Windy Chien

Install days are the best.

94 knots made for a family that requested the traditional Korean colors. What a glorious day. Many thanks to studio team Judy and Young Young

Knot Installation
7 x 13 ft
Sunbrella cordage, brass, acrylic, book
2026

The mighty Chrysanthemum Knot is the traditional emblem of Korean knot craft. The new collection is for a Korean American family and I'm so happy to include this one for them.

This Lanyard Knot with Crown has been doubled, creating four loops. Chinese knotters call it the Cicada Wing Knot, cicadas representing the everlasting. It’s often used on gift packaging in place of ribbon.

Rib Stitch Hitching can be used as a covering for cylindrical or oblong objects, such as a bottle or boat fender, by making the hitching in vertical rows, like a net. Here, a single line hitching is used to cover a ring. I teach this in my book.

The family of Terminal Knots are tied in the ends of lines to prevent unreeving, such as a knot at the end of a thread to stop it from slipping out of a needle eye. This Cinquefoil, with its five parts, is among the prettiest of the family, but must be drawn up very firmly lest it capsize.

In Button Knots, the cords enter and exit the knot in the same place below the knot, and the button sits atop them, like a flower. The Doubled Eight-Strand Octagonal Button is the most difficult-to-tie button in my most recent collection, but the colors help clarify its complexity.

Button Knots are often fiendishly complicated, but the Turk’s Head Button is one of the truly simple ones. It consists of two interlocked Overhand Knots. I teach this one in my book.

The handsome Four-Strand Button is but one of the seemingly infinite combinations of wall, crowns, and tucks that result in the family of Button Knots.

This might be my favorite in the new Knot Collection I'll be installing soon.

The Compound Good Luck Knot has two layers of loops, which makes the knot twice as attractive and, compared to the standard Good Luck, a million times more complicated to tie.

What makes the Prolong Knot fascinating is that its length can be extended —prolonged— as far as there is cord to do so, while the width stays narrow.