while you're ahead…

I’m still knotting.  There’s something meditative in the repetition of the movements, in the soft feel of the rope through the fingers that is quite addictive, in seeing the pattern develop slowly in front of you.

I’ve bought a cheap adjustable clothes rail and some very scary butchers’ hooks and the whole set up is much better than in my previous attempt.  I can lift or lower the rail as the project gets longer and work standing up or sitting down;  my shoulders get sore but I think it’s because it require a position they’re not used to.  I can feel them getting slowly stronger.

Working with such long pieces of cord is no joke.  I was wrangling 26 pieces each 5m long and let me tell you … there were time the knotting was not intentional!

I’ve learnt new knots and new techniques and ironically the simpler ones are the ones that give me more trouble… I spent more than 20 minutes on the simples of knots (the first one in the book) the other day only to realise it was my left-handedness that was the problem.  The trick I believe is to empty one’s mind from any preconceived idea of ‘how it looks’ and just follow the instructions, copy the pictures etc. until the light goes on in hour brain.  Then you’re there.

For me it’s a bit like knitting the heel in a sock…. no idea what’s going on but it works and if you follow the instructions you get a heel… don’t ask any questions, don’t try to understand.

Just do it.

… why would these knot twist by themselves for example? They just do.  They really do.

The ‘fringing’ part took absolute ages and I’m still not too happy… any suggestions are extremely welcome.  If I wet the cord… would it stop trying to re-twist itself?

Ta dahhhh…

I want to make more.  I want to knot more

It’s going to be hanging basket of some kind, or one of those hanging plant holder thingies..

But no owls.  Absolutely non owls.

 

PS as per last time I used the book written by these lovely ladies, click on this link.

 

SaveSave