Hammock Chair

I couldn't find a pattern on the internet for a hammock-chair so it is a personal design. I decided to make very tight knots compare to the first hammock, because I do not like to feel like a fish caught in a net.

It took me a week and a half, working 2 hours the evening in week-days, and a lot more during the week-end. There are more than 2300 knots in this design, take your time.

I used polypropylene Bonnie-Braid Cords, "wine" and "harvest", 6mm, 400 yards in each color. You can purchase them at Carol's rug. It's a little rough to the touch and expensive but there are more colors to choose from than with nylon seine twine from a boating store. The knots used are : Lanyard knots (to attach the cords to the dowel), clew knot (the triangular knot below the top ring), square knots (for the hammock itself), and Josephine knots (for the middle vertical line).

If I had to do it again I would change how I connect the sides of the chair to the bar, I have left too many cords and it is cumbersome.

Supplies:

  • 400 yards of 6mm "wine" Bonnie Braid polypropylene cord
  • 400 yards of 6mm "harvest" Bonnie Braid polypropylene cord
  • white nylon seine twine for the clew knot
  • 3x 3" welded metal rings
  • 1x dowel large enough to support your weight
  • 4x wood/metal pegs to keep the rings in place on the dowels

Step 1: Cut the cords

You will need to cut the cords in the following manner:

PLEASE NOTE: When cutting the cords, the ends have a tendency to fray. A quick way to avoid this is to lightly burn the ends together with a lighter, keeping an old rag or towel handy to clean the black "goo" from the ends.

Step 2: Knot the first row.

The hammock has a rectangular shape: 1 out of 6 cords will go to the ring, those are longer (330 inches):

Group of cords

Step 3: Knot the rectangle

Use alternate square knots to create lines of different thickness and color:

The central line is made of Josephine knots ('8' shaped knot), without it the succession of lines would be boring.

Josephine knot

Since the knots are tight you can hang the hammock vertically when you knot.

Step 4: Attach the rectangle to the side rings

This is the tricky part. Take the long cords (1 out of 6) on each end of the rectangle and pass them inside the 2 rings. Try to adjust the length of the cords when you begin to tie the first row of the fringe. Once you have the first row done, check your length again with a weight in the hammock (untie the knots as necessary).

Once your cords are in place, finish the fringe with few more rows of alternate square knots. Tie each group with a stopper knot.

Step 5: Clew Knot

Pass the 6 white cords inside the last ring and begin the clew knot. Once you get the trick it's pretty simple, just weave your cords (above-under-above-under...) as numbered in the drawing below, once you weaved with a cord it's no longer used in the knot:

Clew knot

Step 6: Finish

Attach the 12 white cords to the dowel with Lanyard knots, near the 2 rings, and secure with a braid or a fringe. Put wood or metal pegs on the dowel to stop the cords and rings from sliding. Try your chair.