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Fun with Chinese Knotting. Lydia Chen
Читать онлайн.Название Fun with Chinese Knotting
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781462916993
Автор произведения Lydia Chen
Жанр Сделай Сам
Издательство Ingram
Outer Loop Extension
The outer loop extension technique is used to make a side loop on an existing outer loop. Upon reaching the outer loop, another knot is tied on this loop, as shown in diagram 17. The side loop can also be extended to make other side loops, as shown in diagram 18. The knotter works from the inside to the outside when tying this series of side loops, although they are completed in the reverse.
Besides extending an outer loop into a side loop, two outer loops can also be used to tie a side loop. For example, on a pan chang knot, two outer loops can be used on the same side to tie a side loop, as shown in diagram 19; or, as shown in diagram 20, an outer loop and a corner loop can be used to tie a side loop; or, as shown in diagram 21, the outer loops from different sides can be used to tie a side loop.
Outer Loop Hook-up
This method can be used to hook up two different knots to make a formation. The method can be broken down into direct hook-up, double coin hook-up and rim embellishment hook-up.
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Life can be injected into a knot formation using the extension technique of the outer loops and the hook-up technique. This knot, depicting a basket of flowers and a butterfly flirting with flowers, exhibits joy and prosperity.
See project 111 on page 149 for instructions on making this knot formation.
Direct hook-up
Two knots can be directly hooked up through their outer loops to create a formation or to hold them in position in the formation. Hook-up can be done through corner loops, as shown in diagram 22, or through all the outer loops, as shown in diagram 23. When extending loops, hook-up can be employed on all the extended loops to form a knot, as shown in diagram 24.
Double coin hook-up
This method is much the same as the direct hook-up, except that two knots are hooked up by tying the outer loops of the two knots into a double coin knot, as in diagram 25. To achieve this, it is necessary to first form the outer loop of the first knot into a figure eight before introducing the outer loop of the second knot into the figure to produce the double coin.
Rim embellishment hook-up
As shown in diagram 26, in the rim embellishment hook-up method, two knots are tied, then the cord ends of one knot are tied to the two sides of the other knot, thereby hooking up the two knots and achieving an embellishment effect at the same time.
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See project 128 on page 157 for instructions on making this knot formation.
Ornament Design
It is important to consider the purpose of making an ornament before deciding on its size, form and color. It is usually helpful to draw the ornament on a piece of paper and think of which basic and compound knots could be used to make it. The four concepts below – traditional lucky designs, general design principles, application compatibility and planar (flat) options – provide guidelines on ornament design.
Traditional lucky designs
A casual glance at traditional Chinese knots tells us that the majority of them are tied with a single cord, with both sides being equal and the front and back exactly the same. They also exude auspiciousness, for example, the five happiness knot (page 86) and prosperity knot (page 99). Ornaments can also be designed with a traditional flavor. Diagram 27 shows how the butterfly knot has been modified into a bat knot and double coin knot. The ornament is named “Good Fortune Bat,” denoting luck and good fortune, since bat and luck have the same sound. Diagram 28 shows how a swastika knot (Chinese Knotting, page 44) can be combined with a longevity knot (Chinese Knotting, page 64) to produce a knot named “Long Live the Good Fellow.”
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Chinese knots tend to follow lucky designs. Hanging a longevity tassel tied with yellow cords on a knot formation will impart good wishes.
See project 130 on page 158 for instructions on making this knot formation.
TIPS
• When making ornaments from decorative knots, it is necessary to consider the purpose and the occasion for which the ornament is being made.
• It is also important to think about the size, the most appropriate knots and the most suitable colors.
• Consider what other embellishments, e.g. tassels, beads and bindings, can be incorporated to enhance the beauty of the knots in the ornament.
General design principles
The most elegant knot formations are invariably the result of taking into account such basic design principles as balance, contrast, harmony and variety. When designing a hanging ornament, care must be given to its center of gravity. When enhancing a knot formation with a hanging ornament, it is also important to check that the knot formation can support the ornament without distorting the shape.
Application compatibility
Since a knot formation comprises a combination of two or more different knots, it is necessary to decide at the outset of a project which knots in an ornament will be the major ones and which will be the minor ones. In the example shown in diagram 29, four cloverleaf knots form the minor knots, and these are used to highlight the central pan chang knot, which is the major, dominant knot in the formation.
It is also necessary to consider what will be the dominant element in a formation