Topic awaiting preservation: ABoK #1389

For the past few years I have been focusing on braiding and knotting of all kinds. Braiding and knotting baubles adorn some of my walls. From friendship bracelets all the way up to an awesome decorative 20'x10' net. It keeps me busy and mostly out of trouble.

One thing that I really enjoy doing is tricks with single strands. One of my more impressive single strands tricks is a 6 strand flat celtic knot braclet. I also enjoy Turk Head knots, and very recently globe knots.

There is one particular single strand trick that has been on my mind for a bit. I understand the basics of it, but I still have yet to diagram it.

Two days ago, I came across this:
A ?Single? Strand, Extended Version of ABOK #1389

Damn... makes what I have in mind look sane.

If I ever get the gumption, I may take it to Philo and talk about my knotty journey.

All this looks fantastic WarJ. I'm tempted to get a couple of tutorials/instructions/guides and basic materials and give it a go myself. Any recommendations for a novice or is it more like just jump in?

Kind of depends on what you want to do.

Personally, I think it would be good to start with regular Western macrame. Hippie bracelets. It's all square knots, half-hitches, lark's heads, and clove hitches (for the most part). All you really need is lots of whatever string and an anchor point. Anchor point being a hook on the wall or the clip part of a clip board. Some folks use tape right on a table to hold things down at the start. When I did my first few macrame projects, I used a pencil and my toes for the anchor and worked between my knees. Pretty basic stuff and will help strengthen your fingers/hands and get your mentals in order.

If you want to get into braiding, you can't beat a marudai. Instead of paying $200 for a professional stand and tamas (bobbins), I paid $23 for a no-frills wooden barstool and drilled a 3' hole in it. Then another $5 at the hardware store on washers, nuts, and those screw thingies for my bobbins. Then cobbled together a counter-weight from things found around the house. I can do some damn impressive braiding on my marudai - all on the cheap.

Another method of braiding on the super cheap is finger loop braiding:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKOKn7wazJA

There is a website out there somewhere with insane finger loop braiding instructions for some awesome, complex, dexterous-licious patterns.

For Turk's heads, like ABoK 1389, a cylinder and lots of pins. Or the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towel and some rubberbands. For the easier Turk's heads, a paper tube and rubbers bands is about all you really need. Maybe a needle of some kind. I like my Turk's head knots really tight, so I have carved myself a few fids from various wooden dowels and a few from bamboo slats. Or you can use whatever, like a big nail or a pointed scuplting tool.

Here is a very easy Turk's head tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c78O0bTbVvI

Easy to do and tied completely in-hand. If you can do a regular 3-strand braid (like a woman with long hair ponytail braid), then you can do that wicked easy. For doing these, I on occasion have been known to use a barrette or bobbypin to hold the start. I have actually made myself a sailor knot bracelet from a scrap piece of leather. Very rare I make something for myself.

I have been all over the place with braiding and knotting. Any direction you want to do in, I can definitely get you started.

I do have a bit more advice about getting started, but will have to wait another hour or so.

(Edited by warjournal on 09-11-2012 07:19)

(Edited by warjournal on 09-11-2012 07:20)

Two pieces of advice for now.

This first piece has been a doozy for me and I had to learn a lot of things the hard way. Pay attention to your coordage! Not all strings are created equal.

I learned a lot of my knot tying using cheap clothesline. It was cotton finely braided around a core of nylon. I got used to using it, how it felt, and how it knotted. A lot of those knotting tricks did not translate so well to 3-strand twisted nylon. The nylon was a very different kind of beast - not just in fiber, but also in that it was twisted instead of braided over a core.

If you need strength, go with a synthetic. If you want skin friendly (bracelets), go with natural. Not only do they feel different when worn against the skin, but they also knot very differently. Natural fibers tend to have more friction and require less knot work. Synthetics tend to be smooth and slippery and more care has to be taken.

If you were to do a macrame belt with nylon, I'm sure it would look pretty. However, there is a chance that the knots will collapse or re-dress in certain areas if too much force is applied. Or if design and knotting isn't the greatest. I'm not saying that it can't be done, but care should be taken.

Also notice how the yarns were put together to make the final rope or cordage. I've had a few bad experiences trying to untie twisted rope that had gotten too tight. If given the choice, I'll take braided.

And then there is rope with a core. I have actually braided some of this myself. Strong nylon in the middle and soft hemp on the outside. Best of both worlds - mostly. One problem you may run into with cored rope is slippage between the core and the sheath. I've lost a decent measure of coordage because of slippage and sheath stretch.

I'm crazy and I have all sorts of strings, yarns, and ropes all over the place. All pros and cons for a given task. You don't have to get crazy, of course, but pay some attention.

My other piece of advice is learnnig how to whip the ends. A regular over-hand knot will work dandy in most cases. But sometimes it will take more than a simple knot to keep your ends from fraying too much. With nylon, I prefer electrical tape and melt. I know a guy that whips his nylon with regular nail polish. For solid braids, I prefer a half-thistle knot. Some use needle and thread. Still others prefer a hot glue gun.

For the most part, I will use a regular over-hand hand knot to start. When I'm finished doing whatever it is I am doing, then I'll worry about finishing the ends. The over-hand knot being a place-holder of sorts until it is time to get serious about finishing.

With that said, do some playing, pick a direction, and I'll do some navigating.

Here is a pretty easy Turk's head 2b. Once you get the pattern, shouldn't be too hard for you folks. Pretty cool to decorate your favorite stylus or writing utensil with such.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mamnIRAiAYw

Instead of using a specialty needle as shown in the video, I have been known to use a some 17g wire and a bit of tape. I have also been known to use an overhand knot to roll under with no needle at all.

Do it a few times, see the pattern, and make it your own.
I know most of you folks can do this no prob with only a modocum of practice.

Here are two examples of some of the stuff that I was babbling on about.

First, a whipping fail. So I bought some nylon rope that is a pleasure to work with for decorative knots. Pliable, yet holds shapes very well. Braided on the outside with a nylon core. The knot that I was going to tie has a lot of over-under and having a knot for the whipping was out of the question. An overhand knot for the whipping would have been too bulky for all of the over-under. So I wrapped some white electrical tape around the end - but I didn't melt it. The result? It pulled right off. Should have whipped it properly with a bit of tape *and* flame. Get to know whippings.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89505166@N06/8143752407/in/photostream/


One day I decided that I wanted to tie a pan chang knot shaped like a heart. Not being able to find one that I liked, I designed my own.

The first one that I tied, I had used cheap clothesline. Braided cotton on the outside and a core that I can't identify. (The core feels like something that would be used in insulation, but I can't say for sure exactly what it is.) Because of this core, properly dressing my first attempt was out of the question. If I had tried to tighten it up more, it would have become distorted and ugly. Out of the question.

What did I do? I pulled the core out. What was I left with? Nice cotton that can lay flat just like a shoelace. Perfect for a much tighter pan chang.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89505166@N06/8143784044/in/photostream

By knowing what I was working with and what I was going for, I was able to pwn the pan chang knot that I had designed. Awesome.