How to Make a Kringle Mat

Over the weekend I had a bit of time on my hands, and I came across some length of cord that I had laying about. So I thought why not make a colourful Kringle mat out of it.

Top Tip in Making a Rope Mat

Whenever you are making a rope mat, middle you rope. Start off by making the mat with one half of the rope, then when it is time to do a second pass, go round in the opposite direction using the other half of rope. This way you do not need to pull all the rope through at once. In the photo below, you will see the Kringle mat has two passes. At the top left and right, you will see two coils of rope waiting to be used for the additional passes.

Des Pawson’s Knot Craft

Here we go another mention of Des Pawson’s brilliant book. If you want to read more about it click on Des Pawson’s Knot Craft

Why is it Called a Kringle Mat

According to Des Pawson the shape of the rope mat is similar to the symbol the Danish used to donate a cake shop. This shape is similar to a cake or a biscuit called a “Kringle”.

In the book Knot Craft and Rope Mats it recommends 18 feet of 1/4 diameter rope will make a 5 knot mat 3 times round of about 71/4 diameter.

How to Make a Kringle Mat

The diagrams in the book were easy to follow and I have to admit, I thought I knew better first time round and got it wrong. So making the initial loops is fairly easy, but when making the fifth loop and linking it to the first look you do need to follow the diagram fairly carefully.

Once you have made a loose version of the mat, it is just a matter of going round and gently tightening up the loops evenly. It is better to do this in small steps, otherwise the mat can become rather uneven.

Anyway here is the nearly finished mat, all I need to do now is to cut off the two loose ends and then bind them under the mat, to prevent it from coming undone.

How to Make a Kringle Mat Video

In this video you will learn how to make a decorative rope mat, known as the Kringle mat.

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