Weaving

Become a Weaving Whiz with these great weaving ideas - perfect for teaching fine motor skills!

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Carabiner Keychain with Message

Create a fun Carabiner Keychain for someone special using basic macramé knots! These keychains are a great inclusive craft for events such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
  • Check out our ‘3 Basic Macramé Knots for Beginners’ tutorial before you begin to familiarise yourself with the knots we’ll be using.
  • Step 1Start by working out what message you would like to create on your keychain. Gather enough beads to spell out the message and decide which Easy Painter colour (if any) you’d like the beads to be. Apply the chosen colour to the beads by dabbing the painter sponge onto each side of the bead. You can also leave some or all of the beads natural if you prefer. Allow to dry if needed.
  • Step 2Use a permanent pen to write on your message, with one letter per bead. Make sure the hole in each bead is running vertically down the bead so each letter will be facing the correct way when threaded onto the keychain.
  • Step 3Cut two lengths of macramé cord, each measuring 1m long. Adult supervision is recommended when using scissors. This length should give you plenty of cord to work with, however you may need to adjust for longer messages. Attach each length of cord to the carabiner clip using a cow hitch knot.
  • Step 4Tie two square knots below the carabiner clip.
  • Step 5Now to thread on our first bead! Bring together the ends of the two middle cords and twist. Wrap a small piece of tape around the ends tightly. This will make threading easier. Thread the first letter bead of your message onto the two middle cords, pushing it up under the square knots.
  • Step 6Tie half a square knot directly below the bead, taking note of which side you start the knot with.
  • Step 7Add the second bead of your message. Push it up under the half square knot and tie another half square knot below, this time starting with the opposite side you used in Step 6. Continue threading on beads and tying alternate half square knots until your whole message has been added and there is a half square knot under the final bead.
  • If your message contains more than one word, you can tie a full square knot or even 1½ to 2 square knots between the words to separate them.
  • Step 8Tie a square knot below the half square knot.
  • Step 9Thread the middle two cords through the centre of a split ring and fold them back up and behind as shown.
  • Step 10Tie the first half of a half square knot, making sure it’s around all the folded middle cords. Fold the middle two cords back down and through the centre of the split ring. Finish the square knot, making sure it’s around the folded middle cords, holding them in place.
  • Step 11Bring the left and right cords together and tie a knot with them and the middle two cords. Trim the excess.
  • Step 12Your Carabiner Keychain with Message is now complete and ready to gift to someone special!

Materials used in this activity

CleverPatch Easy Painters - Pack of 8
Optional
Product Code: 10915
EACH $38.49 (inc GST) $34.99 (ex GST)
10 to 19 $32.99 (inc GST) $29.99 (ex GST) 20 or more $26.94 (inc GST) $24.49 (ex GST)
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Split Rings - Silver - Pack of 10
Optional
Product Code: 11186
EACH $5.49 (inc GST) $4.99 (ex GST)
10 or more $3.84 (inc GST) $3.49 (ex GST)          
Increase value Decrease value
Product Code: 15518
EACH $3.84 (inc GST) $3.49 (ex GST)
Increase value Decrease value
Clear Sticky Tape - 18mm x 66m
Optional
Product Code: 17769
EACH $2.19 (inc GST) $1.99 (ex GST)
12 or more $1.53 (inc GST) $1.39 (ex GST)          
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Macrame Cord - 2mm x 275m
Optional
Product Code: 19344
EACH $21.99 (inc GST) $19.99 (ex GST)
3 or more $16.49 (inc GST) $14.99 (ex GST)          
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EverZart Permanent Pens - Black - Pack of 20
Optional
Product Code: 19810
EACH $36.29 (inc GST) $32.99 (ex GST)
3 or more $27.16 (inc GST) $24.69 (ex GST)          
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Wooden Square Beads - 100g Pack
Optional
Product Code: 20712
EACH $5.49 (inc GST) $4.99 (ex GST)
5 or more $3.84 (inc GST) $3.49 (ex GST)          
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Carabiner Clips - Pack of 10
Optional
Product Code: 21292
EACH $5.49 (inc GST) $4.99 (ex GST)
5 to 9 $4.39 (inc GST) $3.99 (ex GST) 10 or more $3.84 (inc GST) $3.49 (ex GST)
Increase value Decrease value