The Carousel

Description:  The Carousel features a finely brushed fringe at the bottom and fluffy tassels at the top.  Mirrors, rocking horses, clowns, or other embellishments add to the overall appeal of this Macrame decoration. Be sure to make this project with bright colors to capture your child’s attention, and to put a smile on his or her face.  

Rated moderate to advanced, this Macrame pattern is not suitable for beginners who have no experience. 

For an easier pattern, try making the Merry-Go-Round instead.

• 4mm Nylon Cord in 2 colors  (Color A: 225 yards and Color B: 100 yards)
• Five 3-inch Rings
• Two 7-inch Rings
• Two 10-inch Rings
• Two 12-inch Rings
• 4 Rocking Horse Beads with 10mm holes
• Other Beads (optional)
• Four 2½-inch Round Mirrors (optional)

• Alternating V Patterns (#1)
• Wrapped Knot
• Double Half Hitch (DHH)
• Spiral Stitch
• Reverse Larks Head knot
• Alternating Square Knots (ASK)

Cutting Instructions:

Color A:  Cut 25 cords, each 3 yards long
             Cut 24 cords, each 2 yards long
             Cut 1 cord, 1 yard long
             Cut 8 cords, each 18 inches long
             Cut 24 cords, each 4 yards long

Color B: Cut 16 cords, each 4 yards long
            Cut 8 cords, each 1 yard long

Color B: You'll be cutting extra cords that are 12 inches long for the bottom of The Carousel. Don't cut them until you reach that step.

Top Section of The Carousel

Step 1:  Take one 3-yard Color A cord and cover one 3-inch ring with Half Hitches. The easiest method is to center the strand and tie a Half Hitch with one end.  Use the right portion to cover one half of the ring, and do the same with the left half.  When the ring is completely covered, tie a tight Square Knot with the ends (no fillers).  Cut off any excess.

Step 2:  Place 8 of the 4-yard Color A cords through the ring so they rest on top of the Square Knot and are folded in half.  Center them so the ends are even.  Place the remaining 24 of the 3-yard color A cords on top of the first set, folding and centering them as well.  Finally, place 8 of the 1-yard color B cords on top of both groups, and center them. 

Use the 1-yard Color A cord to make a Wrapped Knot around the entire bundle of cords.  The knot should be 2 to 3 inches long, and be as tight as you can make it. Apply a light coat of glue (thinned with water) to the knot, and allow it to dry before cutting off the excess.

Step 3:  Bundle up the 4-yard Color A cords, since they won’t be used until step 11, when you work on the center section of The Carousel.

Separate the Color B cords from the others.  There should be a total of 16 strands to work with.  Using four cords per sennit, tie the Spiral Stitch with each of the four groups.  Stop when they measure 4 inches long.

Step 5:  Attach each of the 3-yard Color A cords to the ring with DHH.  Place 12 strands between each set of cords from the four Spiral Stitch sennits. Make sure each of the cords has some tension as you attach them to the ring. In order to keep the ring balanced, hang The Carousel up by the small ring at the top as you complete this step.

Take the 24 Color A strands (2-yards long), and fold them in half.  Attach one of them in between every 2 cords already on the ring, using reverse Larks Head knots. The heads of the knots need to face inwards.

Step 6:  Direct the ends of the Color B cords ONLY to the inside, since they will no longer be used.  You’ll finish them off in step 9.

Divide the 96 strands into 8 groups of 12.  In each group, make an Alternating V design as follows, mentally numbering the cords 1 thru 12:

Step A: Tie 3 Square Knots using all 12 cords.

Step B:  Tie 2 SK using cords 3 thru 10.

Step C:  Tie 1 SK using cords 5 thru 8.

Step D: Direct cord 1 towards the center, heading right. Attach cords 2 thru 6 to it with DHH.  These knots should outline the left edge of the V shape, and rest against the Square Knots.

Step E: Do the same with cord 12, directing it to the center, heading left.  Attach cords 11 thru 7 to it with DHH, in that order.  The bar that forms should rest next to the right edge of the V shape.

Step F: Attach cord 12 to 1 with a DHH to complete the design.

Step 7:  If you wish to apply beads to the top section of The Carousel, slide them over the 2 center cords between every other V design.

Attach the cords to a 10-inch ring with DHH. Pull the cords snugly, so the area above the ring is flat and taut. 

Step 8: Use the eight 18-inch Color A cords to make a Wrapped Knot around groups of 12 strands.  Make sure each knot is at least 1 inch long and is tightened snugly. The top of these knots should rest just below the ring.

To make the tassels for The Carousel, simply trim the cords to 2 inches and unravel each one.  Brush the ends until they are soft and fluffy.

Step 9:  Arrange the design so you can see into it from the bottom.  Trim the Color B cords so the ends are neat.  Weave them into the spaces between knots and apply glue to hold them in place. Hang The Carousel up again, to work on the next two sections

Central Section of Carousel

Step 10:  Attach the remaining 4-yard Color A cords (16) to a 7-inch ring with reverse Larks Head knots.  They’ll be folded in half in the process, resulting in 32 strands.

Step 11: You’ll now use the other 4-yard Color A cords you bundled up in step 3.  Attach them to the 7-inch ring with DHH, spaced evenly among the other knots.

Take your time with this step, since the placement of the knots is important.  The smaller ring needs to be lined up with the 10-inch ring, but rest inside it.  This will cause the central section of The Carousel to be recessed inside the outer knots.  Make sure the ring is balanced evenly.

Step 12:  Tie 6 rows of Alternating Square Knots, using 4 strands per knot.

Step 13:  Divide the cords into 4 groups of 12 cords.  Make the following design in each group:

Step A: Mentally number the cords 1 thru 12.  Start with the 2 cords in the center of the group (5 and 6), placing the knots in the center of the ring.  Then place the rest of the knots to either side of them.  

Step B: Tie a large Square Knot in the center of the ring, using the outside strands (1 and 12) as the working cords and the rest as the fillers.

Step C:  Attach the cords to the bottom of the ring with DHH.  Cords 5 and 6 should rest in the center, with the other cords around them.  This is similar to what you did in step A.

Step 14:  Tie 6 rows of Alternating Square Knots, using groups of four cords per knot.

Step 15:  Attach all the cords to another 7-inch ring with DHH.

Step 16:  Tie 3 rows of Alternating Square Knots.  Attach each strand to a 10-inch ring with a DHH.  Pull on the design somewhat, so it’s tight and snug.

Making the Poles

Step 17:  Go to the 10-inch ring at the top of The Carousel.  Fold the 16 Color B 4-yard cords, and attach them to the ring with reverse Larks Head knots.   Place them in sets of 2, equally distant from one other, between the other knots, which can be pushed aside as necessary.  When finished, there will be 32 strands total, arranged in groups of 4.  If the ring is not completely covered, you can add some Half Hitches with these strands to cover the ring.

Step 18:  In each group, tie a Spiral Stitch sennit.  Tie enough knots to reach the 10-inch ring at the bottom, when pulled taut.  Be careful not to pull too hard, or the spiral poles of The Carousel will be too flat.

Add the rocking horse beads to every other sennit before attaching the cords to the bottom ring.  If you wish, you can place the beads in the center of the sennit rather than at the bottom. You do this by tying half the knots, followed by the bead.  Tie the rest of the knots below it.

Finishing Touches

Step 19:  If the ring at the bottom of The Carousel is not completely covered, add extra Half Hitches until it is. 

Move down 1 inch, and attach all the cords to a 12-inch ring with Triple Half Hitches. That’s one DHH + and one extra HH.  To fill in the ring, cut 12-inch lengths of Color B material and attach these cords with reverse Larks Head knots.

Step 20:  Trim the cords to 3 inches and unravel each of them.  Brush the strands until the fringe is soft and fluffy. Take your time and try to arrange the fibers so there are swirls or stripes made by the 2 colors.

Step 21:  Attach the mirrors to the rings in the central section by applying glue to the Square Knot in the center to hold them in place.  Omit this step if you decided not to include the mirrors.

Hang The Carousel up by the ring at the top, and watch as your creation thrills old and young alike!