Craft For Adults

MINDFUL MACRAME by Isabella Strambio Review

DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.

Reviewed by Laura B

Mindful Macrame by Isabella Strambio is a hardback book designed for you to create, journal and unwind through meditative knotting.

The book was gifted for me to review and this is generally the genre of book that I would purchase for my daughter-in-law for her Birthday.

Many years ago when I was living in Australia as a child we had a lesson on macrame and we all created a plant hanger. I really enjoyed that lesson and the skills we were taught were simple enough even at the age of 10 to grasp and independently create, giving a huge sense of achievement.

Having dived straight into the book I was inspired to start knotting again and I quickly sourced some cotton string from my kitchen drawer and started my own project, making a coaster in a short period.

The book includes seventeen projects for you to create and make yourself. There are sections on the tools required, materials, various photos and simple instructions on how to make the different knots, and patterns, as well as pages for you to record and reflect on your knotting journey by way of journaling.

Isabella advises that macrame is the ancient art of knotting and with just a few basic knots, intricate patterns emerge transforming humble cords into elegant designs.

The book is suitable for both beginners and skilled crafters. The projects range from a quick 30-minute creation to designs that involve more intricate patterns that will involve a few hours of focus.

I was so pleased to see that this book includes the use of real photos rather than illustrations, as it makes the instructions much clearer and is always easier to follow.

This book is a must for all macrame lovers, the ability to combine mindfulness with macrame is unique yet beautiful and inspiring. I love that it makes each project individual to you and your thoughts, enabling reflection and mind yoga. We all have such busy lives and rarely take the opportunity to practice mindfulness.

Isabella discusses the change that took place within her own life enabling her to step back and reflect. She encourages the reader to slow down with each knot tied and experience the satisfaction of making something beautiful with your hands while nourishing your soul in the process. Questions, for you to respond to in the journalling section, such as “If you could travel anywhere, where would you go to?” And “Think about your special place. How can you bring some of the flavours of your special place into you day today?”. Each mindfulness question can be dated with today’s date and there is plenty of space for you to respond to the questions in your own words.

It’s an unusual book in this sense, because all ‘crafting’ will generally support mindfulness for the individual but this book formalises it for you to focus your thoughts as you work through each macrame project and take action by practicing mindfulness.

The only negative was that the information and instructions for each different knot are at the back of the book. My macrame is so rusty that I needed to access these pages several times, over. To have had a laminated pull out page at the front or the back with the knot instructions, would have been much easier to access.

Rating: 4/5
RRP £14.99
This project can be purchased from Amazon here https://amzn.eu/d/cwdCDZs by pre-order for delivery on Sunday 19th January 2025

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