So, I decided it was time to learn how to make some single strand star knots and went into my archives of saved instructions. Of course, I started with Asemery's (
https://www.instructables.com/Single-Strand-Star-Knot/ but had problems making the leap to step 5. I even had a copy of his instructions from back in Pineapple Knot Forum days but that didn't help. So, I went looking on Youtube in the hopes that someone had made a video that could help me see what I couldn't in static photographic form. Almost all the instructions there were from paracord folks, and all of
them used a different method that tyed first the back layer of the knot and then the front, as opposed to Asemery's which ties each star point at a time. Even though I had seen most of them before, until I took up string in hand I didn't make the connection that
a single strand sailor's star knot is a doubled cloverleaf knot. Part of the reason I didn't make the connection is that no Asian knotter, not even Korean knotters who like to use completely different methods to tie the exact same knots in Chinese and Japanese decorative canon, uses the
twist then bring the free end up between method to tie a cloverleaf knot (
https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Tie-a-Single-Strand-Star-Knot/). I collect tying methods. Whoever decided that
that is the best way to tie a cloverleaf knot is mental.
Conversely, if an Asian decorative knotter was going to double a knot, the outer bights (ears) would most likely be staggered for a decorative purposes, rather than stacked on top of each other to no visual effect.
Once I figured out the sssk paracord and cloverleaf knot connection I was able to execute single strand star knots with 3-8 points (yes, I used round brocade/extra overlap techniques on the base cloverleaf 6-8) in short order.
That said, I'm still determined to learn Asemery's method. While the visual result is the same, structurally it is different. I've since figured out step 5 (the comment about making a small bight threw me off since it's just the cord left behind, as it were, on the way to making the next cow hitch), but am still struggling with closing the ring. I'm sure I'll get there eventually. The question is: how difficult would it be to modify the point by point method to include extra overlap? !!! Even as I was typing that sentence, I realized that the loopy method of cloverleaf/stellar knot tying (
https://bbs.jieyiwang.cn/thread-61075-1-1.html) that I've been working on learning is my answer here. Combining the 2 should get me over the hump of learning how to close the ring.
