Knot Theory

It was the eighth knot in the Gordian chapter, and every strand on the corkboard glowed red. I had dragged the same pin back and forth for a full minute. Then I stopped, untangled the outside of the board first, worked inward, and watched the red fade strand by strand until the last crossing let go. Three stars. I set the next knot straight away.

That is Knot Theory: a calm untangling puzzle on a corkboard, where colored yarn is tied between pins and your job is to move the pins until no two strands cross. Press a pin and slide it anywhere; every strand tied to it follows. Each tangle is built from crossing straight lines, so a tidy layout always exists.

ADVICE FROM THE WORKBENCH

• Drag pins, not strands. The yarn only ever goes where its pins go.
• Untangle the outside first, then the middle. Big knots rarely give way from the center.
• Watch the counter on the sticky note. Crossings, moves and time are always in view.
• Par is one move for each pin you are allowed to move. Undos and hints still count, so think before you pull.
• Leave Show crossings on while you learn, so tangled strands glow red. Switch it off in the Notebook when you want a sterner test.
• From chapter two, brass nails are fixed in place. Build your layout around them rather than fighting them.
• A hint costs 8 buttons. Save them for Gordian, where tangles get big and patience matters.
• Solve seven knots in a chapter to open the next one, so one or two stubborn knots never hold you back for long.
• Spend buttons in the Supply Drawer. Six yarns, from Rainbow Skein to Ink and Chalk, five pin styles and three boards: Cork, Linen and Chalk Slate.
• Once a knot is solved, try it again against the clock. Quick Fingers is the patch for anything under 30 seconds.
• Keep the Daily Knot in your routine. It pays 45 buttons and builds a knitting streak.

Thirty chapter knots across Loose Ends, Granny Knots and Gordian, a daily tangle, and twelve patches to sew into your Scrapbook should keep your fingers busy for a good while. Untangle your first knot today. Knot Theory never needs the internet, never asks you to log in and never shows an advert or a price tag, and the corkboard stretches to fit handsets and tablets.