Page 5 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"
P. 5
PREfACE v
PreFace
Practical knots (and books about how to tie and white photographic plates illustrating knots and
use them) are commonly found in the company attempting to describe their construction. The
of sailors, campers, mountaineers, rock-climbers, book’s value as a reference work is evident to those
fishermen, firefighters, rescue workers, linesmen, who have some mastery of knots and knotting.
riggers, and others who regularly use line for work Following the publication of Graumont
or leisure. Many books of knots include some & Hensel’s Encyclopedia, Clifford W. Ashley
dec ora tive knots. However, books entirely about wrote the somewhat encyclopedic Ashley Book
decorative knots from around the world are hard to of Knots (1944), known to knotters as ABOK or
find. the “bible of knots”. It contains 3,854 knots and
The Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Rope Work knot descriptions and more than 7,000 drawings
by Graumont and Hensel (1939) was probably the prepared by Ashley himself – no mean feat
first large book in English to classify decorative considering that World War II was not yet over and
and functional knots together in one volume. paper was scarce!
It is a single volume containing 311 black-and- Since that time, there has been no single work
collecting decorative knotting from different
cultures around the world, a void I now hope to
partially fill.
In this book I hope to share my passion for
decorative knotting by teaching you how to make
such knots yourself. Provided here are step-by-
step instructions, illustrated with photographs. If
I succeed in this endeavour, it is because you have
joined with me in seeing the overall pattern and
sense of the knot, aided by photographs showing
critical stages in their construction. Where I do not
meet your expectations, I welcome your feedback
for further and future improvements at
www.theknotguy.com.
While there are several distinct styles in which
decorative knots may be fashioned, this book will
focus strictly on the use of cord, avoiding other
elements of decoration that rely on knotting, like
beadwork, ornaments, or pearls. I have tried to
include as many types of decorative knots as are
known. However, I cannot describe every decorative
knot; the craft is constantly evolving, and so instead
I have attempted to classify decorative knotting by
the style of knotting, thereby enabling you to find
which style most appeals to your sensibilities. I then
Frontispiece from Graumont & Hensel’s provide information concerning the background
Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Rope Work, and construction of some better-known knots of
published by Cornell each style. The list of knots is, of course, incomplete
