I received a late Christmas gift card from an Aunt and Uncle, and was able to order a couple of new knot books with it. Both books arrived in today's mail and just flipping through the pages, I can see that both are worthy additions to any knotting library. The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots by Lindsey Philpott, and Decorative Fusion Knots by JD of Tying It All Together.
I also received in the mail today my copy of Decorative Fusion Knots. The clarity of the explanations is great.
ReplyDeleteOne thought: As neat and interesting as the knots in this book are, I lack the understanding of where most of these could be used, other than displaying them individually. A chapter at the end with ideas of final projects utilizing these knots would have made it a 5-star book for me.
Nice books there, Stormdrane! And keep up the good work with the blog. You got me into paracord and knotting stuff to begin with.
ReplyDeleteTo DonB: Well it's "decorative" and I guess you could take that fusion-part of the title as in to learn the knots and make use of them where ever you find it suitable and/or doable. Discovering new things makes the world go around.
I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of cool new stuff from you in 2011, Stormdrane!
ReplyDeleteI got a book on crochet - I'm trying to imagine a Granny Square made from Paracord. We'll see. ;)
Happy New Year!
Pretty cool Stuff! I've never made any special knots before I just stumbled across your blog and saw you do a lot of decorative knots!
ReplyDeletePretty Cool Blog you got yourself a new Follower!
-Bboy
Was looking to purchase the Fusion Knots book, myself. When are you writing a book, Stormdrane? It could be about the practical application of each knot... like DonB mentioned, actually.
ReplyDeleteQuick question... how do you go about storing all your various cord so that it doesn't get tangled, and so you can see what colors and lengths you have? I imagine your raw-material supply is pretty extensive.
@Clay, I have been approached a couple of times about making a book or ebook with specific knotting projects, start to finish types. I've kept it in mind for a 'maybe one of these days...' kind of thing.
ReplyDeleteIf I receive cord on a spool, I leave it on and pull off what I need. Cord received in hanks, like 100 ft of paracord, actually stays in the original package, pulling out what I need.
If I do toss the packaging, it gets loosely coiled/wrapped for later use, or it will get into a tangled mess, which happens all too frequently, lol.
I hate to think about the amount of leftover/trimmings of cord that I've thrown away over the years, but am mindful that even little 4" to 6" pieces of cord can make nifty little zipper pulls, with a simple knot and loop.
Ahh more books to add to the collection. I've mastered the one braid I asked you about and would love to share a photo of the horse hair bracelets I've made. I also have a new challenge for you as well. Ready for a little background on this spiral braid? It's an old Victorian braid that they would use to braid the hair of love ones who have either passed or have gone off to war. Now there are several braids but this one is a spiral braid. It's similar to but not the twist braid we do with paracord. this website has the best up close photo's of the braid(http://www.suzannestorms.com/_Bracelet/Bracelet_Designs/Bracelet_Designs.htm) let me know Jodi
ReplyDelete@Jodi, you can send email to stormdrane at hotmail dot com
ReplyDeleteThe braid looks to be a spiral, but done with 4 strands(two pairs) instead of the usual 2 strands, alternately tying them in the same direction. If they're tied in opposite directions, they'll form a crossing pattern, as in Moku hitching.
Here's a pic of a short paracord fob I tied a few years ago, with the 4 strand spiral over a crown sinnet, after seeing a couple of other knot tyers on a forum do them.
So jealous! Please give us a critique!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog, your tutes and your youtube channel.
Longtime follower- first time poster.
PS- ignore the DH's on youtube- they're angsty hormonal teens full of manure.
I got the Fusion book the other day after seeing it in your blog, and I just LOVE it! My only complaint is that I don't know how much cord to use for each project. Is there a way to estimate the cordage?
ReplyDeleteLove your blog!
@Arizona Skies, Looking at JD's tutorials on YouTube(TIAT-Tying It All Together), many seem to use around 5 to 10 feet of cordage, with a few using a little more. The projects in the book should use similar amounts, so I'd start with about a 10 ft length of cord, and go from there.
ReplyDeleteAfter making more than one of something, it gets easier to narrow down specific amounts needed, after figuring how tight or loose you prefer to make a project and having enough to tie something and work the slack out/tighten up the knots...