The Chinese Knotting Home Page

What's New

Glossary update and overhaul complete for now. The simple one page glossary has been replaced by 6 pages (and counting?). Material that I generated for the PDFs that went with my online classes, reprocessed for web use.

If you buy ye large tome of knots you'll generally find (along with all the sailing, climbing, and fishing knots) a section marked "decorative knots" (or fancy or ornamental). Contained therein are largely Chinese knots.

Chinese knots are, for the most part, two cord lanyard type arrangements where 2 cords enter from the top of the knot and 2 cords leave from the bottom. The knots are usually double-layered and symmetrical.

Lydia Chen lists 11 basic knots of Chinese Knotting in her first book. They are: the 4 Cloverleaf Knot, the 6 Cloverleaf Knot, the Chinese Button Knot , the Double Connection Knot, the Double Coin Knot, the Sauvastika Knot, the Cross Knot, the Square Knot, the Plafond Knot, the 2x2 Mystic Knot, and the Good Luck Knot. While these are some of the most commonly used knots in Chinese knotting, my definition of basic is something else altogether.

Knot Families

Applied Knots

Basic Technique

Finishing

Tassels

Embellishment

Projects: Instructions someday. For now just pictures.

A Self-Teaching Plan