How to Make a Hammock With Ropes

Cut a 3-foot length of rope and tie its ends together, creating a loop. Hang the loop over a doorknob, nail or coat hook.

Wind rope around the netting shuttle until it is as full as you're comfortable working with. Cut the free end and tie it to the loop.

Hold the guide stick horizontally just beneath the loop, behind the hanging rope, and wrap the shuttle around it from front to back, unwinding as you go. Bring the shuttle up through the loop and tie a half-hitch around it, bringing the bight down to the right in front of the stick.

Wrap the rope around the stick, followed by a half-hitch around the loop, 19 more times for a total of 20 loops. Carefully slide the stick out from the row of loops and flip the row over so the shuttle is on the left again.

Make another row of 20 loops, holding the stick beneath the last row and tying the half-hitches around the small loop immediately above each new one, rather than the large starting loop. Continue, removing the stick and flipping the hammock over at the end of each row, until you've knotted 54 rows. If you run out of rope, reload the shuttle and continue.

Cut the starting loop and untie the hammock rope from it. Pull the starting loop out and tie the loose ends of the hammock to the nearest small loop. Cut 40 pieces of rope 50 inches long and tie one end of each to one of the end loops of the hammock.

Drill 20 equidistant holes in each piece of wood and place one at either end of the hammock. Thread a loose rope through each hole and tie the free ends at each end to one of the metal rings. Thread another piece of rope through each ring and tie them around two trees to hang the hammock.