A 3–5 mm cord is the easiest to learn with: thick enough that every knot is clear, thin enough to tie without sore fingers. Use 1–2 mm for jewellery and 5 mm or more for large wall hangings. Cotton-rich cords are kindest on the hands. The braided YarnArt Macrame Cord 3 mm (60% cotton) gives crisp knots with neat ends, and YarnArt Macrame Cotton (85% cotton, 250 g / 225 m) is a reliable all-rounder for plant hangers and wall art.

As a rule of thumb, cut each working cord about four times the finished length of the piece, or eight times if you fold it in half over a dowel or ring. Dense knotting such as rows of square knots needs more, plant hangers with long plain sections need less, and fringe adds extra, so cut generously. One 250 g ball of YarnArt Macrame Cotton holds 225 m, which makes it easy to check against your cord list. Buy every ball from the same dye lot.

Choose cotton for indoor decor and polyester for anything that gets damp or lives outdoors. Cotton is soft, matte and gentle on the hands, but it absorbs water and can shrink. Polyester takes up very little water, dries quickly and resists fading, which suits balcony plant hangers and bags. YarnArt Macrame is 100% polyester (90 g / 130 m), YarnArt Macrame Cotton is 85% cotton and 15% polyester, and YarnArt Macrame Cord 3 mm blends cotton with viscose and polyester.

Macrame cord works for crochet and knitting as well as knotting: plant hangers, market bags, baskets, placemats, coasters, table runners and storage bins all hold their shape well in it. Firm cords like YarnArt Macrame Cord 3 mm suit baskets on an 8 mm hook, and YarnArt Papiro, a paper raffia, makes structured sun hats and summer bags. For a bag with a flat, firm bottom, crochet straight onto a ready-made base such as the Round Bag Base – 25 cm Diameter.

Most macrame only needs a gentle shake or a lint roller, because wall pieces and plant hangers rarely get dirty. For cotton cord, hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent, don't wring, then reshape and dry flat or hanging, out of direct sun, since cotton can shrink. Polyester such as YarnArt Macrame dries quickly and keeps its shape. Paper raffia like YarnArt Papiro should never be soaked; wipe it with a damp cloth instead.

A ready-made base gives the bag a flat, firm bottom that won't sag when it's full, and it saves you crocheting the base, the slowest part with thick cord. You work the first round straight into the pre-punched holes around the edge and build the walls from there. At VILRITA you can choose round bases from 17 to 35 cm across, such as the Round Bag Base – 30 cm Diameter, plus square and rectangular ones like the Rectangular Bag Base – 19 x 14 cm (Blue).