I am planning to write a little feature on Knot Another with inserted illustrations, but if readers have recommendations, it would be great to be able to do more in-depth reviews on more books.

While doing my own net searches on maedup, I came across the page of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. They have a huge online forum, with a posting category on Korean knotting. The first post in the thread is from about 2 years ago by an experienced member. It lists a lot of Korean language resources with detailed recommendations, so do check it out if you’re adventurous and really need that maedup fix

http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?topic=1108.0

SY

Just wanted to let readers know I’m a new contributor to Veronique’s blog as she has kindly given me admin access. I’m currently working to promote a book on maedup that just came out last year, called “Knot Another!”. It’s by a South African woman who moved to South Korea and learned maedup there, while making hand drawn notes to help her learn each step to every knot.

There’s now a new picture and info blurb under the books section. If anyone has any questions about this book or wants more information, I’ll be happy to answer.

Anything of interest to maedup I will try to pass on here and make a few more updates from time to time. I’ll keep an eye on Veronique’s store page (maedupandco.com)  to see what she is up to and try to relay the information here. Her boutique opening happened just last month in France, which is quite exciting news for fans.

As someone who is new to maedup and has just really started learning about it, it’s quite amazing to me how versatile maedup can be as a craft!

Hope to make more updates soon,

SY

My oh my! I have been so busy over the past year setting up my store that I have completely neglected my blog!

Well worth the trouble though as I am very happy with the results. I struggled for months using an ecomerce plugin that gave me a lot of trouble and ended up moving over to another one that I think is much better. What’s more, it is multi-language to cater to my english speaking fans!

Thanks for your patience and enjoy!

Click on the image to visit our store!

Maedup & Co – Maedupshop’s boutique!

Braided cords called kkunmok or dahoe are knotted into Maedup ornaments. Four, eight,12,16,24 or 36 strands are braided to make kkunmok of various strength and thickness.

Four-strand cords, which are the easiest to make, are often made without the help of a braiding-device and have wide applications; eight-strand cords are good for tie- strings for purses and other bags; 12-strand cords are used for ornaments on fans, belts and ornamental knives; and 24-or 36-strand cords are used to make yuso to adorn paintings or portraits.

There are two types of kkunmok or dahoe; a flat, ribbon-like cord called kwang-dahoe and a round one called wondahoe. The former is used to make belts and similar items of considerable width and the latter is used to make a variety of ornamental objects like yuso, norigae, a woman’s dress accessory, or bag strings.

Source : knot.or.kr

Maedup (literally ‘the knotting’) is a folk handicraft that cannot be learned from books or by studying finished pieces of work. It is, rather, an folk art that throughout Korean history has been passed down from one generation to another. Technically, maedup is anything produced by knotting and tying strings made from twisted grass, bark, fur or thread. Maedup has been in existence in Korea since before recorded history. It was first used to form articles of clothing or decoration for the interior of dwellings. As life became more complex, however, maedup began to be used as a means of recording and tallying numbers, of communicating and of keeping records. In more recent history, it has been more commonly used in accessories for women’s traditional dress or for decorating furniture and other handicrafts.A tradition of maedup-style knotting is also native to China and Japan as well as Korea. In Japan, maedup is commonly used as an ornament in traditional tea ceremonies or to wrap and tie a present. It is also used as a waist string for the kimono, the Japanese traditional dress for women. The finished Japanese and Korean maedup look very similar to each other but the technique of making the two are different. The Chinese style of maedup also looks very similar in pattern to the Korean, but differs in the colors used and the proportion of the knotted body to the tassel.While both involve knot-tying, Korean maedup is very different from Western macrame. Macrame is said to have started when American sailors began to use the knots they knew to create designs during their spare time on long ocean voyages. Typically, therefore, Western macrame is of cotton and tends to be rough and heavy. Korean maedup, on the other hand, is usually made with brightly colored silk thread, giving it a very different kind of beauty. There are 33 different traditional patterns of Korean maedup, but all of them begin with the same basic steps, so that the completed work looks the same on both faces and has symmetrical right and left sides. No matter how complicated the maedup is, it always starts at the center and ends back at the center. The tassel, called sul, which hangs from the body of the maedup, is an integral part of the design. It is meant to add beauty to the work with its graceful lines of hanging threads. There are many variations on the tassel design; some of the most common are the berry, rod, club, octopus leg, bell, and abalone tassels. The norigae is a special type of maedup used to decorate a lady’s traditional hanbok dress which may have up to 12 colors in it. However, it usually uses just three basic colors: red, yellow and indigo blue. Norigae are bright, sophisticated-looking and come in many forms, each representing a wish for something special, such as wealth, fame, many sons, or eternal youth. Another type of traditional knotting is known as sonchu. It involves a knot to which is attached tassels and other ornaments and which is then tied to the hole in the handle of a fan. Sonchu can be decorated with white or green jade, amber, ivory, cloisonné or jujube wood in which a pattern, perhaps representative of a crane, a deer, or a pavilion, is carved. In olden times, only those who had achieved a governmental position by passing a special national examination could use sonchu on their fans. Those who gained office through family connections, but without passing the examination, were not allowed to use sonchu, no matter how powerful they were! Maedup products are still very popular and can be found in many shops across the country. The traditional center of maedup production, the Changchung-dong area in Seoul, is still an excellent place for visitors to shop for just the right piece to take home. by Soo-Deuk Sohn Information provided by Korea National Tourism Organization Tel: (82-2) 729-9453/4 Fax: (82-2) 757-5997 E-mail: www.knto.or.kr Korea Maedup (Macrame) Institute Tel: (82-2) 556-1112 Fax: (82-2) 556-1112 Source:   http://www.kisc.org/kti/issues/1998/9-10/unique.html

Posted in Uncategorized ]]> http://themaedupshop.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/93/feed/ 4 Véro norigaebluemedsm11 http://themaedupshop.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/blog-news/ http://themaedupshop.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/blog-news/#comments Sun, 29 Mar 2009 20:53:50 +0000 Veronique McKay http://themaedupshop.wordpress.com/?p=77 ]]> Here is where you will find all the new stuff on this site: page updates, new creations in the gallery, Maedup & co’s advancement ….and any other stuff I would like to share with you !

I will be offering my creations as well as ‘design your own’ options where you will be able to choose your cord colour, stone and knot pattern.

I also hope to offer project kits and supplies for all of you who do your own knotting!

Wish me luck!

Coming soon! – http://www.maedupandco.com

Be the first – don’t be shy!