Learn how to make a macrame starfish with this easy tutorial. Perfect for all crafters looking to add a unique touch to their boho beach decor! You only need a few supplies and one basic macrame knot, which makes it perfect for all skill levels.
I haven’t posted much this summer because things have just been a bit chaotic. However, I managed to make some macrame starfish on our annual beach trip, and I love how they turned out. The golden tan macrame yarn matches one of my favorite Free People cardigans, and it looks super cute pinned to the collar, which I will show you later. So a macrame starfish isn’t just good for home decor!
Easy DIY macrame starfish tutorial
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A lot of macrame crafters use corkboard and pins to keep the yarn in place while working on the macrame project. I don’t have a large corkboard, though, and usually just end up using duct tape to keep the yarn in place on my kitchen counter. It works just as well, if not better.
Supplies needed for this starfish craft
Video tutorial
As always, I made a video to show you exactly what I did, and then I also have the written instructions for you below. It’s always recommended to see what my hands are doing while working on the project.
(If it doesn’t load here on my blog, then you can also view it on my YouTube Channel directly)
Step-by-step-instructions
I made a starfish with 4mm ivory macrame cord and one with the 3mm macrame cord shown in this tutorial. There is a way to have each cord cut to the exact size needed, but that can get confusing when you accidentally grab the wrong cord to knot, which can happen. I don’t mind having leftovers in the end because I use those for other small projects, like my DIY square knot bracelet with fringe.
Learn the macrame knot used for this tutorial
The Horizontal Clove Hitch Knot is two loops of working cord around a filler cord in a horizontal line.
You can also make the same loops diagonally to form a Diagonal Clove Hitch Knot, or there is also a Vertical Clove Hitch Knot (or Vertical Half Hitch). Check out my DIY Beginner Macrame Garland with Diagonal Clove Hitch Knots and my macrame planter basket tutorial with Vertical Clove Hitch Knots as an example.
I used red macrame yarn for the working cord and the tan macrame cord for the filler cord to make the process a little easier to see.
- Place your filler cord (tan) on top of your working cord (red).
- Take the working cord (red) and loop it around the filler cord (tan).
- Then loop the working cord (red) around the filler cord (tan) to your right again.
- Lastly, tighten the knot.
Usually, you form rows of these looped knots.
You will be using this exact looping technique in the next steps. If you are new to macrame, you can practice a bit before starting. It helps to keep your filler cord straight inside the loops that will form the knot. You’ll get the hang of it quickly, I promise.
Step 1: Cut your macrame cords
You need 6 pieces of macrame cord, at about 11 feet long. That is what I did, and I had to add an extra cord to one piece and had some leftovers on the other strands.
I sometimes like bunching up the ends of the macrame cord the way I’m showing below with a rubber band. This makes it a little easier to loop the cords if they are long and prevents tangling. It is not required, though.
Step 3: Knotting the first half of the macrame starfish arm
Now you continue with more Horizontal Clove Hitch Knots.
Take the first cord on the right, place it to the side, and take the next cord, which will be this row’s filler cord that you loop the other four cords on your left onto (steps 1 through 12).
Now you have two rows of Horizontal Clove Hitch Knots. For the next row, you again take the first cord on your right and place it aside. The next cord will be your filler cord, and you’ll be looping the remaining 3 cords onto that filler cord (steps 13 through 18).
Now you have three rows of Horizontal Clove Hitch Knots. Again, you have to take the first cord on the right and place it aside, and use the second cord as a filler cord to loop the two remaining cords onto. (steps 19 through 24)
Now, you loop the same last cord onto the filler cord. I did about 5 Clove Hitch Knots, which is 10 loops. It can get a bit tricky because the loops try to twist around the filler cord. You just have to twist them back.
For the one starfish that I made, I made some arms longer than others just because they aren’t exact in nature either, and I like the look.
Step 4: Knotting the second half of the macrame starfish arm
For the second half of the macrame starfish arm, you repeat the same pattern in the other direction.
Take the filler cord and move it from left to right so you can loop the same number of Clove Hitch Knots towards your right with the same working cord. I used another small piece of duct tape to keep the arm in place to your left. The last knot on that row is the next working cord in line (steps 1 through 9).
Now, take the first cord on your left and use that as the filler cord, and add Horizontal Clove Hitch Knots towards the right again. There should be three cords used for loops, with the last working cord for that row being the cord coming from the first part of the arm (steps 10 through 12).
For the next steps, you take the first cord on your left again as a filler cord, working towards the right. Now you have four cords to loop onto that filler cord, with the last one being another cord from the first part of the arm again (steps 13 through 20).
Now repeat this with the next cord to your left as filler cord. This time, you’ll have five cords to loop onto the filler cord, with the last being the final cord from the first part of the arm. This completes the entire macrame starfish arm (steps 21 through 26).
Below is a view of the finished first macrame starfish arm.
Step 5: Knotting the remaining starfish arms by repeating the same pattern as arm one
Repeat the same starfish arm pattern five times to complete the shape of a starfish. I used duct tape during the knotting to keep the shape in place.
The first cord gets turned around as a filler cord, but after that, you put the first cord aside again, the same way you did for the first arm.
Don’t worry about being too exact or even with your starfish shape. In nature, starfish are not symmetrical, and the arms aren’t all the same length. As I mentioned earlier, I even purposely made some of the arms a bit longer, but that is preferential.
Remove all the duct tape. And you should have a starfish shape.
Step 6: Closing the starfish shape by knotting the ends together
Turn the starfish around so the back of it faces you. I trimmed the leftover cords a bit so they would be easier to tie, but that’s optional (steps 1 and 2).
Now tie all the cords that are across from each other together to close the starfish shape. (steps 3 through 7).
Trim the cords, turn the starfish around, and you are done (steps 8 through 10).
Step 7 (optional): Sewing the arms closed
I used macrame yarn on my ivory colored starfish to show you how it would look if you closed the starfish arms by sewing them together. I opted not to do that for the other stars I made in this post. I just like them as is.
Bonus Tip: How to add more macrame cord to your project if you run out
Don’t worry about running out of macrame cord because it is actually pretty easy to add more. The trick is in doubling up the filler cord that is short with a second new, longer filler cord and wrapping/knotting the working cord around the old and new cord together with the same Horizontal Clove Hitch knots that you used before. I added several of these knots from the working cords to make sure the new cord securely stays in place. For this to work, you have to do this at a point in the project where that cord is a filler cord! (steps 1 through 8).
The below step-by-step images show you exactly what I mean. Just be careful when you trim the ends of the cords that you don’t trim the wrong ones. Meaning on the right side, you trim the short end of the new, longer cord that is sticking out. And on the left side, you trim the end of the existing short cord.
In the below photo, you can see that the newly added longer cord blends right in, and you can’t even tell that you doubled up the cords.
More of my beach craft tutorials
Do you love coastal crafting as much as I do? Below you can find some of my favorites, but I have many more. Check out all my macrame projects, which aren’t just coastal.
Tschüß,
Materials
- macrame yarn (I used this 3mm macrame yarn)
- duct tape
Instructions
- Cut your macrame cords
You need 6 pieces of macrame cord, at about 11 feet long. That is what I did, and I had to add an extra cord to one piece and had some leftovers on the other strands.
I sometimes like bunching up the ends of the macrame cord the way I’m showing below with a rubber band. This makes it a little easier to loop the cords if they are long and prevents tangling. It is not required, though. - Looping the macrame cords onto the main cord
Start by taping down one cord to a hard surface with duct tape. I left enough cord at the end that could be used for knotting the starfish shape together.
The remaining 5 cords get looped onto that main cord (filler cord) with Horizontal Clove Hitch Knots, which you can see in the steps below. Leave the same length of cord on one side for knotting later, the way you did with the main cord.
These are the exact same steps that I just showed you above when explaining the Horizontal Clove Hitch Knot. Push all the knots up to the duct tape.
Here is what all the cords looped onto the main cord should look like. I also taped the left side to the surface to make the next steps easier when knotting the first arm of the starfish. - Knotting the first half of the macrame starfish arm
Now you continue with more Horizontal Clove Hitch Knots.Take the first cord on the right, place it to the side, and take the next cord, which will be this row’s filler cord that you loop the other four cords on your left onto (steps 1 through 12).
Now you have two rows of Horizontal Clove Hitch Knots. For the next row, you again take the first cord on your right and place it aside. The next cord will be your filler cord, and you’ll be looping the remaining 3 cords onto that filler cord (steps 13 through 18).
Now you have three rows of Horizontal Clove Hitch Knots. Again, you have to take the first cord on the right and place it aside, and use the second cord as a filler cord to loop the two remaining cords onto. (steps 19 through 24)
Now, you loop the same last cord onto the filler cord. I did about 5 Clove Hitch Knots, which is 10 loops. It can get a bit tricky because the loops try to twist around the filler cord. You just have to twist them back.For the one starfish that I made, I made some arms longer than others just because they aren’t exact in nature either, and I like the look.
- Knotting the second half of the macrame starfish arm
For the second half of the macrame starfish arm, you repeat the same pattern in the other direction.Take the filler cord and move it from left to right so you can loop the same number of Clove Hitch Knots towards your right with the same working cord. I used another small piece of duct tape to keep the arm in place to your left. The last knot on that row is the next working cord in line (steps 1 through 9).
Now, take the first cord on your left and use that as the filler cord, and add Horizontal Clove Hitch Knots towards the right again. There should be three cords used for loops, with the last working cord for that row being the cord coming from the first part of the arm (steps 10 through 12).For the next steps, you take the first cord on your left again as a filler cord, working towards the right. Now you have four cords to loop onto that filler cord, with the last one being another cord from the first part of the arm again (steps 13 through 20).
Now repeat this with the next cord to your left as filler cord. This time, you’ll have five cords to loop onto the filler cord, with the last being the final cord from the first part of the arm. This completes the entire macrame starfish arm (steps 21 through 26).
Below is a view of the finished first macrame starfish arm. - Knotting the remaining starfish arms by repeating the same pattern as arm one
Repeat the same starfish arm pattern five times to complete the shape of a starfish. I used duct tape during the knotting to keep the shape in place.The first cord gets turned around as a filler cord but after that you put the first cord aside again the same way you did for the first arm.
Don’t worry about being too exact or even with your starfish shape. In nature, starfish are not symmetrical, and the arms aren’t all the same length. As I mentioned earlier, I even purposely made some of the arms a bit longer, but that is preferential.
Remove all the duct tape. And you should have a starfish shape. - Closing the starfish shape by knotting the ends together
Turn the starfish around so the back of it faces you. I trimmed the leftover cords a bit so they would be easier to tie, but that’s optional (steps 1 and 2).Now tie all the cords that are across from each other together to close the starfish shape. (steps 3 through 7).
Trim the cords, turn the starfish around, and you are done (steps 8 through 10).
- Optional step is sewing the arms closed
I used macrame yarn on my ivory colored starfish to show you how it would look if you closed the starfish arms by sewing them together. I opted not to do that for the other stars I made in this post. I just like them as is.
Notes
- You can use whatever macrame yarn thickness you would like, but you have to adjust the cord length accordingly. For the 4mm strafish, I started with 12-foot cords.
- A lot of macrame crafters use corkboard and pins to keep the yarn in place while working on the macrame project. I don’t have a large corkboard, though, and usually just end up using duct tape to keep the yarn in place on my kitchen counter. It works just as well, if not better.
- You can add extra cord should you run out at some point during the project. The trick is in doubling up the filler cord that is short with a second new, longer filler cord and wrapping/knotting the working cord around the old and new cord together with the same Horizontal Clove Hitch knots that you used before. I added several of these knots from the working cords to make sure the new cord securely stays in place. For this to work, you have to do this at a point in the project where that cord is a filler cord! Then trim the correct ends! Meaning on the right side, you trim the short end of the new longer cord that is sticking out. And on the left side, you trim the end of the existing short cord.
