Rope is one of our current obsessions, but it’s also one of those items that will never leave my love list. It’s just a fantastic material, one of humanity’s greatest inventions. Rope owes all of its strength, durability and beauty to its structure. One simple knot can look as beautiful and graceful as many intricate layers of knots. I know I’m beginning to sound exactly like Portlandia‘s Jeff Goldblum, with his artisanal knot store, but I have a sincere love for and fascination with the beauty of rope, no matter how much of a hipster parody that might make me.

We’ll be bringing you more rope and knot-related projects in the coming weeks, but first, I wanted to share some of our best DIY projects from the archives featuring rope, twine, knotting, knitting and the like. For such a humble and relatively inexpensive material, rope can easily be fashioned into many different, incredibly beautiful forms. I hope you find something here that makes you grab an old ball of twine or length of cotton clothesline and start making things. Enjoy! — Kate

Image above: Derek and Lauren’s sailor’s knot trivet, which could double as wall decor, is fashioned out of a colorful patterned climber’s rope.

Read the full post after the jump . . .

Image above: This is still one my favorite projects! I have it hanging in my bathroom now. To make your own version of this coiled sisal rope wall art, you just need a lot of hot glue and patience.

Image above: Ashley’s simple and beautiful woven rope pendant lamp is actually made from an upside down planter.

Image above: Turn a simple Ikea stool (or any stool) into a gorgeous textural statement piece by covering the top in a web of woven jute twine.

Image above: Use extra rope, twine, string or yarn to make these lovely mini crochet baskets for storing little things around the house.

Image above: All you need to make one of these giant knot doorstops — for a fraction of the cost of purchasing one — are rope, scissors and a tennis ball.