Decorative Knots
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If you have never visited this website before then I would recommend that you begin at the Home Page. It explains that the type of rope you use, the age of the rope, the wear and tear on the rope, the types of knots you tie, whether you tied the knots properly or not, whether you "dressed" the knots properly or not, whether you "set" the knots properly or not, and so on, all have an impact on the Safe Working Load of your rope and the security of the knots you tie. Whatever risks are associated with the rope or string that you use and the knots that you tie, remember that the risks are entirely your own.
Here is a list of the articles in this series. Every link will open up in a new window to give you more control as you browse around in this website:
Knots can be attractive and decorative in addition to being useful. This article describes several decorative knots which were chosen for their symmetric and attractive qualities, as well as for their ease of tying. There are many other decorative knots, but they can be quite complex to tie (in other words, I didn't include them here because I haven't yet figured out how to tie them properly!).
Here is a small selection of the many websites which contain pictures of fancy knots:
Just for fun (and possibly for practical purposes as well), try your hand at these decorative knots:
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Budworth calls this a "Blimp Knot" because it is similar to a Zeppelin Bend but is smaller and softer, and he says, "This is a nicely symmetrical ornamentation for an otherwise uninteresting length of cord." (The Complete Book of Decorative Knots, p.34).
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Budworth says, "It shortens and adds attractive bulk to a light pull, waist-tie, friendship braid, or whatever. In thicker material it creates a superb makeshift handle for a travelling case." (The Complete Book of Decorative Knots, p.35)
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Budworth says that "Like so many fancy knots, this is a pleasure simply to make for its own sake, but it does create a basic button suitable for any occasion." (The Complete Book of Decorative Knots, p.63)
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To tie this knot, first lay out the rope on a table as in picture 1 so that there are three bights pointing North, West, and East. The two ends of the rope are pointing South. It is helpful to place an object such as a screwdriver across the two ends of the rope (as in picture 2), then bring the two ends of the rope up and over the East-pointing bight so that the ends of rope are now pointing North (picture 2). Bring the East-pointing bight over to the left so that it is now pointing West (picture 3). Bring the North-pointing bight over and down so that it is now pointing South, and tuck it under the screwdriver (picture 4). Bring the West-pointing bight over to the right and tuck it through exactly where the screwdriver is laying, then remove the screwdriver (picture 5). Carefully pull the ends of the rope and the three bights in order to tighten the knot at the center (picture 6). Place the screwdriver across the ends of the rope again, then bring the ends of the rope over and down so that they are pointing South (picture 7). Repeat the procedure for the three bights as before (first with the East-pointing bight, then with the South-pointing bight, then tuck the West-pointing bight through where the screwdriver is, then remove the screwdriver) (picture 8). Turn the knot over and notice that the back side has four extra strands of rope which do not appear on the front side of the knot (compare pictures 8 and 9). Pull those four extra strands of rope out slightly so that they form four small loops (picture 10). Finish tightening the knot (picture 11).
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Budworth says, "Embellish a gift-wrapped parcel with this knot, hang it around your neck (or give one to a friend) or on your front door during any festive season, or use it as a complex of belt loops for keys or tools." (The Complete Book of Decorative Knots, p.46)
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Budworth says, "Originally used to form the loop of a neck lanyard that actually did have a seaman's knife suspended from it. This knot will do for anything requiring a fixed loop in a middled strand." (The Complete Book of Decorative Knots, p.48)
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This method creates a flat version of the Portuguese Sinnet. If you tie Granny Knots instead of Reef Knots (picture 1 below) then you will end up with a fancy twisted version of the Portuguese Sinnet (picture 2).
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To tie a 4Lx3B Turk's Head as a flat "mat," first form the shape in picture 1. Now bring the working end of the rope (i.e. the main part of the rope) back towards the right so that it passes entirely under the loop on the left (picture 2). Bring the working end of the rope back towards the left so that it weaves through the strands of rope in an over-under-over-under-over pattern, then curve it back towards the other end of the rope (picture 3). You have now created a "one-ply" 4Lx3B Turk's Head knot. To make a "two-ply" knot, simply rethread the entire knot with the working end of the rope, precisely following the original path (picture 4). This creates a "doubled" 4Lx3B Turk's Head mat, and you can make it as loose (with large gaps where the green is showing through in picture 4) or as tight (with little or no gaps) as you desire. If you have enough rope then you can thread the working end through the knot again to make a "three-ply" knot, and so on.
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Turk's Head knots are often tied around cylindrical objects. To tie a 4Lx3B Turk's Head around a post of some kind, first tie a basic Overhand Knot around the object (picture 1 below). Bring the working end of the rope behind the object (to the left of the Overhand Knot) and around to the front at the bottom of the object, then thread it through the Overhand Knot as in picture 2. Bring the working end back towards the left, over the first strand and under the second strand (picture 3). Now bring the working end behind the object (to the left of the knot) and around to the front at the bottom again, then thread it over-under-over as in picture 4. Now bring the working end behind the object (to the right of the knot) and around to the front at the bottom, and you have completed a one-ply 4Lx3B Turk's Head. If you thread the working end of the rope through the knot again, precisely following the original path, then tighten carefully, you will have a two-ply 4Lx3B Turk's Head (picture 5).
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To tie a 3Lx5B Turk's Head as a flat mat, first form the shape in picture 1. Now bring the working end of the rope back towards the right so that it weaves through the strands of rope in an over-under-over pattern (picture 2). Bring the working end back towards the left and down so that it weaves through the strands of rope in an under-over-under-over pattern, then curve it up towards the other end of the rope (picture 3). You now have a one-ply 3Lx5B Turk's Head mat. To make a two-ply mat, simply rethread the entire knot with the working end of the rope, precisely following the original path (picture 4). This creates a "doubled" 3Lx5B Turk's Head mat, and you can make it as loose (with large gaps where the green is showing through in picture 4) or as tight (with little or no gaps) as you desire. If you have enough rope then you can thread the working end through the knot again to make a three-ply knot, and so on. If you wish, you can pass an object through the center of the 3Lx5B mat, then tighten the knot carefully (picture 5).
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Here are several websites with more information on Turk's Head knots:
Here is a list of the articles in this series. Every link will open up in a new window to give you more control as you browse around in this website:
Consider visiting some of my other websites!
You'll find a Christian ministry with dozens and dozens of articles and answers to many questions that I have received over the years (please feel free to send me your questions and prayer requests!); plus a collection of some of the best self-working card tricks around (no sleight-of-hand required!); plus a bunch of amazing/funny/fascinating/interesting videos from around the Web which are all clean and family-friendly; plus lots of reviews of numerous fun and educational (and free!) computer games that you can download; plus a huge collection of cool science tricks and other fun stuff to try (using things around the house), and more!
For a complete list, go to http://www.Layhands.com/DavesWebsites.htm.
Hope you like 'em!
Modification History
11/17/2006: | Modified the description of how to tie the Jug Sling Hitch. Added a link to my new page called "Dave's Websites." |
10/17/2005: | Added the ABOK # to the list of names for each knot (based on Clifford Ashley's The Ashley Book Of Knots). Added the ability to download this entire website (all 9 articles) in a single .ZIP file. |
01/13/2005: | Modified some of the wording throughout the article. Added the Dragonfly. Added the Square Knot. |
05/18/2004: | Added some Turk's Head knots and modified my description of how to tie the Jug Sling Hitch. |
05/10/2004: | Added the Jug Sling Hitch and the Portuguese Sinnet. |
05/04/2004: | New article. |
Dave Root
Send e-mail to: dave@Layhands.com