Page 264 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"

258 the ultimate book of decorative knots

8 stop when all bights around the perimeter are

even and the strands all lie close together. cut
off the ends and stitch, glue, or tape them in
place on the underside of the mat, so that they
cannot be seen from the top and so that the A completed flat mat TH Knot of three leads and
number of strands visible is the same all the way four bights, the symbol of the International Guild
around, as shown in the next two photographs. of Knot Tyers, made with braided hemp.

Using the same technique of ‘turning’ the top of the
cylindrical knot inward to the centre of a flat mat
and ‘pulling’ the lower edge of the bights outward,
we can then dress the knot by adjusting the size of
the space in the centre and the appearance of the
bights around the outside. Here are a few more
‘regular’ TH Knots made from cylindrical knots
into flat knots.
Notice that the inside of the knot, when made as
a flat mat, tends to get more crushed or crumpled

Another 3L4B flat TH Knot, made with a more
open centre. This mat is made from twisted pol- At left, a 3L5B TH Knot as a flat knot. At right, a
ished hemp, made in Belgium, a very natural cord, 6L5B TH Knot as a flat knot. Notice the pentagon
slubs and all.
in the centre.