TomKnots

New stuff in color. Updated 10/4/2011 (Latest on top)

2010-07-30T17:36:00.017-04:00

Here are the latest things that I have finished using hand twisted cord and a variety of knots and weaves.

4489

3909

3819

3822

3761

3908

3601

3599

3213

3214

3593

3599

3597

3596

3595

3594

3600

3611

Chatelaine

2010-01-02T20:14:00.003-05:00

Here we have a Chatelaine (aka tool belt) that I made for my wife, the quilter. Length 55" witdth 2". When worn around the neck, the Chatelaine provides ready access to the quilter's tools. It's made with varius ply split braiding weaves. Accessories consist of a pocket for needle threader (upper left), and below it an attachment to hold a hemostat (used for gripping needles). At top right is an etui ( a twee) for storing needles, with a thimble holder below, followed by a sheath holder for a pair of sissors (not yet acquired).

3050

Ply split - beyond the half hitch

2009-10-05T21:00:00.003-04:00

Ply split braiding is another avenue of knotting that has a lot of potential for extending the range of the work I have been doing with the half hitch and simple weaving. I haven't figured out just how that will work but I'm sure something will come of it. Another plus to the process is that I have to make my own cords. So far, I have been working with cotton twine and jute and they are not easy to find in large quantities. Now that I have tried some twine making by twisting yarn into cord, I have added color possibilities to the knot work. It has taken some time with the cord and more with trying out ply splitting but here is what I've managed so far.

2901

Weavery

2009-08-31T17:48:00.013-04:00

I have been trying to include some new elements in my frames. Here are some new things that use the horizontal cords as warps (click to enlarge).

2757 - Jute & cotton - 18" x 15"

2857 - Jute & cotton - 26" x 34"

2858 - Jute & cotton - 15" x 18"

Web sites and Books - Updated 1/10/11

2008-08-28T15:11:00.005-04:00

Books

Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Rope Work

by Raoul Graumont and John Hensel
This was my first knot book. It is a great reference but can be challenging to beginning knotters.

The Ashley Book of Knots
by Clifford W. Ashley
The knotters bible. Otherwise known as ABOK when cited as a reference.

Knotcraft by Stuart E. Grainger
My primary reference for half hitching weaves. It may be available from the International Guild of Knot Tyers (IGKT - see web site references).

Creative Ropecraft by Stuart E. Grainger
Next best thing if the Knotcraft book is not available.

The Complete Book of Decorative Knots
by Geoffrey Budworth
A good and affordable beginners guide to decorative knotting. I would recommend it as a startup book.

Chinese Knotting by Lydia Chen

Ply Split - Twining - Weaving

Woven Structures by Marla Mallett (Web site below)

The Techniques of Ply-Split Braiding by Peter Collingwood

Ply-Split Braiding by Julie Hedges

A Guide to Weft Twining by David W. Fraser

Weft Twining by Virginia I. Harvey & Harriet Tidball

The Basic Book of Twining by Esther Warner Dendel

Web sites

International Guild of Knot Tyers http://www.igkt.net/

TomKnots - http://www.tomknots.blogspot.com/

Alaska Museum of Fancy Knots - http://www.knotical-arts.com/

Knots on the Web (Peter Suber) - www.earlham.edu/~peters/knotlink.htm

Ropers Knot Pages - http://www.realknots.com/

Louise French Ply-Split http://www.louisefrench.com/index.html

Linda Hendrickson Ply-Split http://www.lindahendrickson.com/

Ply-Split group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/plysplit/

David W. Fraser Ply-Split & Twining http://www.fraserfiber.com/index.html

Julie Hedges Ply-Split http://www.juliehedges.co.uk/pages/frontpage.html

Marla Mallett http://www.marlamallett.com/index.htm On Home page scroll down to The Basic Tribal Weaves for various weaves and knots, otherwise just browse around.

How to - 1740

2008-08-27T15:49:00.015-04:00

1740 is a cow hitched weave starting at the top and continued to the bottom.

2393

2393 Shows the top of 1740.

2394

2394 Shows the bottom of 1740.

2398 through 2417 show the beginning of the weave which starts at the top of the bottle neck (using a tube for demo purposes). 2298, 99, & 2401 show the initial hitch. After the initial hitch is completed, other hitches are added around the neck continuing to circle down the length of the neck as shown in 2412 & 2414.

2398 2399 2401 2412 2414

Once the weave has a number of turns down the neck, the weave can be slid up over the top end of the bottle and pulled up slightly to close the opening enough so that it will not slip down the neck as the weave progresses. 2415 shows the weave extending over the end of the bottle. 2416 shows a slight closing of the opening and 2417 a small enough opening to prevent slipping down over the neck.

2415 2416 2417

The closing is accomplished by pulling the upper end of the cord through the cow hitches and adjusting the space between the hitches evenly. The end is then tucked through two adjoining hitches and can be cut off short (but not so short that it pulls through the knot) when the weave is completed. 2411 shows the first tuck - the end of the cord is hardened with super glue and filed smooth but a pricker of some sort will probably be needed to open a space for tucking the end. After the top is secured, the weave can be continued down the neck until it widens over the bottle. The spaces between the hitches will expand and an additional hitch can be added in the spaces which will make for a more solid appearance for the remainder of the weave.

2411

2422 shows the initial weave for a mat to cover the bottom of the bottle (Ashley Book Of Knots #2356). Any round mat will do but this one works well. After the initial weave, the mat can be doubled or tripled to fill in the space available. I use white glue (Elmers) to fasten the mat to the bottom and then extend the cow hitch weave over the edges far enough to secure the mat to the bottom. Once the weave is in place over the bottom the end of the cord can be woven back into the hitching to hide it and keep it from coming loose.

2422

If you run out of cord during the weaving process see the How To on splicing to add more cord. I use a simple marline type splice that works well and is easy to hide behind whatever you are working on. Since there is usually no need for the splice to hold any weight or stress, I have found this to be a quick and easy splice for adding cord. If you are working on a project that will not allow you to hide the splice, you will have to do something a little more nautically correct and use a short or long splice - or make sure you have enough cord to complete the project without splicing.

How to - Splicing

2008-08-26T14:54:00.008-04:00

This is a simple marline type splice that entails interweaving the ends of two cords and pulling them together to add cord when you run out. It can be used when there is no strain or pull on the cords to cause the splice to fail. After joining the cords and completing the project, the ends can be tucked in to hide them and cut off short (but not so short that it pulls out of the weave). 2418 shows the first tuck and 2419 through 2421 show the second tuck and the splice as it is pulled up tight.

2418 2419

2420 2421

1811

2008-07-03T20:48:00.003-04:00

1811 - Cotton on jute 8" x 10".

1771

2008-07-03T20:37:00.004-04:00

1771 - Jute 10" x 8.5".

1740

2008-06-17T14:09:00.006-04:00

1740 - Cotton on bottle. 11" x 3.5".

1754

2008-06-17T14:03:00.005-04:00

1754 - Cotton on vase. 4" high x 3" wide.

2210

2008-06-17T13:54:00.004-04:00

2210 - Cotton covered box 3" x 3" (top 3.75") See 2302 & 2304 for inside & top/bottom views.

How to - Cow Hitch Weave

2008-06-17T12:09:00.010-04:00

I'm hoping most of this will not need explaining. I have pinned down a border cord which will anchor the weave. Arrows show the path of the working end of the cord. 2326 shows the beginning at upper left corner. 2327 shows the first row and the turn around knot to reverse the weave. A cow hitch could be used here as well but the one shown is smaller. The first turn goes under the border cord (sorry about the cover up) and the rest is visible to follow. 2331 shows the beginning of the return row. 2332, 2333 & 2334 show the path of the next two rows.
The texture of the weave depends on how many initial turns are made. Click on the image to get a close up view - you will have to scroll to see different areas or you could download them. The end of the cord is hardened with super glue and filed smooth. Be careful with the super glue!

Examples of the cow hitch and round turn weaves are shown in posts 2291 and 2196 (frames) and 2210 (round turn top), 1754 (round turn top - cow hitch bottom), & 1740 (solid round turn)

2326

2327

2331

2332

2333

2334

How to - Round Turn Weave

2008-06-16T19:48:00.017-04:00

I'm hoping most of this will not need explaining. I have pinned down a border cord which will anchor the weave. Arrows show the path of the working end of the cord. 2322 shows the path of the weave from upper right, across to the left and back to the right edge. 2323, 2324 & 2325 show the path back and forth.

The texture of the weave depends on how many initial turns are made. Click on the image to get a close up view - you will have to scroll to see different areas or you could download them. The end of the cord is hardened with super glue and filed smooth. Be careful with the super glue!

Examples of the cow hitch and round turn weaves are shown in posts 2291 and 2196 (frames) and 2210 (round turn top), 1754 (round turn top - cow hitch bottom), & 1740 (solid round turn)

2322

2323

2324

2325

2301

2008-06-10T17:40:00.008-04:00

2301 - Large white acorn ball dia. 2.25" Small ball dia. 1.25" Large brown acorn ball dia. 1.5"

2193

2008-06-09T16:28:00.007-04:00

2193 - Cotton on jute 14" x 17".

2200

2008-06-09T15:15:00.004-04:00

2200 - Cotton covered vase 8" x 5"

2303

2008-06-09T14:12:00.006-04:00

2303 - Vase bottoms. Dia. large 5" small 2.5"

2294

2008-06-09T13:44:00.003-04:00

2294 - Cotton on jute 12" x 12"

2204

2008-06-09T13:38:00.003-04:00

2204 - Cotton covered vase 8.5" x 2.5 " base

2206

2008-06-09T13:35:00.003-04:00

2206 - Cotton covered vase 8.5" x 2.5 " base

2207

2008-06-09T13:31:00.003-04:00

2207 - Cotton covered vase 8.5" x 2.5 " base

2293

2008-06-09T13:26:00.005-04:00

2293 - Jute frame & background with jute braid 11" wide 10" tall.

2295

2008-06-09T13:19:00.004-04:00

2295 - Cotton inverted turks head on jute 16" x 20"

2291

2008-06-08T21:47:00.004-04:00

2291 - Jute on jute with cotton centers 28" x 24"

2194

2008-06-08T21:37:00.005-04:00

2194 - Cotton on jute 24" x 20"

1508

2008-05-01T11:20:00.007-04:00

1508 - Cotton covered vase 8.5" x 2.5 " base.

1540

2008-05-01T11:17:00.004-04:00

1540 - Cotton covered vase 8.5" x 2.5 " base.

2198

2008-04-03T11:47:00.010-04:00

2198 - Cotton covered vase 8" x 5 ".

2196

2008-04-03T11:44:00.011-04:00

2196 - Cotton on jute 11" wide x 10" high.

2197

2008-04-03T10:24:00.010-04:00

2197 - Cotton on jute wall hanging 20" x 20"