Chinese Knotting

This book is an ultimate comprehensive guide, not only presenting the step-by-step illustrated instructions but also all the information regarding Chinese knotting. From the origins to developments, functions to decorations, material selections to final products, basic techniques to modified combinations, and traditional crafts to creative designs, author Cao Haimei walks you through every detail.Chinese knotting is a traditional handcraft of interlacing silk cords and other materials. Do you know that it was dated back to the Early Stone Age and was used for keeping records before the invention of writing? Have you thought about how it was developed from a general necessity to a royal cherished decoration?Besides discovering the history and traditions, this book also demonstrates the basic techniques, such as designing, interlacing, tightening, shaping, adjusting, and decorating. With the proper tools and materials, whether it is synthetic or silk cords, glass beads or porcelain charms, gold rings or silver clasps, you can start knotting by following the 100+ projects to make your home decorations, lucky charms, necklaces, bracelets, hair accessories, buttons, brooches and many more.To make your craft more unique and outstanding, learn the different types of variations combinations, and advanced techniques. Now start knotting and create your own innovative piece of art!

Knotting, "the joining of two cords," is an old and revered art form in China and an integral part of Chinese life. Since ancient times, Chinese knots have been used for a variety of practical and decorative purposes: to record events, aid in fishing and hunting, wrap and tie items, embellish personal attire, jewelry and fashion, ornament other works of art, and communicate. The intricate knot work and magnificent color combinations not only lent elegance to everyday objects, or a touch of gaiety and enchantment, but were an aesthetic expression of Chinese folk symbolism, expressing wishes for good fortune and wealth or the joys of love and marriage. In craft book Chinese Knotting, author Lydia Chen first traces the origins, history, and symbolism of this fascinating craft, before taking the reader through the fundamental elements necessary for tying Chinese decorative knots—the materials, implements, and main processes. Step-by-step instructions are then given for the 11 basic knots, which provide the building blocks for the 14 compound knots-combinations and variations of the simple knots-that follow in the next section. The final section presents 41 knotting projects of varying difficulty. Detailed instructions, clear diagrams, and color photographs, combined with an exciting assortment of creative applications, will help readers discover the relaxation, artistic satisfaction, and beautifully personalized ornamentation that Chinese Knotting can offer.

Detailed instructions, clear diagrams and lovely color photographs combine to make craft book Fun with Chinese Knotting both attractive and useful—displaying the many creative uses these decorative knots can have, and the great variety of materials used to make them. This delightful book is sure to be a rich source of inspiration for craftspeople everywhere. The art of Chinese knotting or macrame, has a surprisingly contemporary appeal, author artist Chen focuses on the decorative uses of Chinese knots to create your own personal fashion accessories which include: Hair ornaments Earrings Necklaces Pendants Brooches Belts Bracelets and anklets Accents that may be added to items of clothing Chinese knots are attractive and alluring along with being an Asian craft that is relatively easy to learn. Used for a variety of practical and decorative purposes—to record events, to fish and hunt, to wrap and tie items, as ornamental works of art, and even to communicate, Fun with Chinese Knotting will allow readers to create something for anyone.

Make intricate and beautiful Chinese knots with this traditional Chinese craft book. Chinese knotting, the joining of two cords to form symmetrical paterns, is an ancient and revered art form in China and an integral part of Chinese life. Born first out of practical necessity in prehistoric times to bind materials for hunting, fishing, farming, shelters, communication and other inventions to aid production and convenience, Chinese knots were soon employed as decorative motifs on artifacts, both functional and ornamental, and for festive occasions and important rites of passage. Today, more sophisticated designs, materials and applications have rejuvenated this colorful Chinese craft and have attracted a large following worldwide. The Complete Book of Chinese Knotting is the culmination of 20 years of research into the ancient art of Chinese knotting and macrame by renowned authority Lydia Chen. Inspired by the decorative knots embellishing ancient artifacts such as pots, jade, statuary, boxes and paintings, the author has systematically classified the basic knots, many almost forgotten, and their variations, as well as developed new knots using various knotting combinations and innovative materials. In addition to a useful summary of the four major techniques for tying basic Chinese knots and the nine main ways of modifying them, the author introduces 56 brand new knots and creative designs which can be used to make jewelry, ornaments and stylish wardrobe and fashion additions.

In the hills of China’s central Hunan province, an anxious young apprentice officiates over a Daoist ritual known as the Banner Rite to Summon Sire Yin. Before a crowd of masters, relatives, and villagers—and the entire pantheon of gods and deceased masters ritually invited to witness the event—he seeks to summon Celestial Lord Yin Jiao, the ferocious deity who supplies the exorcistic power to protect and heal bodies and spaces from illness and misfortune. If the apprentice cannot bring forth the deity, the rite is considered a failure and the ordination suspended: His entire professional career hangs in the balance before it even begins. This richly textured study asks how the Banner Rite works or fails to work in its own terms. How do the cosmological, theological, and anthropological assumptions ensconced in the ritual itself account for its own efficacy or inefficacy? Weaving together ethnography, textual analysis, photography, and film, David J. Mozina invites readers into the religious world of ritual masters in today’s south China. He shows that the efficacy of rituals like the Banner Rite is driven by the ability of a ritual master to form an intimate relationship with exorcistic deities like Yin Jiao, which is far from guaranteed. Mozina reveals the ways in which such ritual claims are rooted in the great liturgical movements of the Song and Yuan dynasties (960–1368) and how they are performed these days amid the social and economic pressures of rural life in the post-Mao era. Written for students and scholars of Daoism and Chinese religion, Knotting the Banner will also appeal to anthropologists and comparative religionists, especially those working on ritual.

Learn how to tie decorative knots from across the world. Clear diagrams are teamed with step-by-step instructions to make tying 75 different knots simple.

The Big Box of Magic is a fantastic magic starter kit for kids aged between 7-11. It contains a 48-page magic book plus a great range of components (listed below). The book explains how to carry out a range of tricks, illusions and sleights of hand, including the tricks in the box. It also looks at the history of magic, and at some of the great magicians of the past and of today. Kids will have lots of fun learning the tricks and developing their own magic shows. When they present these shows to family and friends, they will gain performance skills and personal confidence, things which will stand them in great stead through life. Box contents: 48-page illustrated book by leading magic author, magician's wand, set of three cups and balls, pack of cards, Cubio trick, escape ball trick. Its features are: fantastic components; impressive tricks; step by step illustrations; develops performance skills & confidence; ideal magic starter kit; and, covers the history of magic and magicians.

The instructions are chiefly for the knotwork portion of the projects, many of which can be used with or without added beads.