Page 241 - Adlard Coles "The Knot Bible"

Ocean braid mat

For sailors making long passages during the Age of Sail, the only thing
worse than too much wind was too little wind. Stuck aboard ship in the
Doldrums, their vessel ‘as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean’, the
rigging would creak and groan, wearing away at the vessel’s structure.
What better than to use the time constructively and make some mats to
protect the timber from chafe?

Their starting point was numerous have an effect on the shape and
knots that could be turned from texture of the fi nal product.
hitches into flat objects. The carrick • The first is the number of parts in

bend, for instance, could be enlarged the knot itself. The more parts you
ad infinitum to make a pleasing add, the longer or wider the knot

rectangular mat. The turk’s head, becomes, and the more complicated
too, normally used to protect spars, it looks. Because of the way the knot
could be tied flat to make a circular is tied, you usually have to double

mat (pages 234–237). Other knots or triple the whole knot, rather
were devised for no other purpose than simply add a bit at a time.
than to make mats, such as the • The second is the number of
prolong knot and the ocean plait. rounds you make with the rope. The
The beauty of these knots is they minimum is usually two rounds, and
can be produced in any size you the maximum is six. A two-strand mat
like, which means they can be used will look quite plain and may not sit

for anything from epaulettes to ... quite flat, while a six-strand mat
epaulettes. The size is determined may look busy but will sit fl at. Three
by three basic factors, which will all rounds is the usual compromise.

1 Starting with the loop in the 2 Take the working end and go 3 Still going anti-clockwise, tuck the
bottom left of the picture and around anti-clockwise, tucking working end over once, under once,
working clockwise, lay the line in the it over once, under twice, over over once, and under once.
pattern shown. The working end is once, under once, over once,
the lower line on the right-hand side. and under once.

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