True Love Knot

     Sometimes new ideas are not new at all, but combinations of old ideas.  Over forty years ago, my father taught all us kids (maybe to keep us out of his hair for a while) how to tie a rope grommet and how to play quoits.

The grommets were simple endless loops of rope.  We’d unlay a piece of line then re-lay it on itself. Then sail maker’s splice the ends of the strand back into the body of the ring. Thus making a ring four or five inches across with no visible beginning or end. Naturally, unlaid three strand line would make three grommets.  We’d throw the rings (or try to) over a stick pounded into the ground and Dad would have a few moments peace.

Figure 1. Grommet

     He also taught us just about every basic knot we might need and how to use them.  He taught us sheet bends, figure-eight’s, bowlines, various hitches, and of course the ubiquitous overhand and square knot.  To this day, when I teach marlinspike seamanship, the art of knots and splices, I start with the overhand and square knot.

     So how does the grommet, overhand, and square knot come together?  I weave and tie knots, sennets, and turksheads in silver and gold as jewelry. A customer asked about a “True Lover’s Knot.” In my study and reading, I’ve heard of both the square knot and two interlinked overhands described as “Love Knots” or “True Lover’s Knots.” The description comes from both knots having equal and balanced parts interwoven and working together. She favored the square knot.

Figure 2. Square Knot

Figure 3. Linked Overhand Knots.

     Though I started my knot tying career as an outdoorsman and a sailor working with manila, cotton, and leather, these days most of my knots are in metal.  But this lady knew that her sweetheart was unlikely to wear jewelry. Not an atypical male response (I make jewelry yet rarely wear more than my wedding band). So this lady wanted me to tie a Lover’s Knot in regular line.  I translated “regular” as to mean manila.  As we e-mailed back and forth, an idea grew in my mind–what if I tied the square knot inside a grommet!  Then you’d have a love knot tied in an endless loop. Or, two equal and balanced parts interwoven and working together woven inside of eternity!

     I got excited to work in manila again.  My customer decided to go with the interlocked overhands, but I was already focused on the square knot.  So I did both.
 

Figure 4. Linked Overhands tied inside a grommet.

Figure 5. Overhands tied inside a grommet.

Figure 6. Pulling on the bites of the overhands in Figure 5, forms a square knot inside a grommet.

     As we all know, there are no new knots–I am sure this has been done before somewhere.  But still, I truly enjoyed the creative process and working in manila again.

Master, U. S. Merchant Marine