Page 382 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"

376 the ultimate book of decorative knots

in crossing the Thar Desert of northwestern India. the required stiffness and strength. Patterns soon
It is also found in Colombia and in Israel. There developed by using different-coloured cords.
are three basic techniques: Plain Oblique Twining To start twining, the cord is divided in two
(POT), Single Course Oblique Twining (SCOT), over a buckle, a rod, or another piece of cord,
and Two-Layer Oblique Twining (TLOI). This last which acts as the base or hanger for the piece. One
technique created small pockets where it is said that half of the cord is the active part and the other is
gold pieces or coins could be hidden from view. The the passive part. The passive part of the cord is
technique also allowed for the creation of a two- opened in the centre, thus splitting the ply, and
sided pattern. the active cord is passed through it. No knotting,
Split-ply twining is, as its name suggests, a way just feeding one line through another. This is not
of splitting the twine to make a woven product, a simple task – far from it! The colours are usually
instead of the usual form of weaving one cord over selected so that one side of the finished piece is
and under another, where neither cord is being split one colour or one pattern when complete and the
but woven. The action of splitting the cord brings other side has its own unique pattern. Wool yarns
the cords all to one side of the piece, resulting in a are sometimes substituted for the cotton or jute, to
triangular woven piece, with one side of the triangle make softer, more forgiving fabrics or even fabrics
forming an edge of the fabric. The direction of that, depending on the tension applied to individual
splitting then reverses to allow the cords to be split cords or yarns, may have a texture, including curves
to the other side of the strap fabric. The building of and re-entrant hollows. Many split-ply weavers
triangular sections of split cords allows for a very make their own cords, so that they can pick and
strong fabric that is used to make a long, narrow choose the tightness of the lay, the placement of the
strap that can withstand much pulling and tugging colours and the material of which the cord is made.
without stretching unduly or snapping. Camel girths Hemp, paper, wire, and seagrass have all been used
were made from four-ply cords in cotton or jute, as the base twine in split-ply work, some with more
the most readily available fibres around that had success than others!

The work of Maggie Machado of
Oregon, USA, making cords into
handsome key fobs.