Page 129 - Lidya Chen "Complete Book of Chinese Knotting"

07 Creative Designs (115-129) 3/27/07 4:55 PM Page 126

This scene of a fighting cock is adapted
10 from a wall painting in China’s famous
Dunhuang Caves.The lowered neck, long stride,
upward-pointing posterior claws and pointed tail
all indicate a fighting stance.
TYING INSTRUCTIONS
1.Tie a round brocade knot with eighteen outer
loops to make the head.Wrap every second ear
loop. Pull the cord ends out from the back of the
neck.
2.To make the body and tail, tie a single cord end
into a pan chang knot with reduced cords. Alter-
natively, tie a pan chang knot with reduced cords
together with a cord end for making both feet.
It is best to lay out the design first on a board,
anchoring the cord with pins before tying, for
better control of the knot formation.

A scene of fighting cocks from a Dunhuang
wall painting.

This design is not based on any particular flying maiden at Dunhuang. Rather, it has been created purely
12 to show the graceful downward flight and the fluttering tassels of the maidens.The two are differentiat-
ed by the varying length and arch of their eyebrows.
TYING
1.To make the headdress of each maiden, tie a round brocade knot with seventeen outer loops, in which every
sixth loop is wrapped, and a hui ling knot.
2.Tie a double coin knot and a pan chang knot with compound outer loops for the breasts; a modified pan
chang knot for each dress; a long double coin knot for each earring; and a double coin knot for each bracelet.

126 REAL AND IMAGINARY CREATURES