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Welcome to the International Guild of Knot Tyers

International Guild of Knot Tyers

International Branches

New IGKT Forum

As many of you are aware, we have had several problems with allowing new membership of the old IGKT Forum.

The Trustees have decided to create a New Forum which will be available to members only. This is now available here at the New Forum. The New Forum content is able to be viewed by anyone but posting or commenting on items requires membership of IGKT.

All existing members should be able to access the new forum.

The Old IGKT Forum will be kept as an archive for its members who are currently able to use it and we will review the system during the next year to gauge its usage.

For non-members of IGKT, please also see our Facebook page, Official International Guild of Knot Tyers (IGKT), https://www.facebook.com/groups/565124130767508, which has several thousand users.

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About the Guild

The International Guild of Knot Tyers (IGKT) is a very friendly association of people, whose interests are in ropes, knots and knotting techniques of all kinds.

We have about a thousand members world-wide from all walks of life including knitters, surgeons, sailors, climbers, anglers, scouters, magicians, farmers, miners and mathematicians. Membership is open to anyone interested in knotting, ropes, cords and yarn (whether expert or simply hoping to learn from others).

We’ve just celebrated our fortieth anniversary in 2022 and produced over 150 issues of our journal Knotting Matters. The journal contains news and ideas from all aspects of knotting and is full of useful and interesting articles, letters, queries and opinions.

There are active branches of IGKT around the world and we are always very happy when another group starts up. The UK has most of these (it is a small country which makes travelling to events fairly easy) at eight, USA has three and there are national organisations in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, German and Netherlands. Non-English-speaking knotters can join their national organisations without needing to join IGKT.

Latest News

Forthcoming Special Events

World Knot Tying Day - September 18th 2023

Each year IGKT commemorates the death, on September 18th 1947, of the author of the knot-tyers' 'bible' - Clifford Ashley.

Please join us by tying a knot on that day and sending a photo of it to #worldknottyingday on Instagram, Facebook or other media of your choice.

Friday 6th & Saturday 7th October 2023

The IGKT Autumn Exhibition and Meeting will this year be held in the National Waterways Museum, Gloucester Docks. This a return visit to a great place to visit. Booking details available here.

For your diary: IGKT AGM & Exhibition 2024

For 2024 we are returning as guests of the National Historic Dockyard at Chatham (ME4 4TY, UK) and the splendid 300m working ropewalk operated by the Master Ropemakers Ltd.  More details will be available in the autumn of this year (2023).

Knotting Resource Archive

In July 2022 we arranged with the Brunel Institute, an organisation set up by the SS Great Britain Trust and the University of Bristol, England, to house our collection of knotting and ropework books in the Institute’s library. The collection consists of books the IGKT has amassed over it’s 40 years of operating, along with a considerably larger number of volumes from a founder member.

The Brunel Institute library is open daily to the public throughout the year and is free to visit. The cost of incorporating the books into the Institute’s library is being funded by a very generous donation from a member in the USA.

When the books have been catalogued by the library, later in 2022, the titles will be searchable on the Brunel Institute’s website.

https://archives.bristol.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=Catalog&id=DM162

George Hart Bursary

Thanks to the generosity of George, the IGKT has been able to set up a fund to provide funds for helping and encouraging members, especially younger members, to engage in an ‘extraordinary’ activity which involves knotting and the Guild. For full details please see the Member News section here.

Docks Heritage Weekend, Bristol, UK

30-09-2023 9:00 am - 01-10-2023 5:00 pm

The West Country Knotters will be demonstrating all day.


Contact Richard Hopkins This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

West Country Knotters - UK

30-09-2023 1:00 pm -5:00 pm

Contact: Richard Hopkins This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tel: +44 (0)1179 867 146

Venue: Woodhouse Park, Fernhill, Almondsbury, BS32 4LX.

Meetings usually take place at 13:00 on the last Saturday of January, March, May , July, September, and November. As the venue is not easy to find for the first time, please contact Richard beforehand for directions.

2023 IGKT October Exhibition and Symposium

06-10-2023 10:00 am - 07-10-2023 5:00 pm

The October meeting this year will be a repeat visit to the splendid Gloucester Waterways Museum in the heart of Gloucester Docks.

Do come and enjoy the event and the great Museum exhibits too.

The Knot Tyers supper will be at the High Orchard pub,, just a few minutes away.

More details available in June, here and in Knotting Matters.