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KINGSMERE CRAFTS

HAND-CRAFTED LEATHER GOODS

Chinese knot:  The Flower or Petal Knot

The Chinese Knot is a type of national handicraft with a long history and profound cultural connotations. Circle means reunion or perfection, and is an auspicious symbol for the Chinese people. The Petal Knot can have many petals and looks like a circular flower arrangement. The four-flower is, I should think, the most common of the flower knots, since it is easy to combine many of them into a single design. By keeping the centre loops short as will still allow you to work, the petals will take care of themselves. With the centre kept short and tidy it will be closer to the final structure of the knot, thus making it easier to control than if the centre loops were allowed to get too big. Lacing suitable for making this knot would be either suede or round, especially the round, which is available in 2mm to 7mm thickness.


Fig 1: Begin by making two 2 loops. The first will be next to the free end of the knot. Thread the second loop through the first loop (over and under) as shown by the direction of the arrow.
 

Fig 2: Now make another loop. Insert the third loop through the second loop as indicated by the arrow.
 

Fig 3: Now take the free end and thread it through the third loop, then over the first loop, and through what is the first petal, again as shown by the arrow.



Fig 4: Bring the free end, as indicated, under the first loop, then back through the third loop.
 

Fig 5: Attempt to tighten in all directions at the same time. By doing this, the loops should all lock tightly together in the middle.

Fig 6: The example is showing the centre a lot looser than it needs to be before you start to take up the slack.


Fig 7: Should you need a particular part of the string to be the centre point (presumably it is already somewhere in the 2nd petal), then just work the slack towards both ends, following its previous path. Do not let the centre loosen any more than you must.
 

Fig 8: If an end is your fixed point, then all you have to do is work the slack towards the other end following its previous path. However, remember, do not let the centre loosen any more than you want it.

Fig 9: The completed four-flower knot.

Alternative method of tying a Flower Knot

1 Select your cord. The length depends on the type and how big you want the knot. 2 Take the centre of the cord and fold it under the rest of the cord. 3 Turn both ends up on the left and right. 4 Take one end and fold it back.

5 Slide it under the right wing. 6 Carry it on under the left wing. 7 Continue to pass it under again so we have knotted one wing on the left and one little wing on the right. 8 Just do the same with the other end, double it, pass it under.

9 Pass it on. 10 Continuing to pass it under again, the knot is completed and we need to tie it tight. 11 We start from the beginning pulling down the two little wings to tighten the centre of the knot. 12 The centre is now tight, so we can pull the two wings on the left and on the right.

13 ...and then... 14 ...and then... 15 This is the butterfly shape, with the little wing smaller than the wings on the left and right. 16 This is the flower shape, with the wings the same size. You can join the ends (with a knot or cutting and joining the ends with glue) to make the fifth petal.

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How to make a Chinese knot



How to make the 5-petal knot

For a 5-petal knot you need 1 foot of round braided cord or 1 - 2mm of round leather lace. A length of 32" is needed to work with.

Round leather lace: A variety of round leather laces, made from the finest leather to achieve maximum durability. These round leather laces are available in metallic colours, also many other vibrant colours with a thickness ranging from 0.5mm to 7mm.


Hints
This knot is quite complex. Follow the steps carefully as illustrated in the figures.

(1) Step 1 starts with a Cloverleaf Knot. However, note the difference in Step 2. Take the first two loops together and go through the third loop. Us a hair pin to fix the position.

(2) When going through the fourth loop, release the first loop and work on the second and the third one, as shown in Step 3. Follow this sequence and continue tying.

(3) Steps 4 and Step 5 may seem difficult to follow, but be patient and practice a few times.

(4) After the procedure in Step 5, pull all loops in the directions indicated by the arrows in Step 6. Adjust the size of each petal but hold the main body to keep the shape intact.

The number of petals can be five, six, or up to ten, according to your design.

 

Click for Chinese button Knot

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