Knotty Bear getting all Knotty again!

How Do All ;-)

So, it's been a while since I did anything new on the knotting front, and when I get the urge to tie something I don't hold back!
I decided to tie a long pineapple knot with a varied pattern, just to make sure I was still on top of my game.

Below is a picture the finished Pineapple Knot being examined by Buddha.
I think he probably approves.

This is a 90 part x 48 bight, 6 Pass, Type 6 Pineapple Knot, with a varied interweave, tied over a beach combed fishing net float which I found on the beach near my old home town of Barrow-In-Furness

There are loops at each end formed from one long length of 10 strand trapezoidal braid U6, O2, spliced and stitched into a continuous strop.

There are two 12 part x 12 bight, 2 Pass, Type 2 Pineapple Knots sitting either side of the main knot, with a foundation of 8 bight, Single Strand Matthew Walker Knots.

All tied in 1.5mm line.

The braiding of the 10 strand trapezoidal braid in my braiding clamp.

The total length is 190 mm (7.5") x 45 mm (1.75") This would make one very large and very buoyant key fob for your boat keys, or a very nice light or fan pull handle, or the grip on a dirty bag, etc. etc..

The main Pineapple Knot is actually made up from 6 separate 15 part x 8 bight Turk's-Head knots, these are all interwoven into one single knotted covering. the fact this has a varied pattern makes it that much more special.

If you are a Knot Tyer and wish to try your hand at this interweave, or at least one very similar which is easily altered to make this interweave, bearing in mind you should be at least able to tie a standard multi pass Pineapple Knot, then please check out my help tutorial here: Pineapple Knot interweave tutorial. please note, this link will open a new window!

A close up of the finished Pineapple Knot, being examined by Buddha and in my hand for an idea of size

Thank you for looking,
Take care,
Barry ;-)

My Etsy Store, Update #2! More New Items!

How Do All ;-)

I have just added some more new items to my Etsy Store Jewellery Section.
Rather than list every single item here in duplicate here are a few pictures of the items, and you can see the full details in my store. My Etsy Store

These are my beautiful Dragonfly Brooches!

Thank you for looking!
Take care,
Barry ;-)

A Pineapple Knot Variation. Links Fixed!

How Do All ;-)

Just a quickie!

I was unaware that the links to the pdf  file for the below Help Tutorial were broken and the file was no longer where it was stored, 

I have now uploaded the pdf to my Google Drive and the links on my Tutorials and Help page all work again

Sorry to anyone that tried the links and found nothing of any help! And thank you to Graham for pointing this out to me :-)

I copied the tutorial information here to save you having to open yet another window :-D

Thank you for looking.

Take care,

Barry ;-)

A Pineapple Knot Variation.

Click above for the pdf file which includes the Under / Over sequence and some help pictures to enable you to add the white interweave variation to a *27 part x 24 bight 3 pass, Type 3 Pineapple knot.

Please note: the finished knot will be a 42 part x 48 bight, 6 pass, Type 3 Pineapple knot pictured above.
*You will need to be able to tie the mentioned 3 pass, Type 3 Pineapple knot unaided before you start.

Below: is a 7 pass, Type 4 knot made using the same interweave pattern.

Below: is a 4 pass, Type 3 knot made using a variation of the same interweave pattern.

Fluo Ditty Bag, For Sale!

SOLD!

How Do All ;-)
Yup' you heard right! I am selling my pride and joy Ditty Bag.

My Very Own Fluo Ditty Bag is now up for grabs!

The bag is in excellent condition and has never been used in anger, this bag has only ever come out of storage for display purposes!

Please see below for all the details of the bag, and pictures:

 The body of the bag is made from 12oz cotton Duck, and is 300mm x 175mm. the canvas is fully hand seamed and the base has a double seam for durability.

The grip is of Flax and UV reactive cord, and contains; overhand Spanish hitching, wide single strand Gaucho knots and single strand Mathew Walker knots. The hanging loop is 6 strand round braid.

 The slider is a Pineapple knot, and the toggle on the base is covered with Pineapple knots.

 There are 6 hand stitched grommet eyelets around the top of the bag, through which the spliced lanyard legs are buttoned with small Pineapple knot buttons.

The bag can be converted to a shoulder bag by buttoning the double ball toggle on the base of the bag through the hanging loop on the end of the lanyard. 

This bag was featured on the cover and in the pages of Knotting Matters 104.

I was the first person to be presented the Ditty Bag Trophy, in memory of the late Gary Sessions at the joint IGKT & IGKT-NAB meeting at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Massachusetts in 2009, pictured here with the Ditty Bag Trophy and my Fluo Ditty Bag. An article appeared in KM 105 with pictures.

Below you can see the effect that Ultra Violet light has on the UV reactive cord and also the twine used for seaming the bag and putting in the  eyelets.

 The effect of the black light on the UV reactive cord and seaming twine is mind blowing when seen in the flesh.

The single strand Gaucho Knots ane braided directly to the lanyard,

 Close up of the  Pineapple knot used to close the bag.

Now the business end of the deal!

For this unique, one off and completely unrepeatable work of art I am asking a kings ransom of £395.00

Postage is £7.55 Royal Mail Special Delivery in the mainland UK.

& £23.00 USA. for a custom postage quote for other countries please contact me.

Contact Me: knotty (dot) bear (at) gmail (dot) com

I will not be making any more Ditty Bags ever again, so this is the last chance to own one of these much sought after hand crafted items!

You can see more of my Canvas Work here:

Canvas Work

Thanks for looking.

Take care,

Barry ;-)

Single Strand Matthew Walker Knots.

Here is a picture of a 21 bight Single Strand Matthew Walker knot made with 3mm Bitumee; a tarred nylon solid braid.
This knot was made using the same method described below.
Essentially this knot is nothing more than a collection of carefully interlinked overhand knots in a single line, the trick is in the dressing.
The knot pictured has not been painted or stiffened it is pretty much self-supporting if you handle it with care.

I hope this article sheds a little light on the making of this very handsome and practical knot.

Single Strand Matthew Walker Knots.
(Edited from an article published in Knotting Matters 102)

How Do All ;-)
With reference to an article by Mr John Halifax in KM #95, page 16 “The Single Strand Matthew Walker Ring Knot” and also an addendum to the afore mentioned article in KM #96 page 8 in which John asks; “ if anyone has knowledge of this concept of ring knots, please speak up.”

I am very sorry for my very late reply to this question (too busy getting side tracked with other things).
I had asked a similar question a few years back when I submitted what I thought could be a new knot (a single strand Matthew Walker) to Nigel Harding as I could not find any other reference to this type of knot in any of the available material at the time.
I had also browsed the Knotting Matters index published eons ago and found a reference to a single strand Matthew Walker knot in KM # 42, published in early 1993 so I also asked Nigel if he could check this issue for me to see if the knot I had ended up with was the same as the one mentioned.

Nigel was very kind and made me a copy of KM 42 so I could take a look and decide for myself, on page 27 was a large heading at the top of the page “Single Strand Matthew Walker” The article was written by Neil Hood and his diagrams are dated April 1991.
This was the very same type of knot I had made and tried to submit to Nigel. This type of Single Strand Matthew Walker knot can be made with as many passes as is required, so making a full tucked Matthew Walker knot with anything from One to a Hundred or more Spiralling strands is possible with just one single strand, no need to find somewhere to hide all those ends so making for a very useful knot to decorate bell ropes, lanyards and the like.

Also worth noting is the fact that when braiding some Turk’s-Head knots the first few passes made can be a single strand Matthew Walker knot in their own right; like the 3 pass Headhunter’s knot for instance, (see Bruce Grant’s “ Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding”, Page 413, figure.1) this figure is actually depicting a 3 pass single strand Matthew Walker knot, if you continue this knot by going over all at the front (going down) and under all at the back (going up) you can enlarge this single strand Matthew Walker to any size you like.

Here is a diagram I made in 2005, using Bruce Grant’s drawings of a Headhunter’s knot of two passes as my base drawings.
My drawing shows how to tie a full-tucked 6 pass, single strand Matthew Walker knot.
If you decide try this knot for yourself please let me know what you think and if possible please send me a photo ;-)

Note: I make these knots over a plain tube or mandrel, I do not use pins or any other method to guide the knot other than holding the bights with my hands, alternatively you can use a pinned tube or mandrel if you prefer.