Page 197 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"

purely decorative knots 191

star Knots
Star Knots may have been traded for supplies by
enterprising sailors who, having nothing else to
sell, may have been forced to trade one or two
Star Knots, perhaps those made with a single cord
instead of the multiple-corded variety usually
shown. Both varieties are shown here. Lastly, a
yarn about Star Knots. You will notice when you
have drawn them up fully that the Star Knots are
quite solid and heavy, particularly when made in
thicker cords. Take note that some would have you
believe that the mates on board ship would visit
the shoreside pubs and alehouses at the end of the
evening, carrying a handy Star Knot finish to the
end of a starter length of cord. When a drunken
landlubber (a potential sailor) was hit on the head
with such a knot, he would, literally, see ‘stars’ and
would find himself perhaps the luckless victim of the made with five or six strands, the seven and above
press gang. I do not believe the story, even though sometimes being too ‘busy’ and the four and three-
I tell it, because who would go to the trouble of strand too ‘quiet’ to be noticeable. The features that
making such a splendid knot only to use it as a club? truly make the Star Knot unique are the number of
Anyway, here are the purely decorative knots for strands to finish the upper or more visible surface
your enjoyment and to try for yourself. – triple strands looking the best, in my opinion, but
It has been said that anyone who can make a two strands for the smaller knots and four strands
Star Knot, without looking at the book, has truly also working quite well on the larger knots. Take
arrived in decorative knotting. I sincerely wish a look also at forming a three-strand edge to the
this achievement for you. I shall try, through these Star Knot instead of just the two strands normally
illustrations, to make the task as easy as possible for present.
you, so that you can not only make a multi-
strand Star Knot but also go on to teach others
how to make this truly delightful knot. For me,
the joy of the knot is the reverse turns that the
knot makes as it is formed. I have shown the
Single-Strand Star Knot also, so that you can
add one to a bellrope, a tassel, or to a stairway
adornment of your own. When making the
Star Knot with fine cords, my good friend
Charlie Bell makes these knots tight right from
the start, leaving large loops out of the knot so
that the knot can be made firm at the end by
closing the loops. I prefer the looser method,
where I can see the rough shape and then fair
it into the final form. However, I am more than
willing to concede that there are plenty of
other ways of making a Star Knot successfully.
Normally, the best Star Knots are said to be