GUILD SUPPLIES BOOKS Geoffrey Budworth The Knot Book £4.99 Plaited Moebius Bends £2.50* Knotlore 2 - a miscellany of quotes from fact and fiction £2.50* Knot Rhymes and Reasons £1.50* The Knot Scene £2.00* Brian Field Breastplate Designs £3.50* Concerning Crosses £2.00* Eric Franklin Turksheads the Traditional Way £1.50* Nylon Novelties £2.00* Stuart Grainger Knotcraft £4.00* Ropefolk £1.30* Creative Ropecraft (Hardback - 3rd Ed.) £9.95 Knotted Fabrics (Hardback) £9.00 Colin Jones The DIY Book of Fenders £9.95 Harold Scott A Guide to the Multi, Single-Strand Cruciform Turk’s Head £4.00* Skip Pennock Decorative Woven Flat Knots £12.50* * Bulk purchases of these items are available at a discount - phone for details 2 Knotting Matters Knotting Matters 3 Knotting Matters The Magazine of the International Guild of Knot Tyers Issue 90 - March 2006 www.igkt.net Except as otherwise indicated, copyright in Knotting Matters is reserved to the International Guild of Knot Tyers IGKT 2006. Copyright of members articles published in Knotting Matters is reserved to the authors and permission to reprint should be sought from the author and editor. All sources of quotations printed in Knotting Matters are acknowledged. ADVERTISING RATES Members Non- members Full Page £32 £49 Half Page £19 £22 Quarter Page £10 £15 Features COVER PHOTOGRAPH A covered bottle by Björn 12 Continuing our 26 Learn about the Malmbeck (Sweden). The series for the Young quaintly termed rhubarb bottle is covered with half hitch from ‘Tuffy’ hitching of hemp (2mm) and at Heart, learn how to decorated with one Turk´s twirl a rope. Turner. head (2mm hemp) and another Turk’s head with 4mm Rock climbers and 27 Roger Fuller hemp. The cork of the bottle 14 creates a quadruple is a 4L x3B Turk’s head glued rescue personnel take to the cork. monkey’s fist from an their knots seriously as Ashley drawing Rob Chisnall explains about tie in loops. 28 Vince Brennan gives the first part of 21 Knots have formed a tutorial on making a heraldic devices for square-knot belt. hundreds of years. 35 Indian farmers have Maurice Smith writes a traditional knot on about his own county their bullocks as Satish version. Patki explains. 2 Knotting Matters march 2006 3 EDITOR 36 There are many 41 The Hanson Patent Colin Grundy ways to tie knots, Dick Bend is not new, c/o 16 Egles Grove Uckfield, Sussex Clements shows an as Heinz Prohaska England TN22 2BY alternative for the Tel: 07946841157 explains. Email: sennit knot [email protected] Guild members 42 That ingenious SECRETARY 38 Nigel Harding are often shown ‘new knotsmith Owen K 16 Egles Grove knots’, but George Nuttall comes up with Uckfield, Sussex England TN22 2BY Aldridge can see the more variants on bends Tel: 01825 760425 benefit of this one. for you to try. Email: [email protected] PRESIDENT Ken Yalden 3 Latchmore Gardens Cowplain, Hampshire England PO8 8XR Tel: 02392 259280 Email: [email protected] Annual Subscription Rates Juniors £5 Adults £23 Families £27 Group £10 Corporate - by arrangement Regulars The IGKT is a UK Registered Charity No. 802153 Notes from the Secretary’s Blotter 4 PRINTED BY 10 Knotmaster Gipping Press Ltd. Needham Market 22 Knot Gallery Tel: 01449 721599 44 Branch Lines Fax: 01499 721372 46 Postbag ISSN 0959-2881 4 Knotting Matters the future, when other groups may ask Notes from the same question. This would be not so much for the benefit or glorification the Secretary’s of our own Guild, but for the benefit of global knot tying and friendship, which Blotter in turn is one of the primary aims of the t doesn’t seem five minutes since I was IGKT. You thoughts please ladies and Ilast making a note on my blotter, but gentlemen. since then Christmas has been and gone, I am sure that you do not need and we move into yet another year in the reminding that our membership twenty first century. Thus another winter fees went up in January. The current is showing signs of fading, with the first application forms that many of you have signs of spring apparent in the garden. for distribution at your own talks and This may all appear very strange when demonstrations, are now out of date. you read this, but what you have to realise We are still awaiting delivery of the new is that there is a lead in time of at least forms, so in the meantime, I do have a six weeks between me writing this and quantity of the yellow notice that was the final version arriving through your inserted in KM89, advising of the new letterbox. So enough of the waffle... rates. If you would like some, please give So far, I have received no inspiration, let me know, and I will send you some. or suggestions for sponsorship or other In the early days of the Guild, the late means of financing the grand 25th Frank Harris wrote a short article in one birthday celebrations next year. For the of the first Knotting Matters, suggesting moment, therefore we are debating the that members may wish to remember the option of an attendance fee, which is Guild in their will. So far, I only know of likely to be in the region of £10 - £20. one member who has done this, the late This will depend upon how many visitors Ian Murray, who was a long-standing we expect, and whether such a fee would member from Sunderland. We are very discourage members from attending. grateful to Ian, from whom we have Regrettably, this falls into the category of received a gift in excess of £3000, which ‘whatever we do won’t please everyone’, will be clearly seen on our published however we need your comments, ideas accounts. We would like to thank the and opinions to help us make the final administrators of Ian’s estate for the decision. receipt of this bequest. For the moment at It has come to our notice, that we are least, we shall ring-fence this sum, until not the only association with an interest we have identified a suitable project or in knot tying and ropework, although we specific purpose for the expenditure. are the leading English-speaking group. Now that I have got into my stride....I One of these other organisations, which had better stop otherwise I shall have run represents a significant group of non off the bottom of the blotter, and will find English speakers has suggested affiliation myself writing on the table itself. I must with the IGKT. At present we have no also get on with the notes for the AGM mechanism for this, and would have to and the 2006 Membership Handbook, modify our constitution accordingly. We and ...... if I get the opportunity to come are open to suggestions as to how we up for air, I will see you all at the AGM should tackle this, as we do not want in Shrewsbury to lose the opportunity, either now or in Nigel Harding march 2006 5 Col’s Comment elcome to the ‘new on the subject of the The Knot Gallery has Wlook’ Knotting diary, let the editor know also taken on a new face. Matters, I hope you like what is going on in your I am hoping to show work it. The layout of KM has area with Guild events of individual members been the same for a few and branch meetings, so occasionally, along with years now, and as we are that we can inform the information on their steadily approaching our rest of the membership knotting interests. In this 100th issue, I thought it and hopefully attract issue, we feature the work about time for a bit of a new members to your of Robert H. Black of the facelift. meetings. Remember USA. Most of the regulars are though, KM is produced Finally, the Knotting still here, Guild matters quarterly and there is Matters office is on the from our Secretary and about a six week lead move again so see below President, Knotmaster, in before goes to press, how this will affect post Branch Lines and the so plenty of notice is and email submissions. Knotting Diary. While appreciated. Knotting Matters Takes to the Water! notting Matters is ‘Lucky devils’ I hear you who will forward it on Ktaking to the water, say. to our location. Emails quite literally! Jane and This will have an effect may not be answered I are preparing to follow on our magazine in so quite so quickly, as the steps of some of our much as we shall not we will not have a other Guild members have a permanent postal landline with broadband and live aboard our address. All postal mail connection. I shall still narrowboat Slow Gin on therefore should be sent be able to pick up emails the English canal system. via our Hon. Secretary, on a less frequent basis from Internet cafes and libraries. I don’t expect our change to a more nomadiclifestyle will affect publication of Knotting Matters. I know others who follow the boating lifestyle, still able to produce magazines for various organisations. Please bear with us through this transitional period. 6 Knotting Matters March 2006 7 subject, the public think of this even if they come in ‘left field’. When you find you really can’t answer a question, ask President’s our Guild man/lady next to you (never any shame in asking) when the answer is given, then the two of you will have Letter learnt from them.