Page 292 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"

286 the ultimate book of decorative knots

Back to the Little Lump Knot! One person in the to the finished knot. This padding is most readily
United States, Dan Callahan, can probably tell provided by tucking the ends of the strands into the
you more about the Little Lump Knot than almost knot, much as is done with some two-sided Chinese
anyone else, except perhaps the inventor of the knot, Knots, to give them some ‘body’ as needed. Here are
Pieter van De Griend of Holland. Dan Callahan is the instructions:
from Alaska, and he has developed the Little Lump Make a Matthew Walker Knot and tighten it.
Knot into a Lighthouse Knot finish, which he sells at Add an over-one crowning on top of this knot,
www.knotical-arts.com. Others around the world, tighten it, add another over-one crowning on top
including Vince Brennan, Andre van der Salm, and of that, and tighten it as well. Next, add a doubled
Don Wright (to name but three), also show you over-one crowning – doubling here means to take
how to make this Knob Knot through their online each successive pair of cords and crown them over
tutorials. What I have done here is to bring together between the next pair of pairs, tighten it, then take
the shoulders of the giants who came before me to the second pair between the next two pairs and so
assemble several different weaves. on, finishing with a tuck of the last pair under the
The Little Lump Knot (LLK for short) is a great first pair’s loop. Now tighten it all. On top of this,
way to finish the end of a bellrope or key fob with a add another doubled over-one crowning. You have
sphere. The difficult part of the LLK is getting the now built up four layers of tight knotting on top of
final crossings to go across the end of the knot and the MWK and are ready to start the edge work of
to take a slight detour along the way. One look at the the LLK itself. The layers provide the ‘padding’ of
photographs should explain this a little better than which I spoke earlier. Using the four pairs of strands
mere words can do. (assuming you are making an eight-strand LLK) you
The LLK can be made with any even number of will now make a Doubled Wall Knot. So far we have
cords from as few as eight up to as many as twenty- Crown, Crown, Doubled Crown, Doubled Crown
four or more. The number of cords used should, and Doubled Wall, all on top of the MWK at the end
when divided by two, result in an even number. of your bellrope or whatever you are adding the LLK
For example, 8/2=4; 12/2=6; 16/2=8; 20/2=10; onto.
24/2=12, and so on. Now that you have the Doubled Wall Knot on
This is necessary to produce a balanced knot. top (I strongly suggest you make this with the ends
This is not to say, of course, that you cannot make upward!) make another Wall Knot, but this time
any even number of strands into a LLK, like a ten- with each single cord as an over-one Wall Knot. Let
strand, fourteen-strand or eighteen-strand LLK. the ends of these single Wall Knot cords hang down
You can, but the end result is a little different, as you over the MWK you built this up from, to help cover
will see from the attached photographs. the crowning you did earlier – yes, you are now
The basic premise of the LLK is to make a going to cover the fine tight work you just did! For
Footrope Knot and then finish off the top of the each cord of your Wall Knot hanging down, here
knot with a cover of over-under passes, some of assuming you are clockwise walling, cross over the
which will cross in a ‘pass-and-tuck’ pattern. For cord to its immediate left and then tuck under the
LLKs with more strands, it will be necessary to next cord above that. The last part of this knot is
provide some padding under the final passes, to easier explained in photographs, so take a look at
bring the surface up and provide the ‘rounded’ look Stages 1 to 8 opposite.