Quarantine Edition: Getting Crafty

The continuation of life in quarantine has led me to begin many different crafting projects. I began with making friendship bracelets, and then my roommate taught me to knit. Working on a small project with a movie or tv show playing in the background is sort of a mindless and relaxing way for me to spend the long evening hours in my apartment.

Recently, on the hunt for a new creative project, my roommate and I looked up macrame wall hanging designs in an effort to find one that we could weave for our own apartment wall. After searching the internet for a little bit, we found a design that we liked and we ordered the necessary supplies, a wooden dowel and cotton cord, from Micheal's (specifying curbside pickup of course).

As my roommate continued working on the wall hanging, I became curious about the history of macrame wall hangings. A quick search on the internet drew up some answers to my questions. The term “macrame” is believed to have Arabic roots and refers to a more decorative knotting of the loose ends of woven textiles.

Later, similar knot-tying helped early sailors deal with their boredom. They could tie various knots and make patterns to pass the time at sea. Sometimes, when they were back on land they would try to barter or sell the decorative things they made.The knot-tying moved to Spain and Europe too, becoming a hobby of decoration for women. Much more recently, in the 1970’s, knot-tying and macrame became a popular thing of fad and fashion.

As my roommate ties the knots of the wall hanging, I can’t help thinking that her knotting of the cotton cord is alike to that of the sailors attempting to keep themselves entertained at sea. Living in quarantine, it sometimes takes a lot of effort to be truly entertained.