A Registered Educational Charity, The International Guild of Knot Tyers was founded, with twenty-five members, in April 1982, as an association of folks with interests in knots and knotting techniques of all kinds. In succeeding years the Guild has grown beyond all expectation and we now have over six hundred members worldwide. Our membership includes all sorts of people, university professors, surgeons, sailors, scouts, magicians, farmers, miners and accountants, to name just a few, and they live in places as far apart as Tasmania, the Faeroe Islands, Japan and the U.S.A.
We keep in touch with each other by correspondence, of course, by holding regular meetings and exhibitions at both international and local levels and also by means of our quarterly magazine, "knotting matters", which is a mine of information, useful and obscure, on anything related to knotting. The Guild also publishes manuals, wall charts and postcards and sells its own ties and badges.
Members vary widely in their knowledge of the subject, some being interested novices, while others are experts in particular specialties, but everyone acknowledges that they have much to learn from each other and a continuous informal exchange of information and ideas is probably the Guild's most enjoyable characteristic.
The idea for an International Guild of Knot Tyers - North American Branch started at the May 21, 1994 meeting of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, at Michigan State University Museums exhibition "marlinespikes and monkeyfists"
This meeting was attended by Des & Liz Pawson (United Kingdom), Gordon Perry (United Kingdom), Brian Field (United Kingdom), Chris Malhoit (USA - Ohio), Alex Rayman (USA - Ohio), Tom Gergen (USA - California), Thom Skemp (USA - Wisconsin), Jim & Linda Williams (USA - Michigan), John & Kay Burke (USA - Michigan) and LuAnne Kozma Curator MSU Museum (USA- Michigan).
A portion of the group met in the spring of 1995 to establish By-Laws and formally incorporate as the International Guild of Knot Tyers. After much discussion and several meetings things went into hibernation as we faces the logistics of a group with membership spread across the USA.
In the January 1997 we began meeting again to finish what was started. In March 1997 the International Guild of Knot Tyers incorporated as a Not-For-Profit corporation in the state of Michigan.
The name of the organization shall be the International Guild of Knot Tyers - North American Branch, hereinafter, the IGKT-NAB.
The IGKT-NAB is a non-profit corporation located in the state of Michigan and shall maintain a mailing address in whatever North American location deemed convenient by the board of directors in order to conduct the affairs and activities of the branch.
The purpose of the IGKT-NAB is to serve as the North American branch of the International Guild of Knot Tyers (IGKT), a registered educational charity based in England with worldwide membership, the purpose of which is to promote the art, craft, and science of knotting, its study and practice, and to facilitate communications among all North American members and between the IGKT-NAB and IGKT.
Membership in the IGKT-NAB shall be open to any IGKT member interested in the purposes of the IGKT-NAB.
Members who live in North America may be enrolled simultaneously in IGKT and IGKT-NAB. Members of the IGKT may become members of the IGKT-NAB on payment of the IGKT-NAB membership dues, or renewing their IGKT membership through the IGKT-NAB. Membership dues will be set for dual membership in IGKT & IGKT-NAB that covers membership in both the parent and branch organization. Membership dues shall be collected by IGKT-NAB in U.S. dollars. Transmittal of the IGKT dues and membership information shall made to IGKT at regular intervals agreed upon by the membership secretaries and treasurers of both the IGKT and the IGKT- NAB.
IGKT membership through the IGKT-NAB makes it easier to join and renew membership without worry about conversion of US Dollars to British Pounds, which hopefully expands membership in the IGKT. The IGKT- NAB publishes the "interknot" a periodic newsletter. The "interknot" includes information on events, specialities, suppliers of rope and cordage, and publishing articles submitted by members. The IGKT- NAB provides a central contact point for members within the United States for problems with addresses, telephone numbers, etc.
Dues and length of IGKT-NAB membership shall be set by majority vote of the IGKT-NAB board of directors, and approved by the IGKT council.
In August 7, 8 & 9, 1997 the International Guild of Knot Tyers-NAB held its first meeting at the Whaling Museum, New Bedford, MA. This meeting was attended by people from United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Canada, and the USA. Members attending included people from many states including Florida, California, Texas, Alaska and many others.