JOE: ABOK#1387 simplified.

Here is a tutorial for ABOK#1387. Diagrams won't be necessary. It is a knot with 2 cycles, one of 6 parts and the other of 3 parts. It can be made with any number of bights except multiples of both 2 and 3. The knot to be shown will have 13 bights.

I often find it helpful to work with compartments within the knot. Overs and unders don't matter for the concept of compartments. In the grid I have randomly labelled some compartments. For example, "C2" is the compartment which has 2 parts of cord to the nearest edge. Similarly, "C1" has only 1 part to the nearest edge. "CC" is the centre compartment which has an equal number of parts to both edges, in this case 3.

This is the 6-part cycle in purple 2mm. Colourline. It is a simple grommet which follows a Turk's Head path. The diagonals from bottom left to top right are over all and, of course, the others are under all. The pin colours have no significance.

Here I'm using 2mm. green Colourline for the 3-part cycle. The 6-part cycle has a left hand lay and this cycle will have a right hand lay, just like 3-strand hawser-laid rope. Bring the green cord up from outside the knot, from right to left diagonally,and come out at C2 as shown. This is the start of a cycle from this C2 compartment. I will use "stepping stones" to describe the cycle. Go up over the "cross" (over 2 parts). We are now in the next C2 up, marked by a pin.

Now go up diagonally, from left to right, under 2 parts of the upper diagonals as shown. You will come out at a C2 on the right.

Go straight up over the "cross".

Now come straight across, from right to left, under the centre "cross" to come up at a C2 on the left. That is a cycle completed. Proceed like this from Photo 3 to Photo 6.

Here we have done one circuit. Proceed as before but go over green. There is now no need to use the "stepping stones". Just follow the " path" just described with your eye.