From key chains to wall hangings, Macrame art is back in the trend

• NIVETHA C

CHENNAI: The city is all set to witness a workshop that could be a trendsetter of sorts, which is exclusively organised for women. Of late, Chennaiites can be spotted participating in various workshops taking place across the city on the weekends. Through these workshops, people ensure that their leisure hours are fun yet productive.

Hosted by the OlogyWomen, Meenakshi Nagappan, a craft educator, facilitates the Macrame workshop. “I learnt this craft from my mother during my childhood, but lost touch with it when I grew up. In the pandemic, I again started brushing my skills,” starts Meenakshi, who has been teaching various crafts through workshops for the past year.

Knotting threads and cords in different patterns results in beautifully woven Macrame craft works. This craft can be tried by a 10-year-old to aged people.

Meenakshi believes that though there are many YouTube tutorials about the art, basic teaching is required to learn the nuances of the craft. She also adds that this art is something that is not known to many. People will have the materials, but they will be confused about where and how to start. “Macrame art is popular in the West, but now, to be precise, after the Covid-19 lockdown, people started reviving the long lost art,” says the craft educator.

Many confuse Macrame craft with Crosia. “They aren’t the same. For Crosia, needles are required, but that is not in the case of Macrame. You could use your fingers, to create magic in Macrame craft. Basically, Crosia is needling and Macrame is knotting,” explains Meenakshi.

OlogyWomen is a safe community that hosts various programmes to foster and empower women from all walks of life. They conduct weekend workshops regularly at their studio, covering diverse topics. They also host workshops for young girls from the age category 11-20 years old.

Talking about the ongoing trend of witnessing different kinds of workshops in the city, Meenakshi shares. “People like to distract themselves from their daily routine and also want to spend their free time productively. They prefer to attend such workshops with their closed circle and learn something new, filled with enjoyable experiences instead of spending time with their friends in malls and other expensive places.”

The Macrame workshop, hosted by OlogyWomen, will take place on September 23 from 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm at the Ology Studio, Anna Nagar. For registration, people can contact 9176468468, as pre-registration is mandatory.