Page 160 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"
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154 tHe  ULtiMAte  Book  oF  DecorAtive  knots




                   depend to some extent on its thickness relative to
                   the warp cord thickness, but a good rule of thumb
                   is to use twice as much weft cord as is needed to
                   singly wrap the piece. Imagine if you will that you
                   are wrapping the whole piece with a single strand
                   of cord. Wrap enough to cover a one-inch length
                   and mark the beginning and end, then measure
                   the length from beginning to end and multiply
                   by two to get the length of your weft. Add to this
                   number about ten percent more to allow for mis-
                   measurement, thickness differences, and handling,
                   and you will have the right length for your weft to be
                   long enough – you wouldn’t want to run out before   2
                   finishing, would you?                                       wrap a Half Hitch over the weft cord with
                                                                               each warp cord in turn.


                   graFting
                   Grafting simply reverses the process used for
                   pointing. Instead of wrapping a weft around the
                   warp cords, spiralling around the cylinder, the
                   warp or long cords are wrapped around the weft
                   cord. Again, it is important to keep the weft cord
                   taut throughout the wrapping process. Notice the
                   slight angle the cords make with the base rod or rail
                   being covered, and use this to your advantage when
                   figuring the final shape.

                                                                      3        Continue wrapping Half Hitches with each
                   overhand grafting
                                                                               warp to cover the piece with overhand round-
                                                                               turn grafting. The end of the weft has here been
                                                                               wrapped around the base of the warp cords,
                                                                               but could equally be immediately started into
                                                                               French whipping to finish the ends. alternately,
                                                                               the ends may be covered with a Turk’s Head or
                                                                               a variant. Contrasting colours will highlight the
                                                                               warp cords and help to provide a handsome
                                                                               accent, whereas using the same colour cord for
                                                                               warp and weft will produce a very interesting
                                                                               textured surface.
                 1        Secure the weft cord (make sure it’s stiffer than



                          the warp cords) and keep it taut.
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