Weaving, Waffles and Community: A Macrame Experience with Tatianna Monet

If you ever need a midweek reset – one that equally challenges and humbles you, then Tatianna Monet’s macrame class might be your next event to try out.

By no measure am I a skilled seamstress or crocheter. But even with that in mind– I still decided to try something new.

Monet’s class was hosted at Pink Rock Culture Co-op in downtown Syracuse. The room was filled with more than a dozen multigenerational women from all backgrounds and skill levels. As we sat there chatting, introducing ourselves to our neighbors next to, or seated across from us, it felt like a room where the community came together.

Each of us took turns getting up to prepare our DIY-style waffles from the assorted buffet station. And, then helped ourselves to a large pint of orange juice (that many of us thoughtfully wished was a mimosa - lol.) In front of each seat on the table were supplies we used for the class: a weaving loom engraved with Tatianna Monet’s name, multicolored cords, a macrame comb, wooden dowel, yarn needle and tapestry needle.

Everyone’s macrame skill levels ranged from beginner, like myself, to fast learners, and  crochet/macrame hobbyists, such as my closest table mates: Julia and Iris. Both kindly and patiently guided me more than a few times to string up my loom. That first part of the activity was fairly easy. It required a lot of repetition, but not in the boring way, where you could take your eyes off the redundant task. You really had to lock in and give it your undivided attention. Well, at least that’s how I felt since it was my first time. 

Throughout the class Monet demonstrated with the tools in hand, as we all followed along to the sound of her voice, occasionally looking up at her demo, to see if we got it right. In just under two hours – from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. — her class uncovered hidden truths that gave me some profound insight about myself. 

I noticed it was a challenge for me to get the rhythmic dance of weaving the cord horizontally across the loom in the similar swift way I saw many of the other women effortlessly do. The motion was simple over-under, over-under, and repeat until you got to the end. My brain wasn’t working and I felt myself grow impatient, each time I tried. 

Macrame, truly an art form, made me realize I need to be patient with myself, to slow down, listen intently, ask for help and not be afraid to start over. Regardless of how much further along everyone else reached in their process. Each of us created something different, uniquely fitting to our eyes. From color choices to designs, each macrame had its own touch and flare, representative of its creators' imagined designs. 

Even in the time crunch we were under, I still created a macrame masterpiece.