The International Guild of Knot Tyers (or IGKT) is a worldwide association for people with an interest in

knot A knot is an intentional complication in cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including hitches, bends, loop knots, and splices: a ''hitch'' fastens a rope to another object; a ' ...

s and

knot tying A knot is an intentional complication in cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including hitches, bends, loop knots, and splices: a ''hitch'' fastens a rope to another object; a ...

Formation and beginning

Officially established in 1982, the founding members were initially drawn together by the 1978 publication in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' of an allegedly new knot, the

Hunter's bend Hunter's bend (or rigger's bend) is a knot used to join two lines. It consists of interlocking overhand knots, and can jam under moderate strain. It is topologically similar to the Zeppelin bend. When assessed against other bends in stress test ...

. The idea for a knotting association of some kind grew from the contact between two people. Des Pawson was a retail manager for a large stationery firm based in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

and a knot craftsman. Geoffrey Budworth was a Metropolitan Police Inspector and knotting consultant. Des first wrote to Geoff on 8 October 1978. They met before the month was over, and if it was not mentioned then the idea of contacting other knotting enthusiasts was raised by Des in a letter dated July, 1980, when he pressed for a suitable venue and suggested

The Maritime Trust The Maritime Trust is a Registered Charity in England, based at 2 Greenwich Church Street, London SE10 9BG. It was founded in 1970 and amalgamated with the Cutty Sark Society in 1975, and has a permit to restore, preserve, and display to the publi ...

. Even then, 1981 went by without further development; and this is a source of regret to them both as it was the centenary of Clifford W. Ashley's birth.

Aims

2013 Constitution

The object of the Guild shall be the advancement of education by the study of and practice of the art, craft and science of knotting, past and present. In furtherance of this object but not otherwise the Guild shall have the following powers: *(a) To undertake research into all aspects of knotting and to publish the useful results. *(b) To establish an authoritative body for consultation purposes *(c) To publish a periodical or periodicals and other papers and books about knotcrafts and related subjects. *(d) To form and maintain a library of books, papers, films, photographs and other materials about knotcrafts and related subjects, with a view to making information available to Members of the Guild, and to the general public. *(e) To form a collection of knots and knotting and work related crafts. *(f) To encourage the employment of knotcrafts as a manual activity in schools, and as a therapy among the physically handicapped *(g) Research and development of innovative shoe-lace tying methods The goals of the organization are to promote research and act as a source of reference and consultation on knots and knotting, preserve traditional techniques and promote an interest in the public, among others. Unlike a traditional

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

no level of expertise is required for membership, only an interest in knotting. Members of the Guild assisted with revisions and corrections to ''

The Ashley Book of Knots ''The Ashley Book of Knots'' is an encyclopedia of knots written and illustrated by the American sailor and artist Clifford W. Ashley. First published in 1944, it was the culmination of over 11 years of work. The book contains 3,857 numbered en ...

'' in 1991.

''Knotting Matters''

''Knotting Matters'' is the quarterly news letter of the IGKT and is sent by post to all subscribed members. The first issue was published in Autumn 1982 and was 17 Pages long and in Black and white, edited by Hon. Secretary Geoffrey Budworth. The centennial was produced in September 2008 edited by Lindsey Philpott and was professionally printed with colour covers and was 50 pages in length. ''Knotting Matters'' is made from Guild members submissions and other news from the guild.

Founding members

The Guild dates from an inaugural meeting of 25 individuals aboard the Maritime Trust's vessel R.R.S. 'Discovery' berthed in St. Katharine's Dock in the lee of Tower Bridge London (UK) on April, 17th. 1982. Those in attendance were Ryan T. Johnson, Mr. Roy E. BAIL, Mr. C.G. BELLINGHAM, Mr. Geoffrey BUDWORTH, Mr. John CONSTABLE, Mr. Bernard J. CUTBUSH, Mrs. Anne DEVINE, Mr. Ron W.EVANS, Mr. Sid EVANS, Mr. Eric FRANKLIN, Mr. Frank HARRIS, Mr. John HAWES, Mr. Paul HERBERT, Dr. Edward HUNTER, Miss. Jill JENNER, Mr. Albert KIRBY, Mr. Allan McDOWALL, Mr. Desmond MANDEVILLE, Mr. Graham MOTT, Mr. Des PAWSON, Mrs. Liz PAWSON, Mr. Douglas PROBERT, Mr. W. Ettrick THOMSON, Mr. Don WOODS and Mr. Quinton WINCH. Mrs Penny BODGER of Osgathorpe in Leicestershire, Mr. Robert CHISNALL of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and Mr. Charles H.S. THOMASON of Queensland, Australia all expressed a wish to be involved from the outset but due to distance were unable to attend the opening meeting.

International and local branches

*Alaskan Branch *East Anglian Branch (UK)
French BranchGerman BranchMidlands Branch (UK)
*Northwest Branch (UK) *Netherlands *New Zealand
NAB Mid-Atlantic RegionNAB Knot In the Middle
*Pacific Americas Branch
Solent BranchSurrey BranchSouthern Ontario Knot Tyers
*Sweden *West Country Knotters (UK) *West Yorkshire Branch (UK)

Recognition

In 2001, archaeological historian

Mike Loades Mike Loades is a British writer, television presenter, director, and military historian. Career As a television presenter/host he is best known for the BBC series' '' Time Commanders'' (2003-2005) and '' Weapons That Made Britain'' (2004) for ...

attempted a reconstruction of a British Iron Age chariot. He called upon IGKT member Richard Hopkins for his knowledge and experience of how to use the binding and lashing materials available at that time – rawhide,

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

, and

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

– and described his contribution to the project as "invaluable".

Six knot challenge

This involves tying six basic knots –

reef knot The reef knot, or square knot, is an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object. It is sometimes also referred to as a Hercules knot. The knot is formed by tying a left-handed overhand knot between two ends, ...

sheet bend The sheet bend (also known as becket bend, weaver's knot and weaver's hitch) is a bend. It is practical for joining lines of different diameter or rigidity. It is quick and easy to tie, and is considered so essential it is the first knot given ...

sheepshank A shank is a type of knot that is used to shorten a rope or take up slack, such as the sheepshank. The sheepshank knot is not stable. It will fall apart under too much load or too little load. The knot has several features which allow a rope to b ...

clove hitch The clove hitch is a type of knot. Along with the bowline and the sheet bend, it is often considered one of the most important knots. A clove hitch is two successive half-hitches around an object. It is most effectively used as a crossing knot ...

round turn and two half-hitches The round turn and two half hitches is a hitch used to secure the end of a rope to a fixed object. The name refers to the components used to form the knot: a round turn wraps the rope around the object (completely encircling it) and the two half ...

and

bowline The bowline ( or ) is an ancient and simple knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope. It has the virtues of being both easy to tie and untie; most notably, it is easy to untie after being subjected to a load. The bowline is sometimes ...

– against the clock. The authenticated world record is 8.1 seconds, set by Clinton R. Bailey, Sr. in 1977. IGKT members have discussed proposals for formal rules to govern future attempts on this record.

World Knot Tying Day

In 2018, the IGKT-Solent Branch promoted the idea of making the 18th of December World Knot Tying Day to celebrate and remember the author Clifford W. Ashley, who wrote and illustrated ''

''. The date was selected to coincide with Ashley's birthday (1881). Participants were asked to tie their favorite knot and also learn a new knot. Maybe also teach someone how to tie a knot? Even teaching someone to tie their shoelaces was sufficient. When the knots were tied, participants were encouraged to post a photo of their knot on their favorite

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

site with the

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...

#WorldKnotTyingDay. In 2020, the IGKT shifted the day of the celebration to September 18. This date coincides with the day Ashley died (1947).

References

External links

Official website of the International Guild of Knot TyersSite officiel de l'IGKT FranceVideo documentary on the history of the IGKT
* Two young Canadian

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

, coached by members of the Southern Ontario Knot Tyers, tie the six basic Scout knots in record videorecorded time Knots International non-profit organizations Organizations established in 1982 Hobbyist organizations {{knot-stub