How to make a hanging planter with string and a key ring

So you’ve filled your desk, bookshelves, nightstand and seemingly every spare spot in your home with plants. Is it time to stop collecting sprouts?

Nope.

A hanging planter opens up new, pretty possibilities for houseplants. Instead of cluttering up a surface, a hanging planter puts greenery up and out of the way.

To make one, you’ll practice measuring, calculating distance and tying knots. Here’s how, adapted from The Spruce Crafts.

What you need:

What you do:

1. Choose where you will hang your planter and use a tape measure to decide how much rope you need. The length should be from wherever it will hang from (like a curtain rod) to the very end of the tassel that will hang underneath. Once you have your measurement, add 12 inches, then cut identical lengths of rope.

2. Measure the height of your plant pot. Subtract 1 inch, then divide by 2. (If the pot is 4 inches tall, for example, the end result is 1.5 inches.) This is how far apart your knots will be later.

3. Gather the eight pieces of rope together and tie one end in a knot. Then spread out the ropes on a large surface or the floor, so the knot is in the middle. Divide the ropes into four groups of two, then tie each pair together with a knot.

4. To create the second row of knots, take the left side of one of your pairs. Use it to tie a knot with the right side of the next pair over. Use the measurement from Step 2 to decide how far away your new knot should be from the first row.

5. Repeat Step 4 until you’ve made four new knots. The planter should look like a large square with a diamond inside.

6. Place your pot on top of the first large knot. Carefully gather all of the strings and pull them above the pot.

7. Use the ends of the ropes to tie a big knot around a key ring.

8. Attach the key ring to a hanging hook, or use an extra piece of rope to tie it to a curtain rod.

Comments: molly.duffy@thegazette.com