How to Macrame a DIY Christmas Reindeer Wall Hanging
Knotted onto a reindeer-shaped metal frame in four cord colours, with a red nose and a bow. Twenty-seven steps — and the frame technique works on any shape you can buy.
Last updated: September 5, 2026
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A Note from Nicole
Working on a shaped frame is the fastest way I know to make something that looks difficult.
The frame does the drawing. You are not shaping antlers out of cord — the antlers already exist, and your job is to fill them. That means the skill required drops enormously while the finished piece looks like something you would find in a shop.
What is different from flat macrame is the direction. On a dowel every cord hangs down. On a shape, cords run outward, sideways and around curves, and you finish nearly everything behind the frame rather than in a fringe. There is a section below on all of that, because once you have it you can work any of the sixteen shapes we sell.
Rudolph is a good first one. Antlers give you narrow sections to practise on, the face is flat macrame you already know, and the red nose is the bit everyone points at.
A macrame reindeer wall hanging is a festive fibre-art piece knotted directly onto a reindeer-shaped metal frame rather than a straight dowel, using the frame as both the outline and the mounting point. Cords are attached around the frame with reverse Lark's Head knots, filled with square knot and weave sennits, and finished behind the frame instead of in a fringe. This pattern uses a 12″ reindeer frame, 3mm cotton cord in four colours, and takes one to two hours across 27 steps, finishing at roughly 10″ wide by 12″ high.
Quick Answer
- Skill level: Beginner to intermediate ★★★☆☆ — the frame does the hard part.
- Time: 1–2 hours.
- Finished size: 10″ wide × 12″ high.
- Frame: 12″ reindeer metal frame — one of sixteen shapes.
- Cord: 3mm cotton in four colours — Sand, Natural, Buttermilk, Terracotta.
- Knots: Reverse Lark's Head, square knot, weave sennit, double half hitch, Berry knot.
- Also inside: how to knot onto a shaped frame — the technique behind every shape.
🎥 Watch the video alongside the photos. The weave-and-square-knot sennit in Steps 3 and 7 is the technique that lets a straight row follow a curve, and it reads far better in motion.
What's in this tutorial
- Materials you'll need
- Cord cut lengths
- How to knot onto a shaped frame
- The knots you'll use
- Project details at a glance
- Watch the video tutorial
- Phase 1: The antlers (Steps 1–9)
- Phase 2: The ears (Steps 10–13)
- Phase 3: The face (Steps 14–22)
- Phase 4: Eyes, nose and bow (Steps 23–27)
- Where first attempts usually go wrong
- What to make next month
- FAQ
Materials You'll Need
A frame and four cord colours. There is no dowel, no ring and no fringe — the frame is the structure.
12" Reindeer Metal Frame
The outline of the whole piece. Comes as a 5-pack, so you can make a set.
3mm Cotton Cord
Four colours here — Sand, Natural, Buttermilk and Terracotta, plus red for the nose.
Macrame Scissors
You'll trim behind the frame roughly twenty times. Sharp blades save the finish.
Macrame Tool Kit
A crochet hook makes weaving cords behind the frame far easier than fingers.
Not sure which cord? Read the guide to choosing macrame cord. Our supplies also ship from the Bochiknot storefronts on Amazon US and Amazon Canada.
Cord Cut Lengths
Grouped by body part, because that is how you will work them.
| Section | Cords | Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Antlers | 8 × 110 cm (43″) + 2 × 60 cm (24″) | 1–9 |
| Ears | 2 × 50 cm (20″) + 4 × 130 cm (51″) | 10–13 |
| Face | 10 × 170 cm (67″) + 2 × 160 cm (63″) | 14–22 |
| Nose | 2 × 60 cm (24″) in red | 24–26 |
| Bow | 1 × 60 cm (24″) | 27 |
31 cords, roughly 38 metres across four colours.
📏 Cut by section, not all at once. Unlike a dowel project, these cords are not interchangeable — a 110 cm antler cord and a 130 cm ear cord look nearly identical on a table. Bundle and label each group. Our free cord calculator handles resizing for a different frame.
How to Knot Onto a Shaped Frame
Almost all macrame hangs downward from a straight line — a dowel, a branch, a ring. A shaped frame breaks that assumption, and the first time you try one it is genuinely disorienting.
The rules are different, but there are only five of them.
1. Work the narrow parts first
Antlers before the face. Ears before the head. On a shaped frame the tight sections are the hardest to reach once the wide sections are full of cord and your hands have nowhere to go. Every shape has an obvious order, and it is nearly always narrow to wide.
2. Everything finishes behind the frame
There is no fringe to bury ends in. On a dowel piece you trim into the tassel and nobody sees; here, every working end is pushed through to the back, secured with a double overhand knot and trimmed close. You will do this perhaps twenty times in this project.
This is why a shaped frame looks so clean from the front — and why it is only ever seen from the front.
3. Use the weave-and-knot sennit to follow curves
A straight row of square knots cannot follow a curve. It buckles on the inside of the bend and gaps on the outside.
The fix is to weave between knots: work a square knot, weave the working cords around the frame, work another. The weave absorbs the difference in length between the inner and outer edge of the curve, so the sennit bends without distorting. Steps 3, 7 and 11 all use it, and it is the single most transferable thing in this tutorial.
4. Tension is judged by eye, not by count
On a dowel you can count knots and trust the result. On a curve the two sides of every knot are different lengths, so counting lies to you. Pull each knot until it looks right against the frame, then check the whole section from arm's length before moving on.
This is the adjustment most people find hardest, and it is why a shaped frame feels like a different craft for the first twenty minutes.
5. Mount with a reverse Lark's Head, not a standard one
A standard Lark's Head leaves a visible bump. On a straight dowel that bump is a design feature, repeated in a neat row. On a curve it sits at an angle and looks like a mistake. The reverse version lies flat against the frame, which is why it is used throughout this pattern.
Which shape should you start with?
| Shape | Difficulty | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hoop, square, triangle | Easiest | Straight edges and simple curves. Nearly the same as flat macrame. |
| Heart, cloud, crescent moon | Easy | Gentle curves throughout, no narrow sections to fill. |
| Reindeer, star, Christmas tree | Moderate | Points and narrow branches that need the weave-and-knot sennit. |
| Bear, cat, unicorn | Hardest | Tight internal curves — ears and muzzles — where cords crowd fast. |
If this is your first shaped frame and Rudolph looks daunting, a heart or a hoop teaches the same five rules on a friendlier outline.
The sixteen shapes
All the same 12″ frames, all worked the same way:
Bear
Unicorn
Cat
Christmas Tree
Star
Heart
Cloud
Moon + Star
Crescent Moon
Triangle
HoopFrames come in 5-packs, so one purchase makes a set — which is how most people end up with a whole shelf of them by December.
The Knots You'll Use
Five, and the square knot does most of it. What changes on a frame is not the knots but how you travel between them.
Reverse Lark's Head
Mounts every cord onto the frame. Lies flat on a curve where a standard Lark's Head would bulge.
Learn reverse Lark's Head
Square Knot
Fills the antlers, ears and face. Combined with a weave, it follows any curve.
Learn the square knot
Double Half Hitch
Pulls the face tight against the frame edge at Steps 21 and 22.
Learn the double half hitch
Double Overhand
The finish behind the frame. Simple, and you'll tie about twenty of them.
See mounting knotsProject Details at a Glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Beginner to intermediate ★★★☆☆ |
| Time | 1–2 hours |
| Finished size | 10″ wide × 12″ high |
| Frame | 12″ reindeer metal frame |
| Cord | 3mm cotton, four colours (~38 m) |
| Cords to cut | 31, grouped by body section |
| Knots | Five — all basic |
| Steps | 27, in four phases |
Watch the Video Tutorial
▶ Watch full-screen on YouTube →
Step-by-Step Photo Tutorial
Twenty-seven steps in four phases, working narrow to wide: antlers, ears, face, then the features. Each phase uses the same weave-and-knot technique on a different curve.
The Antlers
Steps 1-9 work the thinnest part of the frame first, while you still have room to manoeuvre.
Mount the first antler cords
- Attach 2 x 110 cm cords onto the top antlers with Reverse Lark's Head knots.
First square knot on the antler
- Make a Square knot. Use the outer two cords as working cords, looping them over the middle anchor cords and over each other. Repeat this in the opposite direction.
Weave and knot around the curve
- Weave the outer left and right cords through the back and to the front on the sides. Make a Square knot. Repeat 6 more times below.
Secure the ends behind the frame
- Take the working cord ends to the back and secure with a Double Overhand knot. Trim the excess cord.
Repeat across the antlers
- Repeat the same pattern onto the adjacent antler for a total of 7 Square knots.
Add the centre antler cord
- Take a 60 cm cord and make a Reverse Lark's Head knot in the middle of the antlers.
Weave and square knot sennit
- Take the outer left and right cords as working cords for a Square knot. Make 5 weave + Square knots underneath.
Secure and mirror the antlers
- Secure the working cords at the back. Repeat the pattern on the other set of antlers.
Tuck the antler cords behind
- Push the cords through to the back of the frame and weave the cord ends through 2 loops at the back.
Antlers done
Nine steps in and the hardest-to-reach part is behind you. Everything from here has more room.
Ears next — same technique, tighter curve.
The Ears
Steps 10-13 repeat the same weave-and-knot technique on a tighter curve.
Mount the ear cords
- Attach a 50 cm cord onto the ear with a Reverse Lark's Head Plus Half Hitch ("RLHPHH") knot. Repeat with another on the right and left with 130 cm cords.
Weave and square knot the ear
- Use the outer 2 cords on both sides as working cords for a Square knot. Make 5 Weave + Square knots underneath.
Repeat on the second ear
- Repeat on the other ear.
Secure the ears behind the frame
- Secure the working cords at the back with Double Overhand knots. Trim the excess cord. Weave the middle cords through 2 knot loops.
Ears on
Both ears finished and secured behind the frame. Check they sit at matching angles before starting the face.
The face is flat macrame you already know.
The Face
Steps 14-22 fill the widest part of the frame and anchor it to the edges.
Mount ten cords across the face
- Attach 10 x 170 cm cords to the top of the face with Reverse Lark's Head knots.
Two rows of alternating square knots
- Make 2 rows of Alternating Square knots.
Add the side cord and widen
- Attach a 160 cm cord onto the left side with a Reverse Lark's Head knot. Make a Square knot with the 2 cord ends adjacent to them. Repeat on the other side.
Another alternating row
- Add another row of alternating Square knots.
Weave the outer cords into the frame
- Take the left-2 and right-2cords and weave them through the sides of the frame. Secure with Square knots. Fill in the remainder of the row with Square knots.
First weave and square knot band
- Make an alternating row of Square knots. Continue with 4 Weave + Square knot row sections underneath.
Second weave and square knot band
- Add alternating Square knot row, then add 5 Weave + Square knot row sections underneath.
Double half hitch the sides
- Push the cords to the back and make 2 Double Half Hitch (DHH) knots on the left and right sides.
Attach the base to the frame
- At the bottom take every second cord and attach it to the bottom of the frame with DHH knots.
It's a reindeer now
The face is filled and anchored to the frame. What's left is the features — and they're the fun part.
Five steps to go.
Eyes, Nose and Bow
Steps 23-27 add the features that turn a shape into a reindeer.
Weave the eyes
- Take a 30 cm scrap cord and weave one eye. Repeat on the other side.
Build the nose
- Take 2 x 60 cm cords folded in half and make a Square knot, leaving 2 small loops at the top. Make 2 more Square knots.
Attach the red nose
- Thread the middle 2 cords through the top loops. Weave the Berry knot onto of the face.
Secure the nose behind
- Secure the back with Double Overhand knots. Cut off excess cord.
Tie the bow and finish
- Take a 60 cm cord and make a bow gathering the bottom cords together. And there you have it—your very own macrame Christmas reindeer wall hanging! This festive piece is the perfect way to bring some handmade holiday charm into your home. Enjoy the process, and feel free to customize it with your own colors and details to make it truly unique. Happy knotting and happy holidays! Happy knotting! 🦌 Much love,
That red nose does a lot of work
Hang it on a door, a wall or the back of a chair. And now you can knot a shaped frame, the other fifteen shapes are all the same five rules.
Tag #BochiknotChristmas on Instagram — I'd love to see which colours you used.
Where First Attempts Usually Go Wrong
| What happens | Why, and how to fix it |
|---|---|
| You can't reach into the antlers | The face was filled first. Always work a shaped frame narrow to wide — once the wide sections are full, your hands can't get into the tight ones. |
| The sennit buckles on a curve | You're knotting straight rows around a bend. Weave the working cords between knots — that's what absorbs the difference between the inner and outer edge. |
| Mounting knots sit at odd angles | Standard Lark's Head knots bulge on a curve. Use the reverse version throughout — it lies flat against the frame. |
| The antlers don't match | Counted rather than mirrored. On a curve, counts lie — build the second antler by eye against the first, checked at arm's length. |
| Cord ends show from the front | They weren't pushed through to the back. There's no fringe to hide them in on a shaped frame; everything finishes behind with a double overhand knot. |
| The face sags away from the frame | Step 18's weave into the frame edge was skipped, or Step 21's double half hitches are loose. Both anchor the face to the outline. |
| The base bunches up | Every cord was attached at Step 22 instead of every second one. Skipping alternate cords is what lets the base sit flat. |
| You mixed up two cord lengths | 110 cm and 130 cm look identical coiled. Bundle and label by body section before you start — this project has 31 cords in five groups. |
What to Make Next
🖼 You can knot a shaped frame now. The other fifteen work the same way:
- Macrame bear wall hanging — a harder frame, tighter curves
- Unicorn dreamcatcher — shaped frame plus a woven web
- Beaded Christmas tree ornament — flat macrame, no frame needed
- 5 Christmas tree ideas — every tree pattern in one place
- Ornaments under $20 — budget picks across every shape
🎨 Want PDF patterns? Browse the macrame pattern library.
Prefer to buy finished? Handmade pieces are on our Etsy shop.
Join the Bochiknot Macrame Community
There's a particular moment that arrives about ten minutes after you finish a piece. It's hanging on the door, and you're already looking at the other fifteen frame shapes wondering which one is next
That moment is worth paying attention to, because it's usually where things stall — and almost never for the reason people assume. It isn't that the interest fades. You've just spent an afternoon proving otherwise. It's that deciding what to make next turns out to be harder than making it. So the cord goes back in the drawer, and three months later it's still in the drawer.
I built the Bochiknot community to close that gap. Every month there's a new pattern and a full video tutorial already waiting for you, alongside everything published before it. The deciding is done. You just turn up and make.
Tier 1: Mini-Macramé Creations
or $6.40 a month paid annually
A new project waiting for you at the start of every month.
- A new #MakingMacrame pattern and full video tutorial, monthly
- The complete pattern archive, open whenever inspiration strikes
- Cancel or change tier at any time
For: makers who simply want to keep going, without spending an evening hunting for what's next.
Tier 2: Mastering Macramé Skills
or $10.40 a month paid annually
The month you stop following patterns and start reading them.
- Everything in Tier 1
- A 300+ video library of lessons, guidance and challenges
- Technique breakdowns that explain why a knot behaves as it does
For: makers who've noticed they can follow a pattern but couldn't yet write one. This is where that changes — and it's the tier most people choose.
Tier 3: Macramé Masterpiece Lite
or $23.20 a month paid annually
Everything above, and the cord arrives at your door.
- Everything in Tier 2
- A curated, ready-to-make kit delivered every third month
- No sourcing, no half-used rolls piling up
For: makers who love the making and have quietly grown tired of the shopping for it.
Which one, honestly?
If what you want is a next project each month, Tier 1 does exactly that and nothing more — and there is nothing wrong with wanting only that.
Tier 2 is for a different itch. If this reindeer left you wondering how you'd fill a frame nobody has written a pattern for — a cat, a cloud, a shape you found yourself — that's the beginning of designing rather than following, and the video library is built around exactly that question. It's the tier most people settle on
Tier 3 is for the maker who has done enough projects to know that sourcing cord is the part they like least.
All three can be paid annually for around 20% less, and Patreon lets you change tier or leave whenever you like — there's nothing to cancel by email and no minimum term.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you macrame onto a shaped metal frame?
Five rules. Work narrow sections before wide ones so your hands can still reach. Mount with reverse Lark's Head knots, which lie flat on a curve. Use a weave between square knots so the sennit can follow a bend without buckling. Judge tension by eye rather than by counting knots, because on a curve the two sides of every knot differ. And finish every working end behind the frame with a double overhand knot — there's no fringe to hide them in.
Why does my macrame buckle when I knot around a curve?
Because a straight row of square knots can't follow a bend — it compresses on the inside of the curve and gaps on the outside. Weaving the working cords around the frame between knots absorbs that difference, which is what lets the sennit bend cleanly.
What order should I work a shaped macrame frame in?
Narrow to wide, always. On this reindeer that means antlers, then ears, then the face. Once the wide sections are full of cord there is no room to get your hands into the tight ones, and undoing a filled face to reach an antler is a miserable afternoon.
Why use a reverse Lark's Head instead of a standard one?
A standard Lark's Head leaves a small bump. On a straight dowel that's a design feature repeated in a neat row; on a curve it sits at an angle and reads as a mistake. The reverse version lies flat against the frame.
Where do the cord ends go on a shaped frame?
Through to the back, secured with a double overhand knot and trimmed close. A shaped frame has no fringe, so nothing can be buried at the bottom — which is also why these pieces look so clean from the front and are only ever displayed that way.
Which shaped frame is easiest for a beginner?
A hoop, square or triangle — straight edges and simple curves, so it's close to flat macrame. Hearts, clouds and crescent moons are next. Reindeer, stars and trees have points that need the weave-and-knot sennit. Bears, cats and unicorns are hardest, because ears and muzzles crowd with cord fast.
What size frame does this pattern use?
A 12-inch reindeer frame, which gives a finished piece around 10 inches wide by 12 inches high. The frames come in 5-packs, so one purchase makes a set.
How long does the macrame reindeer take?
One to two hours. The antlers are slowest because the sections are narrow; the face is quick because it's ordinary flat macrame.
How much cord do I need?
31 cords across five groups and four colours, roughly 38 metres in total: 8 × 110 cm and 2 × 60 cm for the antlers, 2 × 50 cm and 4 × 130 cm for the ears, 10 × 170 cm and 2 × 160 cm for the face, 2 × 60 cm in red for the nose, and 1 × 60 cm for the bow.
What cord colours work for a macrame reindeer?
Four are used here — Sand, Natural, Buttermilk and Terracotta — plus red for the nose. Any warm neutral palette works; the important one is the nose, which should be the brightest thing on the piece.
Is a macrame reindeer beginner friendly?
It's beginner to intermediate. The knots are all basic and the frame does the shaping for you, so the difficulty is in working around curves rather than in technique. If you've made a flat wall hanging, this is a reasonable next step.
Can I use this technique on other shapes?
Yes — that's the point of learning it. The same five rules apply to all sixteen frame shapes: bear, unicorn, cat, cloud, Christmas tree, star, heart, hexagon, moon, triangle, square and the rest. Only the order of sections changes.
Why don't my antlers match?
They were counted rather than mirrored. On a curve, knot counts don't guarantee matching lengths because each knot's two sides differ. Build the second antler by eye against the first and check from arm's length.
Why does the face sag away from the frame?
Either the weave into the frame edge at Step 18 was skipped, or the double half hitches at Step 21 are too loose. Both steps anchor the face to the outline rather than letting it hang inside it.
Can I make this without a shaped frame?
Not really — the frame is the outline and the mounting point, so there's nothing to knot onto without it. If you want a reindeer without a frame, a flat wall hanging on a dowel with a reindeer worked in double half hitch rows is a different project entirely.
How do I hang the finished reindeer?
Straight onto a nail or hook through the top of the frame — the metal carries the weight and the cord adds very little. It's light enough for an adhesive hook on a door.
How should I store it after Christmas?
Flat, in a rigid box, and not underneath anything heavy. The frame won't bend easily but the cord takes a set, so a crushed piece holds the crease. Somewhere dry indoors rather than a loft.
Can I sell macrame reindeer wall hangings made from this pattern?
Yes. Square knots, Lark's Head knots and double half hitches are traditional techniques rather than proprietary designs, so anything you make is yours to sell. Please just don't redistribute the tutorial itself.
Where can I buy the reindeer frame and cord?
The 12-inch reindeer frame is one of sixteen shapes in our metal frame packs, and the 3mm cotton cord, scissors and tool kits are all on Bochiknot.com. Our supplies also ship from the Bochiknot storefronts on Amazon US and Amazon Canada.
Keep Learning with Bochiknot
12″ Shaped Metal Frames
Sixteen shapes, all worked the same way. 5-packs, so one buy makes a set.
Shop the frames
Unicorn Dreamcatcher
A shaped frame plus a woven web — the next step up in frame work.
Make the unicorn
Beaded Christmas Tree Ornament
Flat macrame, no frame — 16 steps with pearl beads worked in.
Make the ornament
Ornaments Under $20
Budget Christmas ornaments across every shape, with costs broken down.
See the budget picks
Cord Measuring Calculator
Working a different frame shape? This works out the new lengths.
Open the calculatorYou Might Also Be Interested In
12" Reindeer Frame
The outline of this whole project. 5 per pack, so you can make a set.
Shop the reindeer frame
Macrame Tool Kit
The crochet hook makes weaving cords behind the frame far quicker.
Shop the tool kit
About Nicole Woo
Nicole is the founder of Bochiknot and has been teaching macrame for 5+ years to a community of 100,000+ makers across YouTube, Instagram and Patreon. She specialises in beginner-friendly cotton cord projects that feel approachable no matter your skill level.
Join her on Patreon for exclusive patterns, or explore individual ebook patterns.
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