Micro Macrame - The Latin American Version

ARUMI design by Martin and Ugne from Spain www.facebook.com/ARUMIdesign or www.arumidesign.etsy.com

While Macrame got its latest renewal as Micro Macrame in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia, another macrame revival has been taking place in Latin America.

The re-emergence of Macrame has been centered around jewelry, renamed Micro Macrame for short and mostly features knotted cords with beads or gemstones. DIY books have been published by artists and authors such as Joan Babcock, Kris Buchanan, Sherry Haab, Anika DeGroot and Marie Le Sueur. Websites such as Macrame Collective have been showing Macrame as an art form. The availability of materials to work with has been a major factor. You need cord. In 2005, I had difficulties finding bonded nylon in a wide range of colors for myself and my students, so when I discovered C-Lon, I decided to promote them.

At the time C-Lon made 24 colors of C-Lon Bead Cord and the C-Lon Bead Thread Size D and AA collections. Marion Jewels in Fiber, my supply website, was born in January 2006. Over the years I have helped C-Lon expand their collection and now they have 4 sizes of cords, with 72 colors of C-Lon Bead Cord Tex 400, 104 colors of the standard C-Lon Bead Cord, 24 colors of C-Lon Fine Weight Tex 135 Cord, and 32 colors of C-Lon Micro Cord. C-Lon is planning to add 16 additional colors of the Fine Weight Tex 135 cord in 2013. They added 24 colors of Tex 400 last year, so they keep expanding!

In the meantime, another macrame revolution has been taking place in Latin America centered around Settanyl and Linhasita, two brands of Brazilian waxed polyester cord. These cords have been difficult to find until recently when KnotMore.com started importing Settanyl. After sourcing Linhasita a number of years ago, I had considered importing it from Brazil, but I was already busy enough and running out of room to store cords, plus I found that I am allergic to the wax coating, so that idea was nixed. So it is great that someone else has taken the baton.

The work featured on this page is made with waxed polyester cord, artist names are listed.

Nicole Medema

Percy Palomino Tomayquispe

Teleisthai Macrame

Merlina Textile

Here is fun sculptural piece made with this waxed polyester cord by Merlina Textile. 

KnotMore.com was founded by Dawn Standera of Macrame Collective and Karen Forbes. Both Macrame artists were frustrated by the lack of availability of this type of cord, so they decided to venture into providing this cord for knotters, Macrame artists or anyone wanting to experiment with this cord. KnotMore carries 75 colors of Settanyl, a 1mm 2-ply waxed polyester from Brazil. The spools have 175 yards, so plenty of yardage for projects such jewelry, knotted sculptures, and basketry.

More : Read about comparisons between the Settanyl Brazilian Polyester cord and C-Lon Tex 400 Bead Cord at http://jewelsinfiber.blogspot.com/2013/01/comparison-between-settanyl-brazilian.html.

Comparison between Settanyl Brazilian Waxed Polyester and C-Lon Bead Cord

Dawn Standera

What's the differences between Settanyl Brazilian Waxed Polyester and C-Lon Bead Cord?

Nylon versus Polyester

Nylon is made out of continuous filament fibers. It imitates filament silk. Polyester is made of shorter fibers, spun together the same way as cotton and linen. 

Expect more stretching with polyester. Nylon after an initial stretch has minimal stretching. 

2 Ply versus 3 Ply

C-Lon is a 3-ply cord. Settanyl is a 2-ply cord. 3 ply construction makes a rounder cord. 2-ply construction makes a cord that can be more easily flattened. 

Bond versus Wax Coating

Bond is an applied coat to the cord after it has been extruded, spun and plied. It is similar to a resin coat that's applied, then dried in an oven. Tack is also often applied to cord when it is wound on spools. It kelps the spools from unraveling. Bond sometimes whitens over time when exposed to changes of temperature or heavy handling. Rubbing alcohol applied to the cord surface restores the transparency of the bond. 

Wax is applied after the cord has been plied. Wax is not a permanent finish. Over time the wax coating gets thinner, leaving the cord more susceptible to wear and tear. 

Size

The Settanyl Brazilian Waxed Polyester is about 1mm in diameter, just a tad thicker than C-Lon Tex 400 Bead Cord, the heavier cord of C-Lon. 

Wash & Wear

Both types of cord can be washed. Both will fade with long exposure to sunlight. 

Learning Curve

Bonded nylon is a bit harder to knot. Waxed polyester is easier to knot as the first half of the knot holds itself better as the wax creates a form of adhesion. Undoing knots is easier with bonded nylon and much harder with waxed polyester without damaging the cord. 

Personal Preferences

In the end it is all about personal preferences. Many types of knotting lend themselves to waxed fibers. Some artists, experts and beginners alike, will love the availability of this cord.

My recommendation 

Personally I would get a few spools to test if I could. Unfortunately, I have a major skin sensitivity to the wax coating on this thread, so I will leave this thread to other to play around and experiment with!

 >> Go to KnotMore.com

Catlin - In Memoriam

My husband, Nicolai Larsen, painted this watercolor featuring Catlin's koi pond. She had a name for each of the koi and had them eat straight out of her hand. Detail shown of Sanctuary - ©2010 Nicolai Larsen.

These past few months have been challenging. Catlin, my work assistant, team member, best friend, confidante, and family member, died on January 4th after a brave battle with cancer. She never gave up hope and was courageous to the very end. It was my privilege to accompany her on her journey. 

Catlin Larsen-O'Hair was born in San Francisco on July 29, 1941. She went to work right out of High School, first for a newspaper, then for the California Teachers Association. She had to retire early due to health reasons. She developed an amazing attitude despite continuing health problems for the rest of her life. She went back to school and became an interior designer. Then she took to hand and machine embroidery, mastering various computer programs. She played with various handcrafts along the way, including her latest passion for knitting. Everything she touched was done with flair and finished meticulously. Her color sense was amazing, she was not afraid of colors. When asked which one was her favorite, she would say 'all of them'. The only color she shied away from was black. She said it was overused. In addition she loved animals, museums, and reading books. She was an unapologetic left-wing democrat. She loved watching Japanese Anime, especially all the Miyazaki movies, and the Turner Classics. 

Many of my online customers knew Catlin, as she worked as part of my online store team for a long time. She had her own store within mine, so in a way we were partners. The Kollage Needles and Crochet Hooks were her addition. Her knowledge, care, and attention to details will be missed. She had a great laugh. We were very close, occasionally more like sisters, or at least arguing like sisters. I miss her terribly and hold her memory dear. 

The knitted pieces shown above were her latest projects. They have to be seen in person to be fully appreciated, as the texture and feel of the materials chosen do not translate in pictures. 

I am grateful to all who responded to my newsletter with heartfelt thoughts and best wishes. Somehow it has given me some solace to share the news. Thank you!  Marion