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.
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