This is one of those ideas I’ve been carrying around for a while, but I just hadn’t gotten around to trying it. Once I started playing around with the concept, I was really surprised at just how cool this macrame pendant came together. It’s a sophisticated effect that would be great for gifting (if you could stand to part with it!) The real trick was figuring out how to place the seams so that they would hide behind other parts of the pendant, that’s what gives it that really endless look.
Start with the smaller square. Cut 6 strands of crochet thread, each 30 inches/76cm long. Tie the group in a slip knot or other removable knot, leaving at last 4-5 inches/10-12.5cm to use for a few knots later on.
Pin the knot down, and pull a thread from the far right across to the left.
Tie a double half hitch around it with each of the other strands, aiming to leave the strand you’re knotting around at about a 45˚ angle.
Do another row, tying around the strand farthest from the right, and including all the other strands.
At this point, do another row, tying around the strand from the farthest right, but without including the strand on the far left.
Do that over and over, until you have no more strands to tie with in the right side group.
It should look like this.
Turn the whole thing 90˚. Pin it down, and place a pin at the corner you’re about to turn, to help keep it sharp. Bring the furthest right strand across the rest, and tie all the other strands around it.
Now do 10 more rows like this.
This is what it looks like after 11 rows.
Now do short rows to turn like before – don’t include any strands from the left in each row.
When it looks like this, turn it again.
Repeat those steps – 11 rows, then the short rows to turn.
Turn and repeat again.
Turn again, work 9 rows, and then you’re done with this piece for now.
To make the other part of the knot, cut 6 strands 60 inches/154cm long. Again, tie them in a slip knot or other removable knot, leaving at last 4-5 inches/10-12.5cm to use for a few knots later on.
Cross the right strand over the rest.
Tie 4 rows of double half hitch knots, then do short rows to turn.
Turn it, and knot 4 rows.
Then do short rows to turn.
Turn it, and work another 4 rows.
Then short rows to turn.
Turn it again, but this time work 18 rows.
Then do short rows to turn.
Turn it, and work 4 rows, then the short rows to turn.
Turn it, work 4 rows, then short rows to turn.
Turn it, and work 18 rows, plus, of course, the short rows to turn.
Just let the new part go up and over the old part.
Repeat this pattern of 4 rows, 4 rows, 18 rows, then do 4 rows, 4 rows, and 14 rows.
You’ll end up with a piece that looks about like this.
At this point I saturated mine with water, and laid them out to dry as close to their final form as I could. This helped them line up better later on.
Working on the back, bring the beginning and the end of the complicated piece together on top of the perpendicular straight section.
Bring the top strand from the left across, and tie a double half hitch over it with the top strand on the right.
Repeat this, pairing a strand on the left with a strand on the right.
When they’re all tied, it should look about like this.
Turn it 90˚, then bring the left side strand across and tie double half hitches across it with the rest of the strands.
Turn the whole thing 180˚, then do the same – take the strand from the left across, and tie double half hitches over it.
It should look like this.
Double check that it’s fairly invisible on the front. I’ve pinned the loop next to it out of the way so you can see the seam.
On the back, saturate the seam with fray check, allow it to dry completely, then trim the thread tails.
Now weave the square piece through. It should go over and under, locking the first piece into shape.
When it’s through all 4 loops, pull the thread tails through and flip it over.
Bring the top left strand over to the right, and tie a double half hitch around it with the top strand on the right.
Repeat this with the remaining strand pairs.
It should look like this.
Add a row of half hitches on each side, as you did with the first piece.
Saturate with fray check, allow to dry, then trim.
This is the finished back.
And this is the finished front.
Add a chain and it’s ready to go!