Dear New Knot Contributor,
Thank you for the information you're about to give us, and which we hope will be a new knot, as much as you do. There is great satisfaction in any discovery, and knotting still holds opportunities of undiscovered permutations of cord
Before you post, may we please assist you with the following advice:
- If you are merely trying to identify a knot, then please post in a more appropriate board, such as
Practical, or
Chit-Chat. We can always move it in here if it is found to be a new knot.
- The best way to describe a new knot is with clear, concise instructions, and photographs (in contrasting cord where appropriate) which show the various stages of formation, and particularly which label or illustrate the standing part and working end.
- If you have already done experiments on the strengths and weaknesses of your knot, please explain what factors you tested and the results achieved; what kind of cordage did you use; what was the original need for this knot, and how did it develop as you tried it out?
- If you have already chosen a name for your knot, then go ahead and use it here, but we have occasionally had new knots whose names got slightly changed from their discoverer's choice, just because of the volume of discussion and the direction it took.
Knot tyers who are examining your knot will not only be checking it in their libraries or their own knowledge, but will also be experimenting with how you tied it, what you used it for, and the ways in which it failed or held. You can expect some lively discussion around these areas, and again, that can somewhat change the knot as you know it. Don't be offended, this is part of what all knots go through.
If the concensus is that you do have a new knot, the Forum is just one stage of "peer review". Members of the IGKT will be familiar with our quarterly publication: Knotting Matters. If you are only a Forum member, I encourage you to
join the IGKT, as our worldwide (non-Internet) membership will be your next peer review stage. The knot will be published in Knotting Matters, and will be reviewed there in a later edition, when there have been comments received on it.
What if it is not a new knot? There is, in knotting circles, the now infamous story of
Hunter's Bend. This was believed to be a new knot, and was presented as such on the front page of The Times in 1978. However, it was later identified in a book from the 1950s. This is one of the things that brought the Guild into formation.
If it isn't a new knot, then you may have at least brought back to our attention a knot that is generally out of use, and helped to create fresh interest in it, particularly in view of the problems that synthetic cordage causes for older knots.
As far as this board is concerned, your thread will be moved to a more appropriate home, such as Knot Concepts/Exploration, Practical or Decorative.
Thank you for reading our advice, and we look forwards to your submission.
Regards
Mrs Glenys Chew
Web Admin
International Guild of Knot Tyers
