Name for the Art of Knot Tying Is Called

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December nine, 1973

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SAG HARBOR, L. I.—Neither cowboys nor sailors seem to manage a length of rope with anything similar the piece of cake proficiency of their forebears, but if John Hensel has his manner, fancy rope work may once more be in style. Considered the foremost authority on ornamental knottying, Mr. Hensel has written a book on the subject, "The Volume of Ornamental Knots," which was published recently by Charles Scribner's Sons ($ix.95).

"The art of knot‐tying," explains Mr. Hensel, "is basically a weaving operation. Foursquare knotting is mostly referred to equally 'macrame,' which involves the tying, braiding or weaving of cordage. My book concentrates on the type of knotting known as Oriental rope work."

Ornamental rope work as it was practiced in the Far East and in the days of the sailing ships has nearly become a lost fine art. The 19th century sailors who countered the irksome hours of a long voyage by developing their marlinspike seamanship, equally such knotting is as well known, jealously guarded their skills from the eyes of curious apprentices. It was from old salts who had carried on this tradition that Mr. Hensel learned master knotting. "I was always interested in ships, and however am," he said at his waterfront home near here. "I went to bounding main at the age of 17, signing on as ordinary seaman aboard a Canadian steamer."

Favor For an Escape Artist

During his sailing days, Mr. Hensel visited virtually of the world'southward seaports and seldom missed a chance to nourish a sideshow or circus that included rope work by a wizard or escape artist. "There was one boyfriend," he recalled, "who offered a $50 prize to anyone who could duplicate one of his fancy knots. I bought ane of his samples and took it with me. I studied information technology until I figured out how it was made. On my next visit I went back and showed him a knot that made, an exact duplicate of his ain. He told me to come dorsum afterward, and of form never got the $fifty."

Some other time, Mr. Hensel was watching the performance of an escape artist in Galveston, Tex. "He asked for someone from the audition to tie his easily behind his dorsum," he recalled. "Naturally I was the showtime to volunteer. When he felt me make a pair of handcuff hitches, he really began to sweat. I retrieve him whispering to me, "Listen kid, I do this for a living. Accept a middle." Then I loosened upward a bit and fabricated them easy enough to escape from."

With more than 3,800 knot combinations under his belt, John Hensel teamed up with another expert knotter and wrote "The Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Rope Piece of work." Get-go published in 1939, the book is still considered the definitive piece of work on the field of study and was recommended reading in the 1973 edition of "The Last Whole Earth Catalog,"

Therapy Value Stressed

"That's the interesting part of it," says Mr. Hensel. "It seems that rope piece of work isn't being taken up simply by older people and children, but past young adults besides," While Mr. Hensel makes such diverse ornaments as wall hangings, belts, place mats, handbags and room dividers, none of them are for sale. He believes that with practise nearly people can acquire a fair amount of expertise and will be able to use their own imagination in ornamental rope piece of work.

Mr. Hensel estimates that in the two years information technology took to prepare the book, he used almost six miles of cordage in making the knot illustrations, and at that place are over 700 of them, that he photographed himself.

He has thoughtfully avoided entangling the reader in a maze of bends, hitches, whippings and weaves, along with their many variations. The knots explained in his book are all based on the Carrick Bend, a apartment knot of woven design, which is like shooting fish in a barrel plenty for even the beginner to master.

"I've had nurses and teachers tell me that knot tying is good therapy," he explained. "It tin can be done practically anywhere, fifty-fifty in bed, and it doesn't accept long to finish a pocket-sized rope blueprint. Of course something similar a wall hanging or a room divider will take much longer. Some other feature of knotting is that the materials don't have to exist expensive. You can utilize a length of clothesline, a piece of venetian bullheaded cord, or a braided rope of nylon or dacron. It'due south what you do with them that's important, You'd be surprised at how many variations you can become from one basic knot."

Mr. Hensel, who is or No‐wegian ancestxy, is a boon story‐teller and tin can spin a yarn as readily as he knots a length of rope. He has given ornamental knot shows on Long Island and in Feb volition conduct a lecture, and workshop series in the adult pedagogy program at the New York Botanical Gardens.

Mr. Hensel is vice president of a construction visitor in the New York expanse. He lives in eastern Long Isle with his wife, Dorothy.

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