Turk's head knot

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Turk's head knot
Category	decorative
Typical use	Decorative

A Turk's head knot is a decorative knot with a basket weave pattern surrounding a cylinder shaped object. The name is used to describe the general family of all such knots rather than one individual knot.

The most common use for the Turk's head is to mark the "king spoke" of a vessel's wheel; when this spoke is upright the rudder is in a central position. Otherwise, the knot is used mostly for decoration, and occasionally as anti-chafing protection.

The number of leads of a Turk's head is the number of crossings it makes as it goes around the circumference of the cylinder. The number of bends is the number of strands along the long axis of the cylinder. Depending on the number of leads and bends, a Turk's head may be tied using a single strand or multiple strands. Mathematically, the number of strands is the greatest common divisor of the number of leads and the number of bends; the knot may be tied with a single strand if and only if the two numbers are coprime.

The knot was originally named because of its resemblance to a turban.