Reclaimed Wall Art: Making Big Knots With Recycled Rope with Sitoë Thiam
We’re basically making a giant friendship bracelet for your wall 🪢 Learn the basics of macrame to design your own knotted rope wall hanging using reclaimed climbing rope! All materials provided.
About the Instructor: Sitoë Thiam (b. 1997) is a Brooklyn-born, San Diego-based fiber artist and designer exploring how modern tools and traditional techniques can transform waste materials into functional works of art. She worked as a Mechanical Engineer for 5 years before starting Unknot, her art studio and brand in 2024. Now Sitoë knots colorful compositions, designs accessories, and experiments with unexpected materials.
Sitoë’s love of intuitive design, sustainability, fashion, and local foraging (of the natural and trash variety) drives her work. Weaving these interests together has led to three paths of research and art practice: 1) weaving and knotting whimsical, wearable art, and designing tools that make it possible, 2) testing traditional fiber art techniques and technologies on secondhand and discarded materials, and 3) exploring education strategies for these traditional arts in ways that feel accessible and approachable!
Artist and engineer Sitoë Thiam will teach you macramé fundamentals and a few basic knots to transform old, retired climbing rope into a sculptural wall hanging of your own design! You’ll get a brief history on the art of knotting, then dive into some hands-on instruction for how to make the Square knot and many of its variations. Next, Sitoë will cover some composition rules and tips. Finally, you’ll get to design and knot your own climbing rope wall hanging to bring home and adorn your space! The workshop is designed for all skill levels and is beginner friendly. So if you’re looking to find a new use for some old rope, or just want to learn a new, hands-on craft, this workshop is for you!
All the rope for this workshop was sourced secondhand from climbers and climbing gyms! After years of use, ropes take on enough damage to become a safety risk and need to be retired from climbing. But, they’re still great crafting material! Macrame is one of the classic ways to use old climbing rope and give it new life.
What to Bring:
Just bring yourself
Optional: your old (washed) climbing rope!
What’s Provided:
24 yds rope
Cutting tools and work surfaces
What You’ll Walk Away With
A one-of-one artwork designed and knotted by you to adorn your space
A few foundational knots
Built intuition around the art of macrame
Skills Used:
Fundamentals of macrame
The square knot, plus 3 variations
Spiral
Winged
Spaced
Fiber art composition techniques
About Kiki and Bouba Craft Lab: Kiki and Bouba is an experimental craft lab run out of our private studio in East Williamsburg. Artists ourselves, we spend our days tinkering so we can bring you exciting, new crafts you won't find anywhere else. Classes are kept intentionally very small so that you'll have your instructor's attention throughout. Questions are welcome at every step.
What to Expect at Our Workshops: This is not a paint-and-sip. We specialize in 2–4 hour workshops that teach you the fundamentals of skills that have taken us years to hone. Classes are skill-intensive and hands-on, with a small seat capacity so everyone gets the attention they need. Come ready to embrace the learning curve. The skills and satisfaction you walk away with are always worth it.
Refund Policy: Kiki & Bouba Craft Lab is a small, artist-run studio led by just the two of us, Adrianna and Zolzaya. Every ticket directly supports the materials, space, fees, and care that go into each workshop. Because of this, all ticket purchases are final and non-refundable, so we encourage you to book thoughtfully. If you’re unable to attend, you’re welcome to pass your spot along to a friend. Just email us at [email protected] so we can update the registration.
If you’d prefer to switch into another workshop of the same price, we’re happy to help with that as long as you reach out at least 72 hours before your scheduled class.
Photography & Video Notice: We take photos and videos at our workshops for promotional use. By purchasing a ticket, you consent to being recorded and potentially featured in future marketing materials. If you prefer to not be included, please let us know in writing prior to your class. Thank you so much!
Please Note: Workshop materials, templates, handouts, and instructional content are provided for personal use only and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used to teach commercial workshops without written permission.
Please Note: Participants will receive a liability waiver by email before the class begins, required to be completed prior to class. Please arrive on time to maximize your making time.