Turk's head knot
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Turk's head knot | |
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| Category | decorative |
|---|---|
| Origin | Ancient |
| Typical use | Decorative |
| ABoK | 1278–1401 (Chapter 17: The Turk's-Head) |
A Turk's head knot is a decorative knot with a variable number of interwoven strands, forming a closed loop. The name is used to describe the general family of all such knots rather than one individual knot. While generally seen made around a cylinder, the knot can also be deformed into a flat, mat-like shape. The knot is used primarily for decoration and occasionally as anti-chafing protection. A notable practical use for the Turk's head is to mark the "king spoke" of a ship's wheel; when this spoke is upright the rudder is in a central position. The knot takes its name from a notional resemblance to a turban though a turban is wound rather than interwoven.
[edit] Leads and bights
Each type of Turk's Head knot is classified according to the number of leads and bights and method of construction. The number of bights is the number of crossings it makes as it goes around the circumference of the cylinder. The number of leads is the number of strands along the long axis of the cylinder. Depending on the number of leads and bights, 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. For example, 3 lead x 5 bight (3x5), or 5 lead x 7 bight (5x7).
There are three groupings of Turk's Head knots.
- Narrow, where the number of leads is two or more less than the number of bights, (3x5, or 3x7)
- Wide, where the number of leads is two or more more than the number of bights(5x3, or 16x7), and
- Square, where there is only a difference of one between leads and bights (7x8 or 8x7).
[edit] Significance to Scouting
A tan or brown leather woggle made using the Turk's head knot is part of the insignia of the 1st Gilwell Park Scout Group which is the collective name for all adult leaders worldwide who have completed Wood Badge leadership training. It is worn with the Gilwell neckerchief which is a universal symbol of Scouting. The neckerchief is a standard triangular scarf made of dove-grey cotton (wool is available on special order) that has a patch of Clan MacLaren tartan at the point.
