3 DIY Macrame Christmas Ball Ornaments
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In the third in my series of handmade, macrame ornaments, we have three, yes three, Christmas Ball Ornaments! The amazing thing about macrame is you can learn just a couple of knots and the possibilities are endless. These three only use the Lark’s Head knot and the Square knot and honestly I could have made 15 more versions. These would definitely make a great present for your friends and family and you can proudly say you made it.
Sets of clear ball ornaments can be found at really any craft store in a multitude of sizes in either glass or plastic. Mine are glass but now I am rethinking that because my cat’s treat my tree like a game of baseball,
I think if I was to do these over I would use colored macrame. I love the simplicity of the cream but I think a burgundy would provide a nice contrast. The great thing about ball ornaments is you can remove the top. You could fill the insides with glitter, confetti, fake snow, or even paint. To do the paint drip it in and swirl the ball around to get it to evenly coat the inside. Turn it upside down and let it dry. This is definitely one of those DIYs that you could get really carried away with and next thing you know you have 25 macrame balls!
Tips & Tricks
My ball ornaments were 3in but this could work on any size just adjust the length of your strands and how many you are using.
I used 1mm macrame which is very thin. You could go up to 2mm but any larger and the knots would become very thick and overpowering unless you were using larger balls.
If you aren’t a silver person, you could paint the top gold and now that I am typing this I want to do that right now.
Jump straight to the ornament steps you want below:
Cut Macrame
Cut 14 pieces of 24 inch macrame (this depends on how large your ball is and how many stripes you want, you can do more or less) and one 12 inch piece.
Knot Macrame
Use one of the 24 inch pieces as your main strand. Fold one of your other 24in strands in half and attach using a Lark's Head knot to the the middle of the main strand and tighten.
Repeat Knots
Attach the other 24in pieces with the Lark’s Head knot and center them on the main strand.
Attach Strands
Loop the main strand around the top of the ball ornament. Tighten and knot it.
Space Strands
Space all your strand pairs evenly out around the top.
Pinch End
Pinch the bottom of your strands. Take the 12in piece and create a 1in loop.
Wrap String
Leave the top of the string poking out and wrap the strand around the loop and the tails tightly.
End Loop
Continue wrapping your macrame till you get to the end of the strand. Stick the end through the loop we made at the beginning.
Tighten
Pull the end of the strand that you left sticking out at the beginning. This will scoop your other end and the loop under your wrapped yarn.
Trim
Trim any pieces sticking out of your loop and the tails to your desired length.
Cut Macrame
Cut 8 pieces of 30 inch macrame (this depends on how large your ball is, you can do more or less) and one 12 inch piece.
Knot Macrame
Use one of the 30in pieces as your main strand. Fold one of your other 30in strands in half and attach using a Lark's Head knot to the the middle of the main strand and tighten.
Repeat Knots
Attach the other 30in pieces with the Lark’s Head knot and center them on the main strand.
Attach Strand
Loop the main strand around the top of the ball ornament. Tighten and knot it. Space all your knots out evenly around the top.
Square Knot
Take two bordering strands (ie one strand from two different lark’s head knots that are next to eachother). Cross the left over the right. It is important to remember which side crosses which as we will do the opposite side later.
Square Knot
Continue pulling the left strand down, around and over the right.
Square Knot
Now we switch to the opposite side. Cross the right over the left.
Square Knot.
Continue pulling the right strand down, around and over the left. You now have a square knot. Tighten.
Repeat Knots
Repeat the square knots on all the strands around the ornament.
Repeat Knots
Change directions with your strands and repeat the square knots. Continue this method till you get to the bottom.
Pinch End
Pinch the bottom of your strands. Take the 12in piece and create a 1in loop.
Wrap String
Leave the top of the string poking out and wrap the strand around the loop and the tails tightly.
End Loop
Continue wrapping your macrame till you get to the end of the strand. Stick the end through the loop we made at the beginning.
Tighten
Pull the end of the strand that you left sticking out at the beginning. This will scoop your other end and the loop under your wrapped yarn. Leaving nice, clean lines and no visible knots.
Trim
Trim any pieces sticking out of your loop and the tails to your desired length.
Cut Macrame
Cut 10 pieces of 36 inch macrame (this depends on how large your ball is, you can do more or less) and one 12 inch piece.
Knot Macrame
Use one of the 36in pieces as your main strand. Fold one of your other 36in strands in half and attach using a Lark's Head knot to the the middle of the main strand and tighten.
Repeat Knot
Attach the other 36in pieces with the Lark’s Head knot and center them on the main strand.
Attach Strand
Loop the main strand around the top of the ball ornament. Tighten and knot it.
Space-out Knots
Group your knots in pairs of two. Space the five sets evenly around the ball.
Square Knot
We are going to focus on the two outer strands only. Take the right strand and cross it over the inner two and under the left.
Square Knot
Now take the left strand and cross it under the inner strands and over the right. Pull tight and push to the top.
Square Knot
Now we will repeat this but by starting with the opposite side first. If you use the same side again, your braid will start to spiral. Use the left side and cross it over the inner strands and under the right.
Square Knot
Take the right strand and cross it under the inner strands and over the left. Pull tight and push to the top.
Repeat Knot
Repeat the knots to your desired length, I did about 1.25in, on all five pairs. Then take two strands from two bordering pairs and do a couple of square knots about 1.25in away from the previous knots.
Repeat Knot
Take 2 strands from bordering knots and cross back together again. Repeat the square knots until you get close to the bottom of the ball.
Pinch End
Pinch the bottom of your strands. Take the 12in piece and create a 1in loop.
Wrap String
Leave the top of the string poking out and wrap the strand around the loop and the tails tightly.
End Loop
Continue wrapping your macrame till you get to the end of the strand. Stick the end through the loop we made at the beginning.
Tighten
Pull the end of the strand that you left sticking out at the beginning. This will scoop your other end and the loop under your wrapped yarn. Leaving nice, clean lines and no visible knots.
Trim
Trim any pieces sticking out of your loop and the tails to your desired length.
Woo that was a lot! Three DIYs in one post. I don’t think I have ever typed the word ball so much but alas, here we are. Right now Floyd is passed put on my left arm, the tree and garland are lit up and Christmas is only a week and a half away. I have one more macrame ornament DIY coming out next week and then we are done with the series! So keep an eye out or subscribe to my newsletter. Hope you like this one and let me know how yours turns out in the comments.
