...There are many areas about which I am a beginner (esp. ornamental and decorative knots).
But I recognized immediately that the message board itself seems perhaps too general ...
I would like to suggest that the forum itself create a couple of more theads that could be used as resources.
I think that what you mean is that the the current category Chit Chat should
be replaced with a couple (Decorative / Practical ?) more constrainted topics?
This could have the effect of giving a feel of
denser information within each
such division (vs. being all in one pot).
The first additional thread would be concerned with cataloging knots, i.e., knot identification.
I'm surprised that to date I'm the first to point out that such a thread exists (though
now pushed beyond the latest page of threads, with accumulation of others).
It's a good, but tough issue.
Another thread might be concerned with knot and rope strength and member or contributor experiences using certain knots.
Here, too, is something I think is worth pursuing, at least to get a better understanding
of the limits of prediction for practical purposes (something to consider in setting
"safety factors").
Should a separate Worldwide Scientific Branch be set up, seeking its own funding? Should a University or Museum be approached in one or several countries? Just how could this happen?
Good questions.
Re the cataloguing & identification, it might be simplest that interested contributers
just post to an on-going Forum thread, with some kind of maintenance of a more
formal/organized set of files undertaken in the background (updates issued as
appropriate ...). E.g., someone could take some publication (book, article), and report
the names/identification of knots given in it, and these would be recorded for the
particular knots as we specify them in some master file.
(One should beware that, as specification in documents is often ambiguous to what
detail we should find necessary, that many citations from books/etc. would be attached
to a few such
knots as we define them.
So, after some period of seeking & recording, an entry for some particular knot could
have a series of
sightings recorded for it. I suppose it would be equally helpful
to have for each
knot-name its set of referents (to see to what, e.g., "fisherman's
bend" has been applied--expected & unexpectetd).
From this, the IGKT
Wise Ones might attempt to make some judgements, or perhaps
better,
recommendations, about correct/desireable vs. wrong/undesireable
identification. (A real case: advise those in the arborist community to change from
calling the Scaffold knot (& like) a "Single Fisherman's Knot", given the denotation
of the latter name throughout history & other application areas.)
Such a compilation and periodic document (i.e., some set of recommendations
or at least citations of problems) should be of use to the knot tyers from various
application areas, who IMO typically lack a broad awareness of knots (and hence
can look at the Dbl. Fisherman's Knot and figure that the use of one Dble.Overhand
component in noose form to hitch to a device should be "Single Fish.", ignorant
of the conflict).
... how an authoritative body could be established for consulting purposes - or should it be? Would this body again be a separate Consulting Branch or would it be some separate body of people who are members but who only do that work or what?
Let me suggest that re this aspect the IGKT might not be the right sort of entity
for engaging in any normal
consultation? --issues of corporate governance
and liability?
We have 1100 members worldwide (maybe more or less) so there is quite a pool to pick from!
It's a question of quality, not quantity (though 1100 is not a big sample). Who of
various application areas who are evidently active knots people are IGKT members?
--dl*
====