Page 151 - Lydia Chen - The Complete Book of Chinese Knotting

09 Creative Designs cont. (148-160) 3/23/07 5:12 PM Page 148

Jewelry and Ornaments

The popularity of using Chinese knots for personal adornment and as accents on other items in daily use and in the
home has reached an all-time time. In Fun with Chinese Knotting: Making Your Own Fashion Accessories and Accents,
Lydia Chen introduced knotters to 135 practical knot formations employing a variety of cord materials and color
combinations. In this book, she takes jewlery and home decor to new heights by focusing on the use of gold and
silver cords to create exquisite necklace and earring sets as well as ornamental hanging formations.
Knotting with gold and silver cords requires thought, care and patience, but the end results are often stunning.
Gold cords, being very fine, can get lost if a design is too complicated. Moreover, gold, being a highly reflective mate-
rial, can be hard on a knotter’s eyes.
The silver threads in silver cords must also be treated carefully, otherwise they will unravel and snap easily. It is also
important when working with silver cords to tighten each section immediately after tying. Since silver cord can only
be twisted and not bent repeatedly, it is necessary to calculate where the bends will fall so that there is not excessive
bending – and breakage – during the tightening process.

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TYING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Using both cord ends, tie a modified pan chang
knot with a hollow center. Start with the clover-
leaf knot at the top. Upon completion of three
sets (right, left and center) of outer loops on the
outer side, take another cord and start knotting
from the center.This simultaneous knotting tech-
nique saves time and avoids getting the cord
sections mixed up.
2. Use a similar but thicker cord to tie the necklace
loop.

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