Square Knot Sennits
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Description: Square Knot Sennits can be made in a variety of ways, forming interesting designs. Many Macrame Patterns use these techniques, so it is a good idea to practice those I have listed. You can even invent a few of your own unique patterns, once you understand the concepts.
A sennit is simply a chain of knots, tied one after the next. How you combine the sennits to form a design, depends on what you are making. Most patterns will tell you what to do, but if you want to make your own special projects, spend some time practicing different combinations.
Click on any of the small icons on this page to see larger images, which show the details better. |
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Alternating Sennit
Alternating Square Knot sennits are popular designs for jewelry.
There are 2 sets of working cords instead of one, which is where the term "alternating" comes from.
Step 1: Fold three cords in half and secure them to your board. If you wish, you can mount them to a dowel or ring instead. You need 6 strands to practice this design. |
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Step 2: Mentally number the strands 1 thru 6. The filler cords are 3 and 4 throughout the entire design. Tie a Square Knot using cords 2 and 5 as the working cords.
Tie the next SK with cords 1 and 6 as the working cords. Be sure to pass them UNDER the working cords used to tie the previous knot, which are labeled "tails" in this image. |
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Alternating Sennit with Direction Change
Square Knot sennits can be changed simply by adding special features. This one is similar to the design described above. The main difference is that the knots alternate directions.
Make sure you know how to tie Mirror Square Knots, which face right instead of left. |
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Step 1: You need 6 strands for this variation, too. Fold three cords in half and secure them to your project board.
Mentally number the strands 1 thru 6. |
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Step 2: The filler cords are 3 and 4 for all the knots. Tie a left facing regular Square Knot using 2 and 5 as the working cords.
Step 3: Tie a Mirror Square knot (right facing) using strands 1 and 6 as the working cords. Be sure to pass them under cords 2 and 5. |
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| Repeat steps 2 and 3 over and over, to make the rest of the sennit. |
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Color Variations
The next three designs show you what can be done using different colors.
Sometimes the best way to form interesting Square knot sennits is to use two or more colors. In this one, I used a unique mounting technique, so the colors would not mix when I tied the Square Knots.
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Step 1: Mount 2 strands of material to a holding cord with Larks Head knots. Add 2 additional strands, that are a different color, with the Nestle Mount variation.. This is the purpose of it, to arrange the cords so that one color is inside the other. |
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Step 2: Make 2 short sennits of Square Knots, consisting of two knots. Be sure to use 4 cords per knot.
The blue strands are the working cords. |
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Step 3: Alternate cords, and tie one sennit of Square knots. The rust strands are the working cords for this area.
Step 4: Alternate cords again, and make 2 sennits just like you did in step 2, using all the strands. The working cords are the blue ones again. |
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Crossed Pattern
There are otherl ways to alternate colors when making Square Knot sennits.
This Crossed Pattern creates an interesting pattern simply by crisscrossing certain strands. Some of the knots will be a mixture of two colors.
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Step 1: Mount 2 cords of two different colors to a holding cord with Larks Head Knots. If you wish, you can simply fold them in half and pin them to your board.
Step 2: Tie 2 Square Knots with each set of four cords. Mentally number the strands in each set. |
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Step 3: Cords 3 and 4 from the left sennit (blue) need to cross over cords 1 and 2 of the right sennit (rust).
When you are done, cords 1 and 2 from each sennit will lie next to one another, and the same goes for cords 3 and 4. |
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Step 4: Tie the next set of 2 Square Knots with the cords as they lie. Simply combine the strands closest to one another. These knots are made from both colors, so they will look different than the others. |
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| Step 5: If you were to continue this sennit, you would cross the cords again. The knots would look like they did in step 2, with each sennit being a different color. |
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Crossed Bar
Square Knot sennits are sometimes called "Bars" because they are flat. This one has crossed areas like the pattern above, but the colors don't change as you progress.
Instead, the knots face opposite directions. So make sure you know how to tie both regular SK (left facing) and Mirror SK (right facing). |
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Step 1: Mount three cords to a ring with Larks Head Knots. If you prefer, you can fold the cords in half and pin them to your board.
Use three different colors to practice this pattern. |
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Step 2: Mentally number the cords 1 - 6. Locate cords 4 - 6, and tie the first half of a Right Facing Square Knot.
There is only one filler, which is cord 5. |
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Step 3: Tie the second half of the SK, and tighten it completely. |
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Step 4: Tie the second SK with cords 1 - 3. There is only one filler, which is cord 2. Make sure the head faces left. |
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Step 5: Take cord 4 and cross it over cord 3. Then tie the next set of SK. The one on the left is made with cords 1, 2, and 4, and faces left. The SK on the right is tied using cords 3, 5, and 6, and faces right. Repeat this process several times to create the rest of the SK Sennit. |
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Need Supplies
to practice more Square Knot Sennits? Visit the official online
store for Free Macrame Patterns. We have many unique items, and all the materials you need for the projects on this site. We feature FREE SHIPPING for most items, too.
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