Page 343 - J. C. Turner "History and Science of Knots"

336 History and Science of Knots

it has been surmised that the Middle East was the cradle of square-knotting,
and that from there it was introduced into Europe.
No-one knows with any certainty where the name macrame came from,
but it is generally agreed that it is not a French word, as it appears to be. The
majority opinion is that it derives from the Arabic word migramah; this seems
reasonable, in view of the word's long use in Arab weaving. Migrama, which
literally means `protection', came to mean the fringed shawl or headcovering
which is common to the Arab. The derivation is reinforced by the fact that
in the Turkish language, which is allied to Arabic, there is the word makrama
which refers to a fringed towel or knapkin, `fringe' being the key connection
[2]. There is another naming theory, which will be referred to later.
It appears that square-knotting first arrived in Northern Europe with
the Moorish invasion of Spain, in A.D. 711. From Spain it spread to France,
where it enjoyed a brief period of popularity in the 14th Century, there being
known as filet- de-Carnassiere. The nuns of both Spain and France, expert in
all forms of needlework and lace-making, were quick to see the possibilities of
this decorative knotting, and they developed it from its original fringe-work
in course wool into a beautiful, fine, knotted lace. It became part of the
general Church scene; and there exist today several contemporary paintings
which may be viewed in Museums and Cathedrals, in the Northern Hemisphere
particularly, which show religious themes with macrame featuring in clothing
and altar cloths.

The Crusades and Renaissance Periods

Some centuries later, at the other end of the Mediterranean, the craft was
discovered again by Europeans, this time `on its home ground'- the Middle
East. It seems that they discovered it there during the Crusades, in the period
A.D. 1095-1228 In those days, wars were more leisurely, long-drawn out affairs
than they are today; and the Crusaders took their wives and servants along
with them when they set forth. Whether it was these ladies, or the sailors,
or both, who discovered and copied the practise of macrame, and brought it
back onto the ships, we do not know: but from then on until the present day
it has been a traditional sailor's pastime.
It was also during that period that returning crusader's ships carried the
macrame art to Italy, notably Genoa, where once again it was taken up by the
nuns. Initially it was employed as it had been by the Arab weavers; but again
the nuns developed it with other forms of lace. And because of its beauty,
and its comparative ease of manufacture, it was soon being made separately
as decorative panels in such materials as silk and unbleached linen. By the
Renaissance period it was known as punto a gruppo (knotted lace), and was
used to trim garments and household linen. As in Spain, and no doubt with