Nautical knots

Knotted rope with a distinctly nautical flair has emerged as a decorative desk accessory and doorstop in two recent home-design catalogs. Williams-Sonoma Home offers a 6-inch-diameter Rope Knot made of abaca with a rattan core, recommended as a bookend, for $68 and an 8 1/2 -inch version that is heavy enough to hold open a door, for $98. Both, bottom left, are available in natural and navy at www.wshome.com; (888) 922-4108. Less hefty in scale, and in price, Ballard Designs’ version, bottom right, has a rougher twine texture knotted over cast iron in a 3-inch diameter paperweight available in black and natural, $19.95, and a 6-inch-diameter natural doorstop, $35.95, from www.ballarddesigns.com; (800) 536-7551.