DIY macrame lampshade

DIY macrame lampshade

Knot your way to statement lighting with Wool and the Gang’s DIY macrame lamp!

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Published: March 5, 2022 at 9:04 am

Spruce up your bedside table with Wool and the Gang’s contemporary-meets-retro take on a macramé make. Designed to fit a standard lampshade frame, they’ve used bright pink Jersey Be Good yarn to create a statement piece that’ll instantly liven up your décor, day or night. It's a great stash buster project as you can use all your spare yarn or you can even make your own t-shirt yarn to knot up. You’ll tie square knots, double half hitch knots, and cow hitch knots to make it, so be sure to familiarise yourself with these techniques before starting, using our basic knots guide. If you do make a mistake as you go through, it’s easy enough to untie the yarn and start over again. That's the beauty of a DIY macrame lampshade! If this tutorial gives you the macrame-making bug then make sure you check out our other free macrame patterns which include everything from a macrame bracelet to a DIY macrame curtain. But now it's over to Wool and the Gang for their DIY macrame lamp shade.

You will need:

  • Wool and the Gang’s Jersey Be Good, 98% cotton/2% elastane, 110m/500g per ball, one ball in Hot Pink
  • Lampshade, 20cm (77/8") diameter (we used Hemsta from www.ikea.com)
  • Lamp base (we used Strala from www.ikea.com)
  • Fire retardant spray

DIY macrame lampshade

You will need:

  • Macrame cord
  • Lampshade
  • Lamp base
  • Fire retardant spray

Step 1

DIY macrame lampshade MacrameStep 1
Cut 12 250cm (98 1/2") strands of yarn, taking care not to stretch the yarn as you measure it. Lay one strand horizontally, then lay two strands vertically on top, crossing their midpoints over the midpoint of the horizontal strand. Make a square knot with the two vertical strands, then fold down the strands at the top of the knot – one to the right and one to the left.

Step 2

DIY macrame lampshade MacrameStep 2
Take two new strands from your pile and lay one vertically on the right-hand side of your work, with its midpoint at the same point as the knot. Lay the other strand horizontally, on top of the first five strands from left to right, then under the two strands on the furthest right. Using this horizontal strand, and working around the two vertical strands on the right, make a square knot, then push it up so it sits tightly against the original knot made in Step 1.

Step 3

DIY macrame lampshade MacrameStep 3
Repeat Step 2 three times until you have five knots in total. Separate out the two loose strands at either end of the line of knots, then arrange the work with these two strands hanging down vertically. Lay the remaining strand horizontally underneath them, crossing their midpoints over the midpoint of the horizontal strand. Make a square knot to join the work into a circle, then push it up so it sits with the other knots.

Step 4

DIY macrame lampshade MacrameStep 4
Spread out the work so you have a circle of knots in the middle, and the four strands from either end of each knot coming outwards from the centre. Take two strands from the side of one knot and two strands from the adjoining side of the next knot. Make a square knot, then repeat with the four strands to the right. Continue around the circle, creating six knots in total.

Step 5

DIY macrame lampshade Step 5
Repeat Step 4, this time working the round of knots 1.5cm (5/8") down from the previous round.

Step 6

DIY macrame lampshade Step 6

Place the work on top of the lampshade frame, positioning six square knots from the last round between the six sections created by the vertical bars. Attach each of the four strands from the knots to the frame within that section using a double half hitch knot, and the frame as Strand A.

Step 7

DIY macrame lampshade Step 7
Cut 12 250cm (98 1/2") strands of yarn. Push the four knots in each section of the frame to the left, making a gap on the right-hand side. Tie one strand in each of these gaps using a cow hitch, ensuring the two strands that hang down are of equal length.

Step 8

DIY macrame lampshade Step 8
There will now be six strands of yarn hanging down from each section of the frame. Take three strands from the left-hand side of one section and make a square knot. Push up the knot so it sits against the frame. Repeat with the next three strands, working around the lampshade frame until there are 12 knots in total.

Step 9

DIY macrame lampshade Step 9
Cut three 150cm (59 1/8") strands of yarn. Take a strand of yarn from either side of a vertical bar, then place a 150cm (59 1/8") strand horizontally behind both the bar and strands, with its midpoint at the bar. Using the two ends of this new strand as Strand A and Strand B, make two square knots, 1.5cm (5/8") down from the previous round, and with the two vertical strands and the bar at the centre of the knot. Repeat with the other two vertical bars. Now, make square knots using the strands in between these, taking two strands of yarn from one knot and two from the next knot. When there is only one strand from each knot to work with, cut a 150cm (59 1/8") strand, place it horizontally behind the two strands, and make a square knot using the two ends as Strand A and Strand B.

Step 10

DIY macrame lampshade Step 10
Working 1.5cm (5/8") down from the previous round, take two strands from the right-hand side of one knot and the two adjoining strands of the next. Make two square knots, then repeat with the next four strands. Continue around the frame – you should have 12 knots in total, with four knots in each section.

Step 11

DIY macrame lampshade Step 11
Repeat Step 10 twice more, each time working 1.5cm (5/8") down from the previous round, incorporating the vertical bars of the shade into the knots as before when needed.

Step 12

DIY macrame lampshade Step 12
Attach each strand of yarn to the bottom hoop with a double half hitch knot, keeping an even amount of strands in each section. Using six strands of yarn, make a square knot that sits 2.5cm (1") down from the bottom of the frame. Repeat with the next six strands, then continue working around the base of the frame to create eight knots in total.

Step 13

DIY macrame lampshade
Trim the ends to your desired length, then coat the finished lampshade with fire retardant spray before using, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

We hope you’ve enjoyed making our DIY macrame lamp shade. For more macrame goodness check out our round up of the best macrame books and head over to our free projects – macrame belt and Christmas macrame star tutorial.