I feel like you can’t even call this craft a macrame project since these macrame gnomes are so easy to make. You don’t even need to knot anything and just need easy loops called Lark’s Head Knots. Yeah, they are called knots but really aren’t. These cuties are the perfect Christmas decor, gift, or craft kit. Let me show you different ways to make these macrame gnomes in my video tutorial and with my written step-by-step instructions. No macrame skills are needed and perfect for a beginner or kids.
The ultimate guide to making easy macrame gnomes several different ways
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You can make macrame gnomes in many different ways and don’t even have to use macrame yarn for them you can make yarn gnomes instead too. I prefer the macrame yarn because you can unravel the yarn nicely.
Craft supplies needed
Macrame gnome video tutorial
In my video, you can see what my hands were doing which is always helpful. If the video doesn’t load for you, then you can watch it on my YouTube Channel instead.
Step-by-step tutorial for macrame gnomes
This is also a great tutorial to use macrame yarn scraps. I have a bag full of random length strings in different colors from other projects. The green is actually leftover from my macrame Christmas tree pattern and my macrame wall hanging using modern macrame patterns. The blush color is leftover from my tassel keychain DIY. I bought the red for this project since some people also call them macrame Santas. I guess the one with the red hat comes closest to being a macrame Santa.
Let’s get started.
Step 2: Make the gnome’s beard
Loop all 8 pieces of macrame yarn that are 9-inch long onto the wooden ring by folding the cord in half and then using a lark’s head knot as pictured below. After that use a comb to unravel all the macrame yarn for the beard of your gnome. Wait to trim the beard until the end.
Step 3: Make the mustache (optional)
You can just use a wooden bead as the nose without added yarn as a mustache. But I personally prefer to have the mustache. It just looks better to me. Part of the beard is usually a mustache too! Right? Plus that way you can’t see the hole of the wooden bead.
Switch up the skin color of the gnome with different colored wooden beads.
Use the 4 strands that you cut earlier at 10 inches long and thread them through the hole of the wood bead. Then unravel and comb the yarn the same way you just did with the beard.
Step 4: Make the hat
Cut a piece from a toilet paper roll with sharp scissors. I cut mine to about 0.75″ long.
Now you need to decide which look you like better for the brim of the hat. You can make the hat with 3mm or 4mm yarn. And you can either use a regular Lark’s Head Knot or you can invert the Lark’s Head Knot. (Examples are in the below image so you can decide which look you like better!)
TIP: You can’t invert the 4mm yarn with Lark’s Head Knots because the yarn is too thick and the hat won’t fit onto the gnome.
The Lark’s Head Knots are the same again as you did earlier for the beard.
Use a small piece of yarn to tie off the top of the hat and then trim the ends of the cords before unraveling, combing, and trimming them again.
If the toilet paper roll isn’t that sturdy, you can wrap it with some clear packaging tape to make it more sturdy. The reason I’m mentioning this is that I’ve had the cardboard break twice already while making a gnome hat and then I had to start over again. Or just make sure you use a thicker sturdy toilet paper roll.
If you want to invert the Lark’s Head Knots, you just have to add them to the toilet paper ring with the loop showing in the back instead of the front pictured above. And then all you have to do is stuff the string through the center of the toilet paper ring.
If you want to make macrame gnome ornaments and need them to hang for that purpose, then you can add a looped string as a hanger to the center of the hat.
ANOTHER TIP: You can stuff the hat with cotton balls or a crumbled up paper towel if you want it to look fuller.
Step 5: Assemble the gnome
Use the hot glue and hot glue gun to assemble the macrame gnome. I added a generous amount of hot glue to the outside of the wooden ring above the beard and stuck the hat onto the ring. After that I added more glue to the inside of the beard and stuck the nose and mustache inside the ring under the hat. Keep it all in place with your hands until the glue is cooled off.
Step 6: Trim the beard
Now it’s time to trim the mustache and macrame beard to the desired length. Use the comb and scissors (I like using my hair cutting scissors) to give it a nice even trim.
Photos of different finished macrame gnomes
Aren’t they cute? You should definitely try to make some of your own.
Tschüß,
