More Than Knots

Walking Staffs

Walking staffs are another opportunity to do knot work.  Pictured at the left are staffs that have various forms of hitching. 

 

This gives the reader an idea of how hitching can be used to decorate staffs in a variety of ways. 

 

Forms of hitching done on the staff’s are as follows:

 

Moku hitching

Ring Bolt hitching— three stranded

Ring Bolt hitching— four stranded

St. Mary’s hitching

Zig-zag hitching

 

Additional knotting work done on the staff’s were Turk’s Heads.

 

Details of hitching are shown below:

 

From left to right—

 

Ring Bolt hitching— four stranded

Ring Bolt hitching— Three stranded

Moku hitching

St. Mary’s hitching

Zig-zag hitching

Ring Bolt—

4 stranded

 

Ring Bolt—

3 stranded

 

Moku  hitching

 

St. Mary’s hitching

Zig-zag hitching

In addition to doing the hitching on the staffs, I also add Turk’s head knots as decoration.  This enables me to show off some of my other knot work. 

3 lead—multi-bight Turk’s Head

 

5 lead 4 bight Turk’s Head

 

8 lead 5 bight Turk’s Head

 

Some of the Turk’s Heads are shown here.  On the left,  from top to bottom, I have a 3L4B Turk’s head, a 3LMB Turk’s head, a 5L4B Turk’s head, and an 8L5B Turk’s head. 

 

These are great conversation pieces for your walking staff. 

 

Other Turks’ head knots, shown are,  a 3LMB (three lead—multi-bight) Turk’s head, a 5L4B Turk’s head, and another 8L5B Turk’s head. 

Light color cordage used on the walking staffs is cotton.  After hitching and tying, all cotton cordage is “painted”  with a 50 / 50% mixture of Minwax Polycrylic and water.  The cotton soaks up the mixture, becomes plasticized, and upon drying, becomes waterproof.  It also hardens the knot into a permanent shape. 

 

Black cordage shown is nylon, the ends were fixed with super glue. 

 

The Moku hitching was done with jute cordage.  After hitching it was “flamed” to remove the extra or fuzzy strands.  Then it was “painted” with the 50/50% mixture of Minwax Polycrylic and water to fix the hitching. 

I hope this gives you some ideas about decorating your walking staff.  The ideas are almost endless.  Enjoy!