What Cord Is Best For Making Macrame Earrings?
Macrame earrings are the perfect staple accessory to add to your outfits or to gift to loved ones. You can create anything from bold red earrings to boho-inspired neutral earrings that are one of a kind.
The difficult part is picking out the right cord. You may want to reach for the nicest colour on the shelf, but without knowing the cord type, you could end up with a low-quality cord that is difficult to knot or breaks in the middle of your project.
What cord is best for making macrame earrings? The best cord for making macrame earrings is a single-strand cotton cord that is 1-2mm in size. Cotton cord tends to be softer, less irritating on the skin and more flexible than other cord types.
In this article, we’ll discuss what cord is best for making macrame earrings, what size cord to use, the difference between 3ply or single-strand and where to buy macrame cord for earrings.
Disclaimer: This article includes affiliate links. If you click one of them, we may receive a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Table Of Contents
- What Size Cord Is Best For Macrame Earrings
- Choosing The Best Cord For Earrings
- How To Work With Smaller Cord
- Where To Get Cord For Macrame Earrings
What Size Cord Is Best For Macrame Earrings
When making macrame earrings, size does, in fact, matter! A smaller cord makes it easier to achieve beautifully detailed earrings. Medium to large cords can create a chunky and somewhat “messy” appearance for handmade earrings. Unless that is the look you are going for, it’s best to avoid a larger cord when working with jewelry and other small projects. The larger the cord, the less you can use per earring, limiting the detail and design options.
Generally speaking, earring hoops are relatively small in size and benefit from smaller cords. Using a larger cord size would be quite difficult to work with on a small canvas. That being said, it is not impossible to use a larger cord. It would just create a different look and pose a bit of a challenge. Later in this article, I will show you my trick for making large cord work in your earring designs.
Another perk of using a smaller cord is that you can add beads, buttons or other embellishments to earrings. This allows for a bit more creativity and uniqueness in your project.
Choosing The Best Cord For Earrings
While the best cord for macrame earrings is a 1-2mm single-strand cotton cord, you can still play around with other types of cords to create different styles of earrings.
I have made earrings with 3ply, single stand and leftover trimmings of large cord to show you the differences in styles each cord thickness will create.
Although the differences may not be apparent at first glance, we found that 3ply cords tend to give a “rough” and unpolished look to our macrame earrings. That being said, if that is the style you desire, there is nothing wrong with that! This will give your earrings some character and make for a bold, chunky earring. The below earrings are an example of 3ply cotton cord earrings.
In contrast, here is a pair of single-strand macrame earrings:
You can tell by the two photos that the single-strand macrame earrings are more polished and defined than the 3ply ones. The single-strand cord is also softer and fringes with ease, creating a full and fluffy look to the earrings.
Repurpose Your Macrame Trimmings
Another way to use cords to create beautiful macrame earrings is with 3ply 3-5mm cotton cord trimmings. Yes, you read that correctly! I am about to tell you how to use your leftover large cord trimmings into cute macrame earrings without having them turn out too chunky.
If you are like me, you might find yourself with multiple little ends of leftover cords from previous projects. Save these! There are various projects you can make with leftover macrame trimmings. I recently tried to make earrings with leftover large cord trimmings, and in my opinion, they turned out quite nice. It is more time-consuming to make earrings this way, but it is great if you do not have access to smaller cords or have large leftover trimmings.
Now you might be wondering how larger cords can be used on smaller canvases. Well, the trick to this is to unravel the 3ply cord and separate each section of the cord into smaller sections (typically, one 3ply 3mm cord can be divided into nine smaller sections). Next, take these small sections and begin to make your earrings the same way you would a 1-2mm single-strand cord. This tends to take more time than simply using a 1-2mm cord, but it is a good way to use up leftover trimmings rather than waste your materials.
The result? Check below!
As you can see on the right-hand side of the photo, there is the 3ply 5mm cord that was used to create these earrings. The knots turned out a little less defined than the single-strand cord, but it made for a funky pair of earrings nonetheless.
How To Work With Smaller Cord
Working with a smaller cord can be a bit more difficult. Not only is the cord smaller, but so is your canvas. Here are a few tips for working with smaller cords.
Tape down your canvas.
It is much harder to make jewelry and other small macrame pieces if it is moving around every time you make a knot. A good way to help prevent your earrings from moving while working on them is to tape down one side of the earring onto a hard workspace (e.g. desk or table) to limit the mobility as you create. You can also put your earrings on a corkboard and pin down pieces as you work to avoid knots from loosening or moving.
Knots are harder to undo with smaller cords.
With a smaller cord comes smaller knots. This can be difficult to undo, leaving little room for mistakes. Now, do not let this discourage you. Mistakes can sometimes lead to beautiful creations. But, if you have ever tried to get a knot out of a necklace, you will understand how difficult it can be to undo knots in smaller cords. It can be beneficial to plan out your desired design before beginning to help avoid undoing and redoing knots.
The longer the fringe, the better.
When working with smaller cords, it is best to have more cords for fringe than you may want. It is much easier to brush out the cord into a fringe on a smaller canvas when there is more cord. Once you have brushed out the fringe, you can then go in with scissors and trim your earrings to your desired length and style.
Where To Get Cord For Macrame Earrings
There are a few places to get high-quality cords for macrame earrings. My top three places for cord are Micheals, Ganxxet and Amazon.
Micheals Crafts
This is a great spot to get various craft supplies for your earrings. Not only can you buy earring hoops here, but they also supply macrame cords. However, I have tried the macrame cord before on other projects and found that while it is a great option for beginners and those on a budget, it is a little too rough and large for macrame earrings. Alternatively, you can purchase hemp cord, which is softer than the macrame cord sold here and comes in a smaller size, as well as a few different colours. This makes for a superb alternative cord.
Ganexxt
Ganexxt is my favourite place to get high-quality, eco-friendly cords. They offer the softest cord in a variety of sizes and trendy colours. If you are interested in ordering a macrame cord for earrings from here, we recommend getting the Cotton Balls (pictured above). Each ball of cotton is around 54 yards in length and comes at a great price. These are perfect for those who want various colours without having to buy large spools of cord.
Amazon
Amazon is another great option to purchase macrame cords at a reasonable price and accessories for macrame earrings. You can find everything from 1-2 mm single strand to 3ply cord, hemp cord and anything else you could want. This is great for those looking for a “one-stop shop.”
Related Questions
What is the best cord for macrame? Macrame cord varies depending on the type of project you are creating and the desired look. The best cord for macrame is a 3-4mm single-strand cotton cord. This cord is soft, easy to knot and has a beautiful fringe, making it perfect for numerous projects.
Is macrame an expensive hobby? It depends. Macrame can be an expensive hobby, depending on where you source your materials from. Prices can vary depending on whether they are eco-friendly (free from harmful chemicals and dyes), ethically sourced, and the quality of cord and materials.
