Page 265 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"

turk’s head knots 259

At left, a tripled 4L3B TH Knot. At right, a tripled
5L4B TH Knot.

as the number of bights increases – the bights have
to ride up over each other, producing a bumpy
effect that is often undesirable in a flat mat.
To overcome this tendency it is necessary
to open the centre so that there is room
for the bights to lay flat. Take a look at
the 3L5B and the 6L5B above. One has
an open centre, the other is a little more
closed off. Conversely, you can see in the
photographs of the 4L3B and the 5L4B
above that three or four bights will nest
together nicely to close off the centre of the mat,
while still leaving it relatively flat. Take a look back
also at the chapter on flat mats, where we show the
Thump Mat, and compare the number of bights
inside and outside that mat to the flattened TH
knots in this chapter. One last thing about flat TH
Knot mats – you can always start them flat and make
your ‘overs’ and ‘unders’ in accordance with your
Universal TH Knot Grid maker. However, it does
take some patience to work them out this way –
forewarned is forearmed!

adding colour as a Feature
By adding a second strand of a different colour
into the open form of the weave, we get some really
stunning effects of colour and even texture, as seen
here.
Note that the second colour is inserted between A 5L8B TH Knot, tied as a cylinder, then flattened
the two passes of the first colour. All four ends are then and shaped, with a second colour added and then
glued, sealed, taped, or sewn to the back of the knot. Be the whole knot faired. Notice the change of tex-
sure to tighten the first colour only after inserting the ture from the shiny braided yellow polypropylene
second colour. For small knots, use tweezers to pull the to the more subtle tan braided hemp in between.
Notice also the long, graceful curve from the outer
inner strands in tightening. bight to the centre, and the sharp return from the
centre.