Silk textiles woven in Surin Province are recognized across Thailand for the complex matmi, or ikat, patterns they bear. Matmi patterns are achieved by tying hundreds of knots around bunches of threads to prevent color from seeping in and dyeing them in stages before they are woven. Master weavers design patterns that are quickly circulated and “copied” by other weavers, much to the dismay of the business owners who hold exclusive rights to sell some masters' sought-after silks. This talk by Alexandra Dalferro (PhD candidate in sociocultural anthropology, Cornell University) engages the materiality of knots and techniques of knotting to think about power, ownership, and expertise among weavers and other competing actors in the silk industry in Surin. 

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