Fun with Chinese Knotting - Making Your Own Fashion Accessories & Accents

Fun with chinese Knotting-(Berkeiey)

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86 FIVE HAPPINESS KNOT

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Five Happiness Knot

The early Chinese used the phrase “Cometh forth the five happinesses” to

express blessings. According to an ancient script, the five elements of happi-

ness comprise a long life, riches, health, love of virtue and a natural death.

This particular knot derives its name from a flower with five petals. It

originates from the ten accord knot (see Chinese Knotting, page 86), symbol-

izing all the things that make up the good things in life, which has a knot body

surrounded by four double coin knots. The five happiness knot, however, has

five double coin knots as its petals. Since it is a loose structure, it is most suit-

able as a planar or flat design on garments. If not used in this way, the knot

has to be tied with stiff cords and the intersections sewn together.

Tying

In this knot, which is tied using one cord, five double coin knots (page 60) –

forming the petals – are hooked up. The center of each knot is formed by

intertwining cord from the adjoining double coin knot. Using the same tying

technique, new knots with seven or even nine petals can be created, perhaps

with names like “Seven Handy ...” or “Nine Satisfactory....”

Tips

• When this knot is completed, the cords always overlap in pairs forming a
  neat one on top one below pattern.


• Make sure that all five double coin knots are identical in terms of shape and
  size. They must be hooked up snugly to form a tight circle.

1 Tie a double coin knot with

both cord ends.

4 Tie three double coin knots with a single

cord end, intertwining the cords in between

the adjoining knots. Then tie the five petals

one at a time.

TB