How Long Is A Piece of String...Oops Macrame Yarn?

Handcrafted by Elaine - macrame instructions - cord lengths: "Unless you are copying a piece exactly and using the same materials, cord lengths are really a guess.

A rule of thumb for an unknown design plan using a mixture of open and closed spaces:
Your cord should be approximately 4 times the length of the finished piece.
If you are doubling your cord and folding it in half as two cords it should be approximately 8 times the length of the finished piece.

If you are making a piece with a lot of open space, you may be able to use shorter cords.
If you are making a piece with a closed look you will be making more knots and you will need longer cords.

The amount of cord used up in making a knot will be greater for heavier cords than for thin cords.

Some knots will use up different cords at different rates. For example, if you are making a long sennit of square knots, your knotting cords will get used up much faster than your core cords. You may need to allow, for your knotting cords, 5 or 6 times the finished length, while your core cords might only need to be twice the finished length.

Always remember to leave a little extra length for working space. You cannot make the knots at the end of a piece if you are almost out of cord. And allow a little extra for fringes or other decorative endings.

If you are working with very long cords you can wind"

People often ask me about how to know about how long to cut the cords. I know for myself I have always erred on the 'too much just in case' approach. Here is Elaine's take from her website, and there is also a chapter devoted to it in the Complete Macrame Guide..."One Stop Macrame Shop" :)