Author Topic: 100 Years - 100 Knots  (Read 7474 times)

AllanRichards

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100 Years - 100 Knots
« on: November 22, 2007, 09:55:11 AM »
As part of the 21st World Scout Jamboree (held in Essex UK this year) the Royal Forest Scout Fellowship asked 100 scouts from 100 counties around the world to each contribute a knot towards a knotting board to commemorate 100 years of scouting (1907 - 2007).  Des Pawson wrote an article (Knotting Matters Issue 70) on the history of knotting boards and I was wondering if anyone could add to it - in particular in relation to scouting.

Regards

Allan

Bob Thrun

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Re: 100 Years - 100 Knots
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2007, 02:24:27 AM »
Given that the general public asociates knots with Scouts, I was shocked that the Boy Scout Handbook has only six knots.  Other publications, such as the Pioneering and Climbing booklets have more.  I counted about 51 knots in the 2005 booklet Knots and How to Tie Them.  I did not include lashings in my counts.

DerekSmith

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Re: 100 Years - 100 Knots
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2007, 10:32:31 AM »
I had not heard of this before and I find it a most interesting project.  I wonder if the scouts have been asked to contribute a knot which has some association with their country?  One would assume that the 100 knots would be expected to be all different, so who is coordinating who is going to contribute what?  Surely the organisers are not planning to have a board comprising 80% Sheetbends.

If they are to be all different, what knot will the UK scouts be submitting?

Does anyone know if there is any formal association between the IGKT and the scouting organisations or if on this very knotty project there is going to be any input or support from the IGKT?

100 knots is quite a challenge and I for one would very much like to see the result, perhaps the Guild could arrange to run a feature on the result in KM

Derek

Brian_Grimley

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Re: 100 Years - 100 Knots
« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2007, 01:57:21 PM »
Since the knotting board's aim is to represent scouting from around the world, you might be interested in this Boy Scout online knotting book from Japan: http://www.bskofu5.jp/rope/index.htm . It contains several knots I have not seen on Boy Scout sites in "the west". For example, the method of coiling a rope show just above the splicing at the bottom of the page here: http://www.bskofu5.jp/rope/nawa-trg1.htm . The name of the coil translated as the "Shrimp knot". I think it would make an interesting item on a knotting board.

Dan_Lehman

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Re: 100 Years - 100 Knots
« Reply #4 on: November 23, 2007, 10:01:28 PM »
asked 100 scouts from 100 counties around the world to each contribute a knot

I must concur in Derek's caution:  how is it to be precluded (or otherwise accepted)
that the collection doesn't comprise multiples of the few known knots (or even, to a
lesser degree, some several instances of duplication)?!

One way to ensure that this doesn't happen would be to have this century-count
of Scouts organizations pick from a queue of 100 (or more) knots pre-selected;
the contribution would be the physical item.  Perhaps some hybrid of old & new
could be had, asking first for offers of knots from the collective, then assigning
what can be done to some several (likely no more than 25 differences would
be found?) groups and then having those left out go choose from the set of
options.  --a list though that would need continual updating so that there isn't
a continual need for conflict resolution (choosing same knot by two or more ...).
And it's not as though each such knot can bring along some history, and in
many cases, even an agreed name!

But Scouts are about the future, too, they must hope.

Let the count begin by a receipt and growing list of contributions;
when that runs dry, then one will need to seek "new" knots, and tyers
for them.

--dl*
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AllanRichards

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Re: 100 Years - 100 Knots
« Reply #5 on: November 23, 2007, 10:34:02 PM »
I had not heard of this before and I find it a most interesting project.  I wonder if the scouts have been asked to contribute a knot which has some association with their country?  One would assume that the 100 knots would be expected to be all different, so who is coordinating who is going to contribute what?  Surely the organisers are not planning to have a board comprising 80% Sheetbends.

If they are to be all different, what knot will the UK scouts be submitting?

Does anyone know if there is any formal association between the IGKT and the scouting organisations or if on this very knotty project there is going to be any input or support from the IGKT?

100 knots is quite a challenge and I for one would very much like to see the result, perhaps the Guild could arrange to run a feature on the result in KM

Derek

The Royal Forest Scout Fellowship was one of hundreds of organisations asked to "do something" for the 21st World Jamboree.  What they decided to do was give the opportunity for some of the 40,000 scouts attending to take part in various pioneering projects (monkey bridge, ariel runway, giant see-saw, balista etc.).  I was "volunteered" by the fellowship to come up with a  small knot project and that was how "100 years - 100 knots" was born.

As scouts came into our area at the Jamboree, we determined nationality and asked them to contribute a knot if we had not already collected one from that country.  Prior to the event, I produced 100 knots in plastic envelopes with names and references and contributers were asked to chose which knot they wanted to tie.  Help was given if needed.  When a knot was tied the plastic envelope was removed from the hundred we started with so towards the end of the event scouts had less choice.  If someone elected to tie a knot not in our collection then this was allowed (as long as we could identify it!) and we simply discarded one of our envelopes.  Contributers were given certificates and will be emailed with pictures or a website link.

The backboard measuring 5' x 4' is already constructed http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/AllanCRichards/Knotboard/photo?authkey=2Z0iSsTdEi0#5128279076090391874 and early next year (when the oak has seasoned!) it will be framed with wood taken from the Jamboree site.  As yet, I don't know where the board will be hung.

We had contributions from all the "home" nations - England produced a Japanese Bend.

If you are interested in statistics we had over 5000 scouts visit our area.  They got through 360 metres of cord tying knots for the board or just tying knots for the sake of it and our balista broke two spars through the wooden equivelent of metal fatigue.

Allan


AllanRichards

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Re: 100 Years - 100 Knots
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2007, 10:39:54 PM »
Since the knotting board's aim is to represent scouting from around the world, you might be interested in this Boy Scout online knotting book from Japan: http://www.bskofu5.jp/rope/index.htm . It contains several knots I have not seen on Boy Scout sites in "the west". For example, the method of coiling a rope show just above the splicing at the bottom of the page here: http://www.bskofu5.jp/rope/nawa-trg1.htm . The name of the coil translated as the "Shrimp knot". I think it would make an interesting item on a knotting board.

The shrimp knot (as you call it) was shown to me at the Jamboree by a scout from Hong Kong.  I had never seen it before. 

Allan

asemery

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Re: 100 Years - 100 Knots
« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2007, 11:25:24 PM »
The shrimp knot looks like the Pipa or Tear Shaped Knot.
http://webpages.charter.net/yvonnechang/knots/pipaknot.htm