GUll..D SUPPLIES to.K.T. PRICE LIST 1993 ""'" WlIMJlIT ..." ~ Setof8~ (BrowD " er-.) "'" 11.50 (5<1) $<I. of8 Sill&le StnIld """""'. Om_,l,,- (Whileoa Blue) £IJO(Set) TIES , "'" Silt (Dark blue. widlwhil:e K.... IMtlfi<) :'lO E"'" LONG '30 gDII BOW ,,"'-"''''- BADOBS: OuiIdLOOO .... ...... _- .£I.s<l(8Ob .u.ooudl Car Stkker (Soft P\asIic) .£l.oo -.b ---3"'(75111D1) P.......J f"tUoJ,J MdoJ .,""... CUI.IS'nIAS CARDS ~ASUr"A~~ 1"3.00 for 10 "'" (..illl eavclopcfl) T-sH3.T Siz1C. XL 145.,.. 16~_h Size -L SUPPLffiS SBCUITARY 3 Walnut Tree Meadow STOWMARKRT"""""" -, Suffolk 1P14 6DF Tel: 0449 -711121 ._Eiiiij;jjRiiiiiiiiiiS~~11 1.:.;;1................K...N...()....TT.........·IN....•· •••. ·....G:ilii/iiiiiiMA..····· ••.• ··....··.TT......• THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETIER of THE INTERNATIONAL GUILD OF KNOT TYERS ISSUE No. 44 OCTOBER 1993 PRESIDENT Glad FINDLEY Hon. VICE PRESIDENT Dr Vaughoo JONES PAST PRESIDENTS Percy BLANDFORD - Geoffrey BUDWORTH - Eric FRANKLIN - loo VOS - Stuart GRAINGER - I I GUILD ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES: I SECRETARY (RENEWABLE 1st JANUARY). PAYABLE By: I CASH/CHEQUE~UROCARD/MASTERCARDor I Nigel HAROING VISA. I 3 WalDut Tree Meadow I Stonham Aspal Juniors (Under 16 years old) £4.00 I STOWMARKET Seniors £ 14.00 I Suffolk Familip.s_ __ .. _._ £19.00 I fP14 hOP r()mor~tp: RvA rr~nop:mp:nt ~ ~ 1 _. - -c -.---- --.-- -.- -.-.- -. .1 -----0--------· I Te : 0449 - 711121 Taxpayers in the UK - We would prefer a I EDITOR covenanted subscription. I Except as otherwise indicated, copyright in Knotting I Gordon PERRY MBE Matters is reserved to the International Guild of KnotI 171 Lundon Road Tyers IGKT 1993. Copyright in members' articles I HORNDEAN published in Knotting Matters is reserved to the I Hampshire authors and permission to reprint should be sought I P080HH from the author and editor. All sources of . I Tel: 0705 - 592808 ouotations orinted in Knottint! Matters are I ;cknowled;ed. ~ I ~ I The IGKT is a UK REGISTERED CHARITY'802153 IFronrT~Ji SBCImTARY~S BLOTTERI Time seems to fly by these days, and of the Essex branch, at the National already it's time for me to sit down and Motorboat Museum. After the formalities try to decipher some of those jottings I and a splendid buffet lunch we went into have made in the corner of the blotter. It the museum itself, where there were a would help if I could read my own number of active displays by members. writing, and it would be so much easier if The High Sherrif of Essex paid an official I hadn't spilt quite so much tea on it!! visit to the exhibition, together with a From the correspondence I have received number of Local Councillors and their during the summer, there has been a lot wives, all of whom were impressed with knotting going on all over the world, and what they saw. On behalf of the Guild I the fruits of this great effort has been a would like to thank both the organisers and general increase of awareness of the guild, presenters for putting on such a splendid and a gradual expansion of the exhibition. As always, at the end of the membership. It is true that some members day it proved almost impossible to prise do fall by the wayside each y~, the members out of the building. In an especially in such time of economic attempt to overcome this problem in future, depression, however the level of the next AGM, which will be in applications is now exceeding the number Nottingham on the 7th May 94, will be of resignations. spread over two days! Over the last few weeks I have been The Pitsea meeting also marked the passing the cold wet evenings by up pulication of both KM43, and Much Ado dating the Membership Directory which, About Knotting, the book by Geoffrey by the time you are reading this, I hope Budworth marking the tenth anniversary of that you will already have received your the Guild, and recording the history of copy. Although it was hard wor~ it was those frrst ten years. Our thanks go to interesting to see the spread of members, Geoffrey for producing such a super little and also the number of local groups which treasure. I must record my apologies to are now begining to evolve. Geoffrey for not spotting the one or two I will take this opportunity to apologise typographical errors which mysteriously for any errors which may have crept in. I appeared, I hope you don't manage to spot believe that they slip in during the night them. whilst the computer is switched off, a Just occassionally I receive a letter with a technical problem known in the trade as difference, such as the one from Pierre "Ionised Gremlins". Petit, who joined recently. Unlike most of The most significant knotting event that I our members who work with rope, Pierre have attended recently was the October choses to walk on it, - usually hundreds of meeting at Pitsea, where we were guests feet above the ground, as he is a "High 2 Wire Artist" . Another letter is the one from Stephen BDITORlAL Riley in Liverpool, \vhc \1/ants to test the "Strength of Knots" - by being tied up Firstly I would like to thank those of you for a couple of hours to sce if he can that have sent me articles - particularly to escape. Despite my discouragement he is Lesley \VYAIT for the index which is still anxious to persue this, and so if there included in this edition - since my plea for art~ any members in thc North West who help in K.M43; alas ~till no bla~k & whitc would be prepared to afoisist with thifoi photographs though -I hope it is because dubious activity, please give me a ring, you are all using colour or transparancies and I will pass on the details. and not that you are failing to photograph Finally, I must remind members that your work because if you are not I can January is now upon us, and for many assure you, from bitter experience, that members that means that it is Subscrition you will live to regret it. Time!! As yet I am not quite geared up to If your article or letter does not appear in ifoiSue individual reminders, but hopefully this edition don't worry as I have saved that will be one of the projects for next some for KM45. year. Don't forget that credit card I now have a date for retirement, so God payments are by far the simplest, and willing, all things being equal, and peace cheapest method of payment if you are an in our land I will be a civilian on 18th overseafoi member. June 1994. I do not plan to embark on Whilst I am always pleased to receive another career, but doing a little part time subscriptions, even when they are eleven consultancy work which alows me more months late, such as the one I received time for my woodturning, knotting and I today, it does help considerably with the hope, having just invested in my own PC, adminifoitrative work load if it arrives on continue as your editor. time. On thifoi point, there is some doubt as No editorial of mine would be complete to the future of 44Membership Cards", as without asking for something so - is there the work involved in ifoisuing them this anyone who could put together a year was disproportionate with their worth, crossword or two, related to knots and however... associated equipment for publication in I would like to wish you all a happy, knot KM? tying 1994. Finally may I wish you all the Seasonfoi Nigel Harding Greetings and a Happy New year. DEFINITIONS Rogue's Yarn: The distinctive yarn put in all navy rope to mark it as government rope. Portsmouth rope has a red yarn; Plymouth blue; Chatham yellow; and Haulbowline, black. All navy wire rope has a white jute in the hempen heart of the rope. 3 LBTIERS Richard HOPKINS writes..... Have other members of the Guild match the one described by Ashley from discovered this small metal gadget for Miss Lambert's book of needlwork as protecting the fingers? they are lyre shaped and without the I was in a private museum in Bristol and shoulders shown in #2875. could not work out the function of the device. It was issued by a local stationer in 000000000 the days when purchases were tied up with string. To prevent the string from cutting During another idle momynt in the library the fmgers while carrying the purchases I was looking through the Dover reprint home the string was slipped into the 'U' of Diderot's Pictorial Encyclopedia of shaped notch and the weight was thus Trade and Industry, for items totally spread over two fingers. unrelated to knots, when my eye was The museum proprietor had heard of a caught by four plates on ropemaking. In similar item given away by 'Bovril' !o Plate 475 the spun fibre is shown being make carrying the large jars more turned into yarn. The next plate shows comfortable. Presumably some fonn of yarn being converted into two strand bottle sling was tied around the neck of the twine or 3 strand 4 marline' jar and the cord then fItted in the carrying We then see the manufacture of ropes and notch. cables and in one section of the illustration These devices were made of thin metal the twisting of the ropes is done by hand strip with the company name painted on.