Macrame Keychains Are the Perfect Weekend Project

Heads up: macrame definitely shouldn’t be reserved for wall hangings. These crafty keychains are so easy to make, you’ll be able to finish a bunch in a single afternoon. Gifting problems, solved.

Good to Know: There are a ton of ways to weave and wind your keychain, but for this tutorial we focus on square knots.

Macrame Keychains

Level: Easy

What You Need

Instructions

1. Tape It Down

Before you get weaving and winding, tape your key ring down to your work surface. This will hold the piece in place as you work and make it easier.

2. Tie On the Rope

Cut a long length of cord (we used about 27″) and bring the ends together. Loop the center around the bottom of the key ring and thread the ends through the loop, securing the cord in place.

Do the same thing for a second cord.

3. Wind the Floss

Pick a color of embroidery floss and tie it around the two strands of the first cord. Loop it around the two strands of the second cord, then continue winding over and under each set.

When you’re finished winding, tie the floss off in the back and cut off the excess.

Leave some space of the cords untouched, then do the same winding with your second color.

4. Get Weaving

Now for our favorite part: Weaving the square knots! Take the left cord and lay it across the two center cords, which we’ll call the anchors. This will leave a loop on the left side and look a little like the number 4.

Place the right cord over the top of the left, then bring it underneath the anchors. Bring the cord through the loop on the left side and pull both ends tight. You now have your first half of your first square knot! Well be making 1½ of these knots total.

To finish the square knot, you’re going to do these same steps, but mirrored. Fold the right cord over to the left. Then place the left cord over the right, behind the anchors, thread it through the loop and pull.

Repeat this process one more time, making a loop on the left again, to finish the knot design.

5. Back to the Floss

Pick your first floss back up; just as you did before, tie it around the first two cords and loop it around and around. When you’re content, tie it off and trim the excess floss.

6. Poke, Pull and Prod

To give your keychain the quintessential macrame look, you’ve gotta fray the cords. You can easily do so by poking and pulling the ends with a sewing needle. Work from the bottom up until all the cords are unraveled.

Cut straight across the frays with your scissors to clean it up for a more polished look. You’re done!

Other Ways to Weave

Not a fan of the square design? Here are some other macra-mazing twists to try.

The Slender Keychain

Cut a length of macrame rope twice as long as you want your keychain to be, fold it in half and loop it around a key ring.

Simply wrap two colors of embroidery floss around the two cords, leaving about 2″ of the cords exposed at the bottom.

Take a needle, fray the ends and cut across the bottom for an even tassel.

The Wooden Bead Keychain

Cut a length of macrame cord twice as long as you want the keychain to be and loop it onto a key ring.

Thread the two ends of cord through a wooden bead. Push the bead up the cord to the top of the keychain.

Wrap two colors of embroidery floss around both cords, leaving about 2″ of exposed cord at the bottom.

Use a needle to fray the ends of the cord and cut it evenly at the bottom to make a tassel.

The Braided Keychain

Cut THREE pieces of macrame cord that are two and a half times longer than you want your final keychain to be.

Line your cords up and use a piece of embroidery floss to tie them all together about 3½” from one end.

Tape the short end of your bundled cords to your work space to secure it as you braid.

Braid the cords, leaving about 3½” of the other end unbraided.

Bring the ends together and wrap them with embroidery floss to cinch them together. Continue wrapping, leaving about 2½” of exposed cord at the bottom.

Instead of unraveling the ends, knot each cord at the bottom.