The Double Half Hitch Knot is used in Macrame to make horizontal, vertical, or diagonal patterns.
Quick Guide: Tying a Double Half Hitch Knot
To tie a Double Half Half Hitch knot, you’ll need at least two free strands. But to tie a horizontal, or diagonal pattern, you’ll need at minimum 4-10 strands. In our example, we’ve used 10 strands.
To tie a horizontal Double Half Hitch Pattern: The main thing to remember is to hold one string horizontally in each row. For the first row, select the leftmost string, create a loop with it, and hold it horizontally over to the right side (step 1).
Take the second strand, go underneath the leftmost one, and then through the formed loop to create a Half Hitch Knot (step 2). Right after it, tie another identical half-hitch with the first two strands to complete a Double Half Hitch Knot.
After that, tie another Double Half Hitch between the second and the third strands (step 3). Continue tying Double Half Hitches with each next strand until you reach the end of the row. Now select the rightmost string as your main horizontal string, and do the same thing, only from the right to the left (step 4). Continue like this until you reach the desired length (step 5).
To tie a diagonal Double Half Hitch Pattern: Hold your main string diagonally and tie Double Half Hitches around it with other strings (step 6). In our case, we selected the two center strings and continued diagonally until we reached each side (step 7).
To tie a vertical Double Half Hitch Pattern: Use just two strings. Hold the main string vertically and keep tying Double Half Hitches around it with a single string (step 8). You can make many of these next to each other (step 9).
Common Uses for the Double Half Hitch Knot
Most commonly, the Double Half Hitch Knot is used to create flat patterns in wall hangings, mats, tablecloths, and other macrame projects. With it, you can create diagonal, horizontal, or straight patterns.
A single Half-Hitch isn’t secure because it tends to untie very easily. But if you tie two Half Hitches in a row and create a Double Half Hitch, the knot won’t untie by itself. That’s why the Double Half Hitch is also often used to finish macrame projects or to lock certain elements in place before starting a different section.
Knots Like the Double Half Hitch Knot
Half Hitch Knot: The first half of the Double Half Hitch Knot. It’s identical to an Overhand Knot, which you use to tie your shoes.
Left Double Half Hitch Knot: A Double Half Hitch Knot where the right string is wrapped around the left one.
Right Double Half Hitch Knot: A Double Half Hitch Knot where the left string is wrapped around the right one.
Square Knot: A Half-Hitch Knot with several strands between it. It’s one of the most popular Macrame Knots and a lot of other knots are based on it.
Horizontal Half Hitch with separate strand: Instead of using the left and rightmost strands, you can incorporate another separate strand to tie a Horizontal Double Half Hitch.
Half-Hitch Spiral: If you tie many Double Half Hitches in a row with the same strands, then eventually it will turn into a spiral. It’s visible in our example (step 9), where we show how to tie a vertical Double Half Hitch.
Step-By-Step Gide: How to Tie the Double Half Hitch Knot
A step-by-step guide on how to tie the Double Half Hitch Knot
Step 1:
Select the leftmost string and place it horizontally across all other strings.
Step 2:
Take the second string, go under the first one, and then through the formed loop to create a Left Half Hitch Knot. After this, tie another identical Half Hitch with the same strands to create a Double Half Hitch Knot.
Step 3:
Tie another Double Half Hitch Knot (two Half Hitches) with the second and third strands, then with the third and fourth, and so on until you reach the end of the row.
Step 4:
Select the rightmost string as your main string and start tying Double Half Hitches around it. The process is identical, except now you’re going from right to left.
Step 5:
Stop when you reach the desired amount of rows.
Step 6:
To tie a diagonal Double Half Hitch knot, the process is identical to a horizontal one, except now you’re holding the main string diagonally.
Step 7:
Here, we started with the two centermost strings and went out to each side and back to the center to form this pattern.
Step 8:
To tie a vertical Double Half Hitch Knot, use just two strands. Select one of them as your main strand and tie identical Double Half Hitches around it with the second strand.
Step 9:
You can tie many vertical Half Hitches next to one another to create an interesting pattern.
