The basket weave knots are a family of bend and

lanyard A lanyard is a cord, length of webbing, or strap that may serve any of various functions, which include a means of attachment, restraint, retrieval, and activation and deactivation. A lanyard is also a piece of rigging used to secure or lower ...

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 with a regular pattern of over–one, under–one. All of these knots are rectangular and lie in a plane. They are named after plait-woven

baskets A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehai ...

, which have a similar appearance.

Construction

A basket weave knot is made up of two sets of parallel lines drawn inside a rectangle such that the lines meet at the edges of the rectangle. For a true basket weave knot that can be tied with two strands, the number of intersections in each direction cannot have a common

divisor In mathematics, a divisor of an integer n, also called a factor of n, is an integer m that may be multiplied by some integer to produce n. In this case, one also says that n is a multiple of m. An integer n is divisible or evenly divisible by ...

. Within this constraint, there is no theoretical upper limit to the size of a basket weave knot. Thus, a knot that has two intersections in one direction can be lengthened with any odd number in the perpendicular direction. If the dimension ''n'' in the smaller direction is odd, it is always possible to construct a knot with ''n'' + 2 intersections in the other dimension. However, large basket weave knots have a tendency to twist and curl because they are completely flat. A basket weave knot can be tied from a single strand by first forming a

bight The word is derived from Old English ''byht'' (“bend, angle, corner; bay, bight”). In modern English, bight may refer to: * Bight (geography), recess of a coast, bay, or other curved feature * Bight (knot), a curved section, slack part, or loo ...

in the middle of the line. The ends near the bight become the standing ends. This method will keep the knot in one plane only for knots in which the standing ends enter the same side; these knots are called ''

bosun A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull. The boatswain supervi ...

's knots'' because they can be tied in a lanyard. For knots in which the standing ends enter from different sides of the rectangle, the bight will wrap across one side of the knot after it is set. Any basket weave knot that can be tied from two strands can be drawn as an

endless knot Endless knot in a Burmese Pali manuscript The endless knot or eternal knot is a symbolic knot and one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols. It is an important symbol in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. It is an important cultural marker in place ...

by connecting the standing ends together and the working ends together. An example of this can be seen in the

carrick mat The carrick mat is a flat woven decorative knot which can be used as a mat or pad. Its name is based on the mat's decorative-type Carrick bend#Decorative uses, carrick bend with the ends connected together, forming an endless knot. A larger form ...

. If a basket weave knot is tied with a flat line such as ribbon instead of a round line such as rope or cord, the method of turning the line at the edges affects the final appearance. Deflecting the line will form a series of bights or scallops along the edge, while folding it over will leave the edge flat.Ashley, pp. 148-149

Examples

The simplest basket weave knots consist of a two–by–three rectangle of intersections and include the following: *

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, ...

* Double coin knot *

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 ...

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, ...

Granny knot The granny knot is a binding knot, used to secure a rope or line around an object. It is considered inferior to the reef knot (square knot), which it superficially resembles. Neither of these knots should be used as a bend knot for attaching tw ...

In the reef knot and granny knot, the standing ends enter the short side, while in the double coin knot and the sheet bend, the standing ends enter the long side. Therefore, any of these knots could be used for a lanyard. In the carrick bend, which is otherwise similar to the double coin knot, the standing ends enter opposite long sides. The next smallest possible basket weave knot is made up of a three–by–four rectangle, and may be called a

boatswain A boatswain ( , ), bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull. The boatswain supervi ...

's lanyard, whistle lanyard,

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

knot, or Chinese knot, although the art of

Chinese knotting Chinese knotting, also known as () and decorative knots in non-Chinese cultures, is a decorative handcraft art that began as a form of Chinese folk art in the Tang dynasty, Tang and Song dynasty (960–1279 CE) in China. This form of craft or ...

includes many more knots besides this one.

References

{{Knots Bend knots Decorative knots Chinese art