I am trying to the learn The Penrose Knot - page 75 Karl Fulves Self Working Rope Magic - and am not(pardon the pun)having much luck.

Does any one know of any other sources, either in print or on video? Thanks.

Anthony Lindan

I thought I saw in other sources, but only found someone's demo of this, and some vaguely similar effects, but methods differ.

I've not done this effect, but my guess would be that the manner in which you create the loops is critical

John

I don't have the book handy, what is the effect, it may be called something other than Penrose. Or, someone else could have acquired it and called it something else.
John, where's the demo of it?

The effect is that of creating a series of "loops"/"knots" in a length of rope. The magi explains that only one is a real knot, the others are not.
The spectator is then asked to pick any of the loops, and hold on to that particular loop. The magi then pulls the ends of the rope, and all the loops disappear except the one that the spectator chose to hold on to, and (by the picture) it forms a legitimate overhand knot around the spectators fingers that he used to hold onto the loop.

After looking at the "demo" (which I downloaded years ago, and don't know the source), I realized that it is only related, not the same. In the video clip, the magician creates a series of loops (from the string of a yo-yo), but each loop is around one of his fingers. He then pulls on one end and all the loops disappear (similar to the way sewing thread can be pulled away (unraveled) from the fabric if a piece of thread/fabric is cut way.)

I've been pretty diligent about cross referencing tricks, yet each of my cross references were only "related", so I have no other name for the trick, BUT, looking at the text, Fulve's writes that it was invented by Roger Penrose (I'm sure just coincidence)

John

Just saw this post and I too had trouble with the Penrose Knot - - but I figured it out. With the Karl Fulves book the confusion is with figure 219 and 220 on page 75. The issue is there is not a good description transitioning from the first step to the second step. I did three things which makes it work. The first was I ignored figure 219 and started the ropes as shown in figure 220. Next I made sure when I did the chain stitch I pull the rope out and laid it in the same direction each time. The third thing was at the end, after the "knot" was chosen and held, I pulled the ends of the rope slowly. That kept the rope from binding or twisting.

I kept working on the Penrose knot and discovered something even easier than my previous post. The book's description states you start with an overhand knot. But the drawings are not clear with that. If you do start with an overhand knot, then do the chain stitch, it works well. I've performed it for friends and relatives and am now ready for the public!

It occurred to me that at least the premise is similar to an effect where the Magi drapes a long rope/chain on a table, creating a few individual loops.
The spectator would be asked to put his finger into one of the loops, and try to guess/bet whether when the Magi pulls on the ends of the rope, if the chain would
wrapped tightly around the spectator's finger. The magician can control the outcome, and either win or loose as he decides.
(The book I'm looking at now, calls this The Australian Belt, but it may also be called "fast and loose" (if I remember correctly?)

Anyway, for those that are familiar with both effects, are they essentially the same?

John

They are very close cousins. If I remember the trick correctly, what you just described the rope loops around the finger. But with the Karl Fulves trick a knot forms while the spectator holds part of the rope with 2 fingers. You don't need to have a finger in any loop to make it work. I think the difference is really the start of the trick. Here we actually start with an overhand knot, and this action will create the knot in the end. Because you do the chain stitch, the knot "travels" to where the rope is held. Since it's an actual knot, the finger does not need to be in the rope itself to make this work.

I guess it's time to play again with some rope