The Original

When we were moving things around in the basement the other day to accommodate the ping pong table, I rediscovered this.


It's the top portion of a hutch that belonged to my grandmother. I believe this was in her living room in the 70s and it strikes me, as people the blogosphere over are papering secretaries with paper just like this, that it is yet another, though less-obvious way that we are influenced by the decade of our youth.



This hutch sat in a room with acres of kelly green wall to wall carpeting, a 10-foot, low slung white sofa flanked by two pairs of white boudoir chairs, gold leaf regency sconces, and little brass and malachite figurines. The adjoining powder room had yellow flock wallpaper and ornate brass fixtures. My grandmother had major style.

We were not exactly allowed in those rooms. They were influential, to say the least. I wish I had a picture, though I suspect it is even better in my memory.

Macrame

That's right: macrame. That bastion of 1970s craftiness. My mom was really into it back then, and I just happen to have all her old how-to books. I taught myself the basic sets of knots about a decade ago, but never really did anything with them.

Well, the other day I dug out the books for some knot pattern inspiration for a possible stencil in Oliver's nursery, and while that idea has since gone by the wayside, I am loving some of the home decor applications of macrame.

This hammock is lovely, but kind of feels like an obvious use of the art of knotting.


This x-bench, on the other hand, feels totally original with those macrame straps. It makes me want to make that cat sound while I bat my "paw," but frankly I don't know how to spell it.


My parents had a pair of sheepskin director's chairs in our house when I was a kid (would love to have those now!), and I'm loving the lacy, delicate pattern of this knotted cover.


But the one that really makes me want to learn the art of macrame (again) is this take on a deck chair.


I love that the maker used a salvaged frame. Anyone come across one, send it my way and I'll get out the yarn and the T-pins. Macrame takes lots and lots of T-pins.

Wouldn't a pair of these be fabulous in navy and white yarn, with some wood beads on the fringe? Sing it, sister.

And just for fun, a quick look at some unique macrame fashions.

I would absolutely wear this white fedora.


But I'm not so sure about this contraption: "Belt for shy hot pants wearer". Well, that would certainly be me: I do not wear shorts. Ever. But to be honest, I'm not sure this belt would help!


Sources:
Dona Z. Meilach, Macrame: Creative Design in knotting (Crown Publishers, New York, 1971)
Dona Z. Meilach, Macrame Accessories: Patterns and Ideas for Knotting (Crown Publishers, New York, 1972)
Virginia I. Harvey, Macrame: The Art of Creative Knotting (Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1967)