Page 326 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"

320 the ultimate book of decorative knots
10 now we finish off the left and lower arms
with a pass down through the centre.
Patrick Ducey (of the Pacific Americas Branch
of the IGKT) made available, to the Branch and
to all who would ask him, a printable grid that he
worked out on his home computer using CAD. It is
a three-dimensional cross, having depth as well as
width and height, which can be made with a base or
without, as shown here. There are four bights at the
ends of each arm, and the passes can be easily seen
in the version shown here.
The four-bight version made with one cord and
doubled.
There are many more cruciform shapes, dozens
of cross-shaped mats and ornaments, which can be
made using tatting, macramé, woven matting, or
some form of single-cord or multi-cord weave or
braiding. Ornate and intricate cruciform mats await
your touch!
CHinese Knotting
Chinese Knotting books fill an entire shelf in my
knotting library. These knots take many different
forms, but all derive from a set of basic patterns that
can be shaped and formed into pieces with fanciful,
mysterious shapes and colours, many of which have
interesting stories behind them. Lydia Chen is one
of my personal heroines for having almost single-
handedly resurrected this art form and shared so
much of her personal best with others in the world
through her excellent books, such as The Complete
Book of Chinese Knotting, written in Chinese,
English, and that common language of us all, knots.
Chinese Knotting is used to symbolise culture,
tradition, family, nature, and the forces of the world
around us like wind, earth, fire, and water.
Many of the knots shown here have been made
using a board, for ease of illustration when using
a camera. Skilled devotees of Chinese Knotting
will be able to make these knots in the hand, with
no other aids than their nimble fingers. I highly