Lee Valley Tools is a local hardware/gardening/woodworking store. They don’t sell the plants or the wood, but they do sell the tools. They have stores across the country, but somehow it still feels wrong to call it a chain, perhaps because they are still family-owned (I think!).

One of the latest catalogs to arrive in my mailbox has a most striking cover, and here’s the story of the beautiful Celtic knot carved lovespoons (via).

Things to see and do
‘Tis the season. With Lunar New Year fast approaching (Jan 26), everyone and their cow are having cultural showcases and celebrations. Very (very!) frequently, knotting is included as a demonstration. I guess because it’s so iconic, recognizable and more demo-able than sericulture or window making?

I mentioned a few last week, and if you have enough of an Pacific Asian presence in your area to have specialty food stores or perhaps some kind of ‘town you might also look around for cultural demonstrations.

Or make your own as this Chinese news outlet recommends. I wish I could get my city to decorate our streets like this!

Or you could make fake Chinese knots (boo, hiss!)
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/1/12/lifeliving/2962854&sec=lifeliving

More events in Malaysia
http://pasim.wordpress.com/2009/01/11/chinese-new-year-sales-events-1/

At the Warren Public Library in New Jersey
http://www.nj.com/reporter/index.ssf/2009/01/whats_happening_at_somerset_co_7.html
http://www.libraryinsight.net/eventdetails.asp?jx=wtp&lmx=127266

Neckwear
Someone is selling “no-knot scarves” that are attached with velcro for fear that their children’s scarves will get caught in a moving vehicle and drag them to their deaths. You could get a velcro scarf, or a neck tube, or you could teach your kids to tuck their scarf ends into their coats…
http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1388400

Books
WorldCat has added more maedup books including this one available at the University of Toronto East Asian Library.

Pretty Pictures
Sichuan earthquake survivors gave their Philippine hosts a nice gift knot.

Factoids
Apparently the Drungs Yunnan Province still tie knots to send messages. An article on this site discusses the Drungs and how they celebrate their Kaquewa Festival: Once the date of the festival is confirmed, the host will notify the friends and relatives by invitations. The so-called invitations are made of carved wood, knot or oral messages. The number of jags and knots represents how many days it will take to celebrate the festival.