In the tread: Can of Worms
Given that I do not profess to be a knot expert (or even beginner) by any stretch of the imagination, please understand that I may be throwing yet another worm into this particular can.However, my particular skills revolve around finding technical solutions to problems, so perhaps I can be of some use here.
It seems to me one possible option here would be to develop a standardised, image based, dictionary via the igkt.net site initially. As I see it, such a dictionary would comprise single entries of a standard, close-up image of each knot catalogued by it’s most common (or IGKT voted) name followed by every known name variation for that particular knot. Entries could also include technical descriptions, earliest known usage, common current usage etc etc.
The entire dictionary could be database-driven which would allow the opportunity for the data, once entered, to be output in a variety of ways. Most useful of all, people could such search on any name variations and they would still find the appropriate knot entry (or entries). Other elements could also possibly be searched upon such as ‘current usage’.
The technology to develop such an online project is currently available on igkt.net. All I would need is the official go-ahead from IGKT officials and a working group to develop it with.
Mel
I would want to add, let us work from both ends to the middle. You scientific inclined people work on the listing of all the knots and add to ABOK, and us, more practicle people work on getting a list of knotpictures and instructions on the web. Whenever we have added some knots you can tell us your information which we then can add to the information on the web or whenever you have some knots ready, we add the pictures and instructions.
Lets asume I put my knots on the web (IGKT site?) to start, you will know that some (or most) of them are in ABOK. If you have worked on the chapters in which they appear. You send a message in which you give for every knot an ABOK number, a (sugested) official name and all the information more you want to share. When this info is added to the knot, more images and names can be added from other people who do have the rights to the drawings/pictures of the knot.
It can look like:
Star Knot, ABOK 0881, textual information picture instructions on how to tie more names other languages
Unfortunately I do not have the information handy to make above example clickable.
And when you click on one of the underlined words you get a page with either text, a set of pictures, as many as needed to recognize the knot, or a how to make this knot page. This last can also hold several of those pages. I know that both Dan in Alaska and I hold a page with how to tie the starknot, I would like the people to be able to go with one click from one page to the next and to as many others as available.
I think the ‘more names’ and ‘other languages’ part is easy to understand. I would like those names to be search words too, like if you come to the site and you search for “sterknoop” you will be directed to the starknot.
When we do get to the stage where there are several knots with the same name the search may come up with a listing of several ABOK numbers, each with a small picture of that knot.
The search function should work on the numbers too of course, and maybe on ‘useage’ too, but that can be worked out when we have a start.
And if the guild is willing and able, we can start publishing as soon as we have a few knots working. That way we can add pictures to the knots for which you have worked out the additional information and you can add information for the knots for which we already have pictures. I think all information should be held in a central place (the server hosting the guild site?) with copies in other places to be able to move in case of server failure.
Willeke