Korean Traditional Decorative Knots

by Carmine.shot via Flickr

I remember growing up seeing all these different items with decorative knots: bookmarks, cellphone charms, etc. Just learned today that these were all part of a distinct Korean craft called maedeup (매듭)!

According to the Korean Culture and Information Service, maedeup consists of 30+ traditional shapes and patterns. It also seems that decorative knotting has been prevalent across East Asian culture.

Please, let’s not call it Korean macramé…lol

Knots can actually be incredibly interesting—obviously because of their decorative and functional use…but they also get pretty wild within math and knot theory: