The Chinese button knot is essentially a
knife lanyard knot
The diamond knot (or knife lanyard knot) is a knot for forming a decorative loop on the end of a cord such as on a lanyard. A similar knot, also called the diamond knot, is a multistrand stopper knot, that is similar in appearance (although the ...
where the lanyard loop is shortened to a minimum, i.e. tightened to the knot itself. There emerges therefore only two lines next to each other from the knot: the beginning and the end. The knot has traditionally been used as a button on clothes in Asia, thus the name.
Tying
The basic chinese button knot (ABOK #599 on one string) is usually tied with a
carrick bend
The Carrick bend, also known as the Sailor's breastplate, is a knot used for joining two lines. It is particularly appropriate for very heavy rope or cable that is too large and stiff to be easily formed into other common bends.Geoffrey Budworth, ...
that attaches the two ends as a first step. This results then in a
knife lanyard knot
The diamond knot (or knife lanyard knot) is a knot for forming a decorative loop on the end of a cord such as on a lanyard. A similar knot, also called the diamond knot, is a multistrand stopper knot, that is similar in appearance (although the ...
(ABOK #787) where the loop part can be sized and used as a button hole, while the knot part can be used as a button.
File:Knife-lanyard-knot-ABOK-787-Carrick-start.jpg, Tying starts with a diagonal carrick bend
The Carrick bend, also known as the Sailor's breastplate, is a knot used for joining two lines. It is particularly appropriate for very heavy rope or cable that is too large and stiff to be easily formed into other common bends.Geoffrey Budworth, ...
(two colors for clarity)
File:Knife-lanyard-knot-ABOK-787-Over-standing.jpg, Ends continue around and over the standing part on the other side
File:Knife-lanyard-knot-ABOK-787-Through-center.jpg, Ends under the knot and up through the middle hole together
File:Knife-lanyard-knot-ABOK-787-Final.jpg, Tightened to a spherical basket weave, ends opposite standing parts
Below is the ABOK description, and several video demonstration references:
There is however a tying method that does not require a carrick bend, rather a slip knot as a first step, and does not produce a lanyard loop that needs to be reduced when used as a button. This method provides just the button, a spherical basket weave knot, in the style of
Turk's head knot
A Turk's head knot, sometimes known as a sailor's knot, is a decorative knot with a variable number of interwoven strands forming a closed loop. The name refers to a general family of knots, not an individual knot. While this knot is typically ma ...
.
File:ÇiftipteDügme ilmekten 1.jpg, Starting with a slip knot with the slip end at top right.
File:ÇiftipteDügme ilmekten 2.jpg, The slip end over the left side up and thru slip for 2 symmetrically interwoven slips.
File:ÇiftipteDügme ilmekten 3.jpg, One of the ends continues to bend and is pushed down the nearest triangular hole at center
File:ÇiftipteDügme ilmekten 4.jpg, The other end continues to bend and is pushed down the other triangular hole at center
File:ÇiftipteDügme ilmekten 5.jpg, The resulting flat flower has 4 symmetric petals and two stems
File:ÇiftipteDügme ilmekten 6.jpg, Tightening like an umbrella (not like a wine glass), and pulling the middle out
File:ÇiftipteDügme ilmekten 7.jpg, With the middle point at top, it becomes a 9 bulge sphere.
A third way to tie this knot
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl_hVULhBbw How You Can Tie The Chinese Button Knot -by whyknot] starts with two loops almost like tying the
celtic button knot A Celtic button knot is a stopper knot on a single rope that results in a spherical decorative knot with hair braid / basket weave pattern. It is essentially a single strand Turk's Head Knot that is structured such a way that it is effectively tie ...
, except for the curvature change at the center which results in the way the ends exit the knot; at opposite sides for celtic, at the same side here.
File:ÇiftipteDügme halkadan 1.jpg, one overhand loop
File:ÇiftipteDügme halkadan 2.jpg, another partially overlapping underhand loop behind
File:ÇiftipteDügme halkadan 3.jpg, third loop bends back an weaves
File:ÇiftipteDügme halkadan 4.jpg, fourth loop completes the symmetry
File:ÇiftipteDügme halkadan 5,jpg.jpg, the middle point at top pulled out
File:ÇiftipteDügme halkadan 6.jpg, tightened to a 9 bulge sphere
The resulting knot in both tying methods (slip-knot method and two-loops or whyknot method) is ABOK #600 which is similar to knife lanyard knot but the loop part is reduced to the top center bulge on its surface.
Which triangular hole at the S formed/back bent top center each end is tucked thru in both tying methods makes a difference:
* tucking thru the one at near side of the center as indicated by red lines i
thisimage gives ABOK #600 the 8 part knot, of which the common chinese button knot is a version with a 9th surface part,
* tucking thru the one at opposite side as indicated by red lines i
thisimage gives ABOK #787 the knife lanyard knot but with a retreated loop.
File:ÇiftipteDügmeD3 ABOKnr601.jpg, Chinese button knot Doubled ABOK #601 flat, with one end from outside all the way
File:ÇiftipteDügmeD1.jpg, Chinese button knot Doubled ABOK #601 flat, with one end from outside all the way, ends passing each other before reversing
File:ÇiftipteDügmeD2 ABOKnr603.jpg, Chinese button knot Doubled ABOK #603 flat, with each end from following from outside
File:ÇiftipteDügmeD4 ABOKnr601.jpg, Chinese button knot Doubled ABOK #601 tightened version
See also
*
Tangzhuang
Tangzhuang (), sometimes called Tang suit, is a kind of Chinese jacket with Manchu origins and Han influences, characterized with a mandarin collar closing at the front with frog buttons. It is an updated form of the Qing magua, itself a more fas ...
, a jacket which often incorporates knotted buttons
References
Decorative knots
Stopper knots
{{knot-stub