I was reading a
recent post on Knot Heads World Wide (KHWW) when I came across a
tutorial for this half hitched mat. I have a bunch of sisal rope around and I thought this would make an interesting trivet or table center piece. At the end of the day it is probably a better table center as I think it's a bit to big to be a trivet. Perhaps with some smaller, softer material (I used 1/4 inch sisal) it would make a better trivet. At the opposite end of the spectrum, with some stiff material or cane this knot can be formed to make a basket or bowl. I had to use a bunch of weights to hold down the various loops as I tied this, and at one point I missed a crossing- I didn't figure that out until I was doubling the knot, so I had to back it up quite a bit. Mistakes aside, it really didn't take too long and turned fairly well. If you get this down you could probably tie it in under an hour for sure. The pattern reminds me of Celtic knotting as is referenced in the KHWW post.
