Jennifer MacDonald, age 13, of Pocatello, Ida., for her question

WHEN WAS MACRAME FIRST MADE?

Macrame is the art of creating practical and decorative items by knotting cord, rope or string. Arabian weavers probably developed knotting during the 1200s. But the word macrame was not used until about the 1400s.

Here's how you pronounce macrame: mack ra may. The word comes from an Arabic or Turkish word for "fringe."

During the 1800s, sailors knotted such macrame items as bottle covers and nets.

Macrame can be used to make clothing and such accessories as belts and purses, as well as sculptures, wall hangings and other ornamental items.

Many individual cords are knotted together to make a macrame article. The two basic knots used are the clove hitch and the square knot. These knots are then often combined with each other or with different knots in an unlimited number of arrangements.

Beads, feathers, bells and other small objects can be tied into the work for variety.