This single strand button knot is #647 in, 'The Ashley Book of Knots', page 111. About 18" to 24" of paracord is usually long enough to tie the button knot and have enough extra to work with for adding a few two-strand wall knots or a lanyard knot, to use as a short keyring or pocket knife fob or a zipper pull.
A Victorinox Waiter is the Swiss Army Knife shown, and a titanium bead was added to the lanyard/fob.
And a collage of knot #646 that I tied, which Ashley mentions in his book that the rim parts resemble the Matthew Walker knot, and that you have to carefully tighten this one to get it right.
How do you finish it with the two ends coming out together?
ReplyDeleteLike the example of the fob shown attached to the Swiss Army Knife, both strands go around the key/split ring, a few two-strand wall knots are then tied back down around those strands.
ReplyDeleteOther similar finishes would be to use a Solomon bar/cobra stitch/Portuguese sinnet, snake knot, or lanyard knots.
Depending on what you intend to use the button knot for, other finishes would vary. ;)
I meant how do you tighten the knot and have both working ends coming out side by side? They are going in opposite directions before the knot is tightened.
ReplyDeleteAh, they actually go straight down, on either side of the center of the cord that they lay across, as shown in the loose pic/book diagram.
ReplyDeleteAs you tighten up the knot, you can hold the strands together underneath the knot, and tug on each of them as you gradually work the slack out and shape the knot. Hope that helps. :)
Yes, thank you. I just need to keep working it. Keep up the good work brother.
ReplyDeleteFinally got it. Jeez. Thanks for the help. I wasn't tightening it properly.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the added instructions. I had the same question.
ReplyDeleteI believe your photo of the knot loosely formed is misleading. Tightened up as you show it, it will creat a five lobe knot around the two exiting ends. If instead, you take the right-hand end, as shown in the photo,and exit the knot thru the triangular opening above it, that is to cross over the other exiting end, upon tightening, the knot will then form four lobes as the other knots appear.
ReplyDeleteThe loosened knot and the blue tightened knot are the same cord, the knot just has to be carefully shaped to end up with the four lobes.
ReplyDeleteWith many of the knots shown in ABoK that I've tried tying, sometimes it takes more than a few attempts to get a successful match to a finished diagram. Even slight changes can lead to different outcomes. ;)
I see you alluded to this in the comments above, but I'm not quite getting how, since a button knot leaves you with two working ends, would one fasten these to the split ring? I'm guessing you start this piece by passing the working ends through the ring...?
ReplyDeleteThere are two strands coming out of the button knot, and both go around the ring, and then you can tie various knots, like the wall, snake, lanyard/diamond, back down around the strands, towards the button knot to complete the attachment. ;)
ReplyDeleteStormdrane
ReplyDeleteHello, can you tell me in the ABOK in his diagrams, he shows the intersections, and some with it circled. Is the intersections that are circled showing the cord that it's going over or under itself. I don't see in the book were his diagrams are explained. I'm trying to tie the knot, but having trouble starting it. Oh and the Mochi bags are awesome. Thanks
@jimmyd, The circled crossings in ABoK are 'overs'. ;)
ReplyDeleteStormdrane
ReplyDeleteThanks for responding. The ABOK is a great book. Does he explain in the book anywere you know of how to follow the diagrams? If tried to follow them, but I have a hard time with them. I assume the arrow head is the start, and the feather is the end. Do you have a reccomendation on how to follow them, it seems you bring them to life very easy. Thanks again for responding. Jimmyd
Ashley does describe how some folks learn knot work, some by reading a description, others by diagrams, or by hearing someone else read the description aloud, etc.., from Chapter 1 of the book.
ReplyDeleteAn example of following the drawn diagram can be read on page 103. Some diagrams I can follow without too much difficulty, while others look like a bird's nest of a mess.
I can only suggest starting with trying the simplest looking of the knots and slowly build up to working more elaborate ones as you gain experience.
Using a cork board and pins may be helpful in keeping things laid out to match what's shown in the book. Hope that helps... :)