Page 124 - Lydia Chen - The Complete Book of Chinese Knotting

07 Creative Designs (115-129) 3/23/07 4:59 PM Page 121

This design is adapted from a piece of Han
4 Dynasty brassware.The necking birds repre-
sent a loving couple, hence the neck is the focus
of the formation. But in order to make the knot as
elegant as possible, the fanned tail also needs to
be highlighted. A good luck knot with compound
outer loops, enhanced with other colored cords,
will produce this lavish effect.
TYING INSTRUCTIONS
1. For each head, claw and body, follow the knot-
ting process in Design 1 (page 118).
2. For each tail, tie six ear loops, inclusive of both
cord ends, into a good luck knot with compound
outer loops.
3. After tightening, sew in the colored cords and
hide the cord ends inside the knot body.
4. Make sure the necks of the bird are adjusted so
that they are exactly the same length. If not, the
intersections of all the outer loops will not fall on
the same axis, thus affecting the overall appear-
ance of the design.

A bird design on a piece of Han Dynasty brassware.

REAL AND IMAGINARY CREATURES 121