How to Keep Unknotted Cord Loops Even Between Macrame Knot Rows

Check three things separately: the vertical gap between rows, the horizontal distance between neighboring knots, and the balance of the cords forming each opening. A consistent vertical gap is your starting point, but also compare the left and right sides of each opening.

Square knots use two outer working cords around two central filler cords. In alternating rows, the groups change: cords from neighboring knots join to make the next knot. That arrangement creates the open diamond pattern. Bochiknot’s square-knot tutorial explains both the cord roles and the alternating structure.

For your checks, choose a repeatable measurement: the clear vertical gap from the bottom of the upper knot to the top of the lower knot. Keep using those reference points. Measuring from knot centers on one row and knot edges on another makes comparisons unreliable.

Gründl’s basic knot instructions recommend inserting a cardboard template between the previous knot and the next one to create even spaces. Its wall-hanging pattern gives a specific application: a cardboard strip 2 cm wide for rows spaced 2 cm apart. That is a pattern example, rather than a required gap for every project. Gründl: Basic Macramé Knots, included in Picture Frames, Gründl: Wall Hanging.

For a practical setup, gather your mounted cords, a ruler, a pencil, and a straight strip of firm cardboard. Cut the strip to the gap specified by your pattern. If you are designing the spacing yourself, test your chosen width on a small sample first.

Check the strip’s width at both ends and in the middle. Use its long edges as your references, and replace it if an edge bends or becomes noticeably compressed. On a wide piece, move a shorter spacer across the row while checking its position with the ruler.

Let the work hang freely, or keep it consistently supported on your work surface. Straighten the loose cords and trace each one from the previous row before selecting the next group. Avoid starting a knot with a cord accidentally crossing behind its neighbor.

For alternating square knots, DMC instructs you to work the first row in groups of four, then offset the next row while leaving the first two and last two cords unworked. Those edge cords belong outside that offset row. DMC: Step by Step Macramé Stitch Guide.

Before tightening an offset knot, compare its position with the two knots above it. For a regular, symmetrical grid, place it between them. If the pattern deliberately changes width or forms a diagonal, follow that shaping rather than forcing every opening into the same outline.

The following sequence combines the documented spacer method with square-knot construction. Use it as a repeatable working routine:

1. Position the spacer in the intended gap below the completed row. Keep its long edges parallel to that row.
2. Select the correct four cords and identify the outer working pair and central filler pair.
3. Form the first half-knot immediately below the spacer. Draw the working ends outward together, keeping the fillers aligned.
4. Form the mirrored second half to complete the square knot. Keep the knot at the spacer’s lower edge as you snug it.
5. Check that the knot is flat and that the spacer is resting naturally in the gap.
6. Repeat across the row, checking the first, middle, and last knot positions with the ruler.

A complete square knot has two mirrored halves. Repeating the same half-knot direction produces a spiral, which changes how the cords sit. If a supposedly flat section starts turning, check the knot sequence before adjusting the spacing. Bochiknot: How to Tie a Macramé Square Knot.

Aim for comparable snugness throughout the row. Pull both working ends in a balanced motion, then inspect the knot’s position. If one knot looks substantially smaller or more compressed than its neighbors, loosen and retie it before continuing.

Here is an illustrative exercise for checking the method before using it across a larger piece. Start with eight hanging strands, numbered 1–8 from left to right, with enough spare length for three practice rows. Choose a 20 mm spacer for this exercise; that measurement is a sample setting.

Tie the first row with strands 1–4 and 5–8. Set both completed knots at the same height. For the second row, leave strands 1–2 and 7–8 aside and tie one square knot with strands 3–6, using the spacer to position it below the first row.

For the third row, return to groups 1–4 and 5–8 and repeat the same gap. This two-knot, one-knot, two-knot arrangement follows the small alternating-grid exercise described by Bochiknot.

Remove the spacer and inspect the openings. Compare the third-row knots’ heights, the central knot’s placement, and the cord paths on either side. Change one thing at a time if the sample looks uneven: correct the knot positions first, then the grouping, then the balance of the loose spans. This gives you a useful reference sample for the larger piece.

Use the following checks as a troubleshooting sequence derived from the spacer and cord-grouping methods. They help identify what to inspect before you untie a whole section.

What you see	What to check	Adjustment to try
The gap grows across the row	Spacer angle and knot heights	Reposition the spacer parallel to the upper row; retie the knots that drifted.
One opening is wider than its neighbors	Cord grouping and horizontal knot placement	Trace the four strands back to the previous row and reposition the lower knot.
One side has extra slack	Crossed cords or an off-center knot	Uncross the strands and retie the affected knot with balanced pulls.
The row changes when the spacer comes out	Whether cords were stretched or pressed around the guide	Let the work settle and reset the affected knots without loading the spacer.
A flat section twists	Whether both mirrored halves were completed	Undo the incorrect knot and complete a square knot.

For an isolated uneven opening, begin with the knot directly below it. Loosen that knot enough to reposition the incoming strands, restore the intended gap, and retie it. If those strands are already fixed into another completed row, undo the necessary lower knots to reach the adjustment.

After each row, remove the guide and release your working grip. Inspect the piece in the same position you intend to continue working. Check the overall row line first, then individual openings; this helps you distinguish a row that slopes from a single misplaced knot.

Use a brief checkpoint: correct groups, flat knots, repeated gaps, and balanced openings. Make corrections while the row is still accessible. A measured spacer establishes the spacing, and this final check shows whether the cords retain the shape you intended once the guide is gone.

• Basic Macramé Knots, included in “Macramé Picture Frames” — Gründl
• Macramé Wall Hanging — Gründl
• How to Tie a Macramé Square Knot — Bochiknot
• Step by Step Macramé Stitch Guide — DMC