Page 353 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"
P. 353
ornamental knots 347
are used in royal adornments, and the softer colours There are thirty-six basic Korean Knots, too
or yin are used in women’s clothing and accessories. many to describe here. What follows is a smaller
Korean Knotting can be difficult to differentiate selection. I encourage you to pursue the subject
from Chinese Knotting, yet it has a distinct flavour, more by browsing the works of master tyers Kim
adorning wedding dresses and clothing, and recently Hee-Jin, author of Maedup: The Art of Traditional
as lanyards on mobile phones. Typical Korean Korean Knots, and Kim Sang Lan, author of
Knotting decoration is made with a finer thickness Decorative Knot Craft. The knots presented here are
of cord than Chinese Knotting decoration. Round listed in order of simplicity, rather than in alphabetic
cord (dongdahoe), or flat cord (gwangdahoe), is made order.
and dyed from raw silk. Today, many other forms of
cord may be used, but the best is made from raw silk the douBle ConneCtion
using dyes made with plant extract. Also, the names knot (dorae maedup)
used to describe Korean Knotting derive less from This is a most straightforward knot and, when
abstract notions such as longevity and abundance, made in two contrasting colours, perhaps one of the
but from objects in nature and everyday life. easiest to look upon and understand. If you have a
Of course, Korean Knotting plays a cultural role need to make a start on any project with two cords,
but it also plays an important family role in uniting, this surely must be the knot for you!
figuratively and in life, the essence of the nations.
1 take two cords side 3 Loosely at first, and then with
a little more persuasion, push
by side and tie a left-
the knots together and then
handed overhand
Knot in one of pull their cords as one apart on
each side of the knot. in slippery
them. cord this will result in the knots
opening to accommodate each
other and to tighten around each
others’ crossing parts.
2 tie a left-handed Here we show a string of Double
Connection knots. They can be made
overhand in the second
cord also, being sure to
immediately adjacent to each other.
tie around the a little distance apart as here or tied
standing part of the
first cord, wrapping
around the base
of the first knot,
then passing the
second cord up
through its own loop
and the loop of the
previous knot, as
shown.