knots

Larks Head Knot

Square Knot (Left and Right)

Overhand knot

Straps

Step 1: You begin the Shopping Bag by making one of the straps.

Cut 4 cords, each 4.5 yards long.

Cut 2 cords, each 3.5 yards long.

Prepare the tips to prevent unraveling (tape works well).

Arrange the cords vertically and secure them at the CENTER. They need to be placed in the following order:

The 4.5 yard cords should be in the 1, 3, 4, and 6 positions.

The 3.5 yard cords should be placed at 2 and 5.

You will be tying both right and left Square knots for the straps.

Below are the instructions for tying LEFT SK, which are made with cords 1 - 4.

You can use the same general instructions when you tie left SK in other areas of the Shopping Bag.

Step 2: Mentally number the strap cords 1 - 6.

The working cords are 1 and 4 and the fillers are cords 2 - 3. Move cords 5 - 6 to the side while you tie the first knot.

Move cord 1 over the fillers and under cord 4, heading left to right.

Move cord 4 under the fillers and over cord 1, heading right to left.

Pull working cords 1 and 4 to tighten the first half of the Left SK. It should rest against the tape.

Designer's Tip: The rule to remember when tying Square Knots in opposite directions is that the head of the knot will face the direction of the first working cord you move.

So a LEFT SK begins by moving the working cord on the left, which is cord 1 in this case. When you finish all 4 steps, the head will face left.

Working cords 1 and 4 have switched places.

Move cord 1 over the fillers and under cord 4, heading right to left.

Move cord 4 under the fillers and over cord 1, heading left to right.

Tighten the second half by pulling on cords 1 and 4.

Step 3: To create the zigzag pattern for the strap, you will now use different cords and tie the knot in the opposite direction.

The instructions for the RIGHT SK are below. You can use the same general instructions when you work on other areas of the Shopping Bag.

The working cords are 3 and 6. Cords 4 and 5 are the fillers.

Move cord 6 over the fillers (cord 4 and 5) and under cord 3, heading right to left.

Move cord 3 under the fillers and over cord 6, heading left to right.

Tighten the first half of the Right SK so it's close to the previous knot. Make sure it's not tilted.

Working cords 3 and 6 have switched places.

Move cord 6 over the fillers and under cord 3, heading left to right.

Move cord 3 under the fillers and over cord 6, heading right to left.

Tighten the knot firmly.

Step 4: Continue making the zigzag pattern by tying a left Square knot with cords 1 - 4 followed by right SK with cords 3 - 6.

Continue this alternating pattern until the first half of the strap is 7 inches long.

Tie one more Square Knot using cords 1 and 6.

There should be four fillers (cords 2 - 5).

It should face the opposite direction from the last knot tied, so it follows the same pattern.

Step 5: Turn the strap around on your board, and go back to the center. Mentally re-number the cords.

Repeat steps 2 -4 to create the second half of the same strap.

The first knot you tie should be a left SK.

Step 6: Repeat steps 1 - 5 to make another strap.

When you get to step 5, place the new strap next to the first one and compare their lengths.

Continue tying the second strap until it's the same length as the first one.

Front Piece

Now it's time to mount the working cords for the Shopping Bag, which are attached to the straps.

Important: You will only use one strap at a time, so put one strap aside for now.

Step 7: Fold the strap so the cords are heading toward you (forward). Mentally number the 6 cords coming from the left half of the strap. Mark cords 1 and 6 so you can identify them easily.

Do the same thing with the cords coming from the right half of the strap.

Locate cord 6 from the left half of the strap, then move it to the right horizontally.

Locate cord 1 from the right half of the strap, then move it to the left horizontally.

Secure them so they have tension.

Step 8: The working cords for the Shopping Bag will be attached to BOTH holding cords acting together. You should treat them as if they were one cord.

Important: Do not attach the working cords to the holding cords separately. You are not making a circle.

When you are done with the following steps, there should be one straight row of Larks Head knots resting between the two halves of one strap. It should look like the images shown.

Cut 6 working cords, each 2.5 yards long. Prepare the tips to prevent unraveling.

Fold one working cord in half and place it under BOTH holding cords in the center area of the design.

The center fold should be heading forward.

Make a Larks Head knot by moving both halves of the working cord toward you, passing over the holding cords and under the folded area of the working cord.

Pull the working cord to tighten the knot firmly.

Step 9: Use the left half of the working cord to make another Larks Head knot, using the following 2-step method:

Move the left half over - under the holding cords, rotating clockwise.

Pull it toward you, passing over itself to complete the loop.

Tighten the knot firmly, so the loop rests against the left side of the first Larks Head knot.

Make a second loop to the left of the first, by moving the left half of the working cord under - over the holding cord, rotating clockwise.

Pull it toward you, passing it under itself to complete the loop.

Tighten firmly.

Step 10: Slide the knots to the left, so the second one rests against the strap.

Repeat step 9 using the right half of the cord. The two loops are made rotating counter-clockwise.

The second loop is made to the right of the first.

Step 11: Repeat steps 8 - 10, mounting the remaining 5 working cords to the holding cords (same strap).

After all the cords have been mounted, pull the holding cords so the knots rest close to each other, as shown in the image below.

Adjust the knots as needed so the upper edge of the Shopping Bag is neat.

Step 12: Move the four holding cords to the sides. They are marked with tape, so should be easy to identify.

The remaining 4 cords from each half of the strap are working cords, along with the ones you just mounted.

This gives you a total of 20 cords for row 1.

Step 13: Tie the first row of Square Knots as follows:

Left SK: Cords 1 - 4, 5 - 8, and 9 -12

Right SK: Cords 13 - 16 and 17 - 20

Tighten the knots firmly so they rest close to the Larks Head knots.

Step 14: On the right side of the Shopping Bag, arrange both of the marked holding cords diagonally heading right (see next image below).

One of them will need to be placed under the Square knot tied with cords 17 - 20 (strap cords), before securing them in position.

Step 14, continued: On the left side of the bag, arrange the holding cords diagonally heading left.

One should be placed under the SK tied with cords 1 - 4, then you can secure them.

Step 15: New working cords will now be attached to the diagonal holding cords in the same manner as the ones mounted previously. Always tie one Larks Head knot followed by one with each half of the cord (steps 8 - 10).

This will be done on each side of the Shopping Bag. So you are adding two new cords in each step. When you mentally re-number the cords, make sure you do not count the holding cords.

When you tie the next row of Alternating Square Knots, you will be including the new cords just added.

Cut 4 cords, each 2.5 yards long.

Prepare the tips to prevent unraveling.

Step 16: Attach one 2.5 yard cord to the holding cords with a Larks Head knot, on both sides.

Use each half to tie another knot, as you did when you mounted the other cords in step 9 - 10.

Push the knots close to the first row of Square knots, and mentally number ALL the working cords 1 - 24.

Step 17: Tie the 2nd row of Alternating Square Knots as follows:

Left SK: Cords 1 - 4, 5 - 8, and 9 - 12

Right SK: Cords 13 - 16, 17 - 20, and 21 - 24

Step 17, continued: The top portion of the Shopping Bag needs to be stronger than the bottom. So after you tie the first left SK with cords 1 - 4, tighten it so it rests close to the Larks Head knot on that side.

When you tighten the other knots in the row, they should line up with the first one. The spacing between the rows should be no more than 1-inch.

The bag will look better if you take your time and make straight rows. Check to make sure none of the knots are tilted.

Step 18: Repeat step 16, attaching another 2.5 yard cord to the diagonal holding cords on both sides.

Mentally number the cords 1 - 28, and tie the 3rd row of ASK as follows:

Left SK: Cords 1 - 4, 5 - 8, 9 - 12, and 13 - 16

Right SK: Cords 17 - 20, 21 - 24, and 25 - 28

You now add more working cords in the same manner. All that changes is the length of the cords:

Cut four cords, each 2-yards long.

Prepare the tips to prevent unraveling.

Step 19: Attach a 2-yard cord to the diagonal holding cords on each side of the bag using the same technique as in step 16.

Mentally number the cords 1 - 32, and tie the 4th row as follows:

Left SK: Cords 1 - 4, 5 - 8, 9 - 12, 13 - 16

Right SK: Cords 17 - 20, 21 - 24, 25 - 28, and 29 - 32

Step 20: Repeat step 19, attaching one 2-yard cord to the diagonal holding cords on each side of the bag.

Mentally re-number the cords 1 - 36. Tie the 5th row as follows:

Left SK: Cords 1 - 4, 5 - 8, 9 - 12, 13 - 16, and 17 - 20

Right SK: Cords 21 - 24, 25 - 28, 29 - 32, and 33 - 36

Step 21: Repeat step 19, attaching another 2-yard cord to the diagonal holding cords on each side of the Shopping Bag.

Mentally re-number the cords 1 - 40. Tie the 6th row as follows:

Left SK: Cords 1 - 4, 5 - 8, 9 - 12, 13 - 16, and 17 - 20

Right SK: Cords 21 - 24, 25 - 28, 29 - 32, 33 - 36, 37 - 40

Back Piece

Step 22: Fold the other strap design you put aside earlier, which will be used to make the back piece of the Shopping Bag.

Repeat steps 7 - 11, mounting the first 6 working cords to this strap.

Repeat steps 12 - 21, adding new cords to create the top area.

Connecting the Front and Back Pieces

Step 23: Place the front piece of the Shopping Bag on your left, and the back piece on your right.

The 6th row of knots on each half should line up. The diagonal rows where you added the cords should form a V shape.

Tie a Square Knot with the four marked holding cords, which connects the two pieces.

To connect the other side, you need to place the front on top of the back.

Make sure the insides are touching and the straps are not twisted.

Tie a Square Knot with the other four marked cords.

Remainder of Bag and Finishing

Step 24: The remaining rows of Alternating Square Knots are tied all the way around both pieces of the Shopping Bag.

Always start at one side, where the front and back are connected.

Change the direction of the knots (LSK or RSK) so they match those in the row above.

The image above shows the 7th row of ASK, which was tied all the way around both halves of the design.

The knots in the 7th row should rest 1-inch from those in row 6. The remaining rows (step 25) should be no more than 1.5 inches apart.

Do not increase the spacing or the bag will stretch too much.

Step 25: Tie more rows of ASK until the Shopping Bag measures 18 inches from the top edge down to where you are working.

You can make it longer if you have enough material (more than 8 inches).

Step 26: When you tie the last row of Alternating Square Knots, tighten them so they rest just below those in the previous row.

There should be no extra space between them.

This helps to stabilize and strengthen the bottom of the Shopping Bag.

Step 27: Turn the bag inside out, so the finishing knots will be on the inside.

Place the bag on your project board with the front resting on top of the back.

Start at the left side and locate the first Square knot in both the back and the front piece.

Match the knots and secure them together with a pin. Use only those 8 cords in the next step.

Step 28: Organize the cords so there are 4 sets of two cords, combining one from the back with one from the front.

Tie an Overhand knot with one pair of cords. Apply glue, and tie a second one.

Repeat this process with the remaining 3 sets, then trim the cords to 1-inch.

Step 29: After all the cords from knot 1 are tied off, match knot 2 from the back and front.

Repeat step 28.

Step 30: Repeat step 28 with all the remaining cords.

It's important to take your time and match the knots before tying, since it's easy to lose your place.

By focusing on just a few cords at a time, you ensure that all the cords are tied off and the bottom is closed.

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Have any comments about the Shopping Bag? Contact Me.

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