Adventures In Knots

My independent reading book The Shipping News is very nautical themed. Centering on Newfoundland, and its long history and people, the book calls upon a bygone era of hardworking men and women who are almost gone. Almost every chapter is named after some kind of knot, and begins with a diagram of said knot, and a brief description from The Ashley Book Of Knots. These descriptions vary from explaniations of their uses, to old stories about their history. And it was this constant exposure to knots and their long significance that made me interested in them. On top of this the most recent pair of shoes I purchased have diagrams of how to tie knots in the soles, so really knots have just been on my mind.

Last week on the day all of the seniors were "sick" I went out to lunch with a friend at the windmill restaurant, and after explored the windmill antique store. While meandering through the long halls of shelves, I stumbled across "The Boater's Knot Tying Game," a small blue box containing lengths of rope, red tying posts, and a deck of 50 knots. The game works where the top card of the deck is flipped, and each eager player races to be the first to tie the knot shown. The winning player takes the card, and each knot is given a point value based on difficulty, and the first player to 20 points wins. My mother and I played a few rounds and it is quite fun. The diagrams force your brain to follow the twisted configuration and figure out where to start. While we are not particularly skilled in the art of knot tying, it is a very fun puzzle for us. I am sure that more skilled player would have a much more active and intense experience.

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