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Introduction and Classification
Since I was a teen-ager I have been fascinated by knots and hitches. The interest started in Boy Scouts work but was heightened by Mr. Mundy, a scout leader in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is dead now but he is an example of how someone with an interest in youth and evident special knowledge can influence people, in this case over 40 years later.
I've worked with ropes as a tree surgeon's helper, smokechaser in oregon, game biologist in Virginia, wildlife professor in Idaho, and, most importantly, as a husband in too many households.
My daughters like knowing about knots. My students got a dose of knot tying but sneer because instruction in such things seems so unsophisticated, so technical. Posh!
I live part time at a cabin next to a wildlife management area. I use knots almost daily and I want to share with readers the pleasure of knowing knots and hitches. They are like tools. The knowledge in this e-book can turn "a piece of old rope" into a useful, even life saving, tool or piece of equipment. Most of us enjoy having tools even though we may not use them often. We all feel badly when using a tool improperly (the poor screwdriver that is used for everything).
There are knots that are proper for an occasion. It is a sign of special knowledge, of extra competence when someone uses a knot correctly.
More to the point, using a knot well:
1.improves efficiency
2.reduces slippage
3.reduces danger and losses
4.reduces wear and tear on the rope, and
5.usually allow less rope or string to be used.
Knot tying is just fun. There's not enough of that anymore.
| Robert H. Giles, Jr. formerly Professor of Wildlife Resource Management, Virginia Tech. Katherine Wimble was a talented undergraduate student. (I have lost contact with her and am hopeful viewers of this site may suggest a contact.) |
Getting Started
This is an action book.
Please get a piece of rope or string right now! A 6 foot (2 meter) piece of window sash cord or clothes line is fine. (A piece may be enclosed if this unit is used in other ways.)
Select a small cord first so you can put it in your pocket or pocket book and practice with it when in the doctor's office, barber shop, or any other place where life-time is wasted.
I've carried a piece of string before; a leather boot thong is excellent and feels good -- like it is right for tying knots. Later, get several larger ropes of different sizes, at least several pieces from the hardware store or wherever you can.
Tie the ends so they do not unravel. I'll show some special knots and other techniques for this later. I've tried to avoid using rope terms but some are needed. They are largely from sailors and are now almost irrelevant except for historical interest and for information about where the knot got its name. They are a good shorthand or code.
Pictures are worth at least a few words; describing how to tie a knot is almost impossible. "Like this!" someone may say, but the rapid movement of an expert in tying a knot are rarely instructive more like the hands of a magician. The picture and notes will suffice if you use your rope, proceed slowly at first, then compare your knot with the drawing. If it doesn't look right (or slips) you did it wrong. Start again!
No breakage; no problem; no body is criticizing! Later you will want to pick up speed, then take the final test -- tie each in the dark. (You cannot believe how many times this ability has payed off for me in emergencies, electric failures, camping, fighting forest fires, packing up and moving around the country with the family, and, unfortunately, in military ranger training operations.)
Classification
I think there are three major types of simple hitches or knots.They evolve from the bound rope and clove hitch in which the rope flows in one direction and depends on friction with itself or the thing being tied to hold the rope.
There are knots that use bights. The function is a blocking or stopping action caused by the sharp change in rope direction.
Then there are the end knots, those used to keep a rope from unraveling but, more importantly, to keep the end from going through a ring, hole, or coming untucked.
Beating Knots Tight
Once a well-made knot is tied, it may be decided that it should be almost permanent (as least as much as a rope is even permanent) and if the rope is ever to be removed, it will be cut. No one will untie the knot.By pulling it as tightly as possible, pressing rope to rope, and by gently tapping the rope with a hammer or almost any object, the knot can be tightened so that it is almost untiable. Do not hit the rope hard enough to break fibers but tap it all over while pulling and pushing it uptight. Even a clove hitch can be made difficult to loosen by beating it tight.
The knots and hitches in this e-book appear in the next Table.
| Clove Hitches Bound Rope Clove Taut line Hitch Rolling Hitch |
Bight-Based Half hitch Two Half Hitches Timber hitch Sheepshank Square Granny Thief's Sheetbend Double sheet bend Lariat loop Slip knot Pipe hitch Bowline Girth hitch |
End Overhand Figure 8 Stevedore Whipping |
Good Knots
How do you know which are the best knots? Which are good knots? How do you know when you have tied a "good knot"? The criteria:
1. It should use a minimum amount of rope
2. It should be easy to learn
3. It should be easily tied (few moves; swift)
4. It should be adapted for the end or the middle of a rope
5. It should remain tied
6. It should be easy to untie
7. There should be minimum loss of rope strength
8. There should be minimum damage to the rope
9. It should be specific for or appropriate for its task.
All of these criteria for good knots and hitches have exceptions. For example, sane knots (such as for tying two fishing lines together) you want to stay tied. You'll cut out the knot before you will try to untie it. Some are difficult to learn but becane so easily tied that they are second-nature, like tying shoestrings. For sane situations, rope shortage is no problem; surplus is the problem (e.g., using the sheepshank). Strength is not a criterion in the thief's knot.
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A bight A is a part of a rope formed as a loop. In tying an overhand knot, first take a rope, form a bight,B, and move the running end as shown in C.
The Bound Rope
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It is not strong but it is a perfect solution for some situations, such as lowering something from a tree or out of a window. It's great for slowing down something at the end of a rope - whatever it is.
The Overhand Knot
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The overhand knot is a bound rope… then ---not wanting to go into a clove hitch… the hitcher just tucks in the end. The rope end and running parts are both bound.
It is usually tied to start a knot in a shoe string - so is perhaps the world's most tied knot. It is usually the first phase of another knot, but it is useful in itself. Next, three overhand knots are shown. One is an end-of-rope or end knot. The other shows the knot around a bag. The other shows one tightly pulled around a pole.
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It took me 40 years (not full time of course) to learn how important the overhand knot is. I was learning all of the knots wi th their fancy names and intracicies. It then dawned that a good fat overhand will rarely pull underneath the first wrap of a clove hitch or an overhand around an obj ect. As long as there is reasonable tension and friction. It is easy, fast, and untiable. You'll like it.
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The Fisherman's or Angler's Knot
This one is useful for tying two lines or string together. Other knots are better for joining ropes. There are many knots called "the fisherman's" knot. With the advent of plastic fishing lines of all types, it has become difficult to find a good knot to tie a leader to a string or join two pieces of line. The solution is very simplke … two overhand knots pulled tight and then pulled toward each other.
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The half-hitch is available using only a quick little move. A simple bight in the rope is all that is required. It slips easily but if the running end is bound down, and pressure maintained, it is amazingly effective. The sharp bend in the rope, the bight, makes the rope less strong than when straight. A pull here or there can change an overhand into a half-hitch. (Experiment with it.)
The Two-Half-Hitch
It is not much of an intellectual jump to move fran one- to two-half hitches. Pull a little in the A direction. This hitch easily tightens; it is a little difficult to loosen. Note that it is just a clove hitch around itself. (B is the clove hitch.) Years ago I made a backpack following instructions fran Boy'sLife magazine.
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Square Knot
The square knot is pretty and easily tied. It starts with an overhand (for example, tie it around your leg), then tie another overhand just like it. The results will be a granny knot or a square knot, depending on the sequence in which you tied the second knot. Some use the slogan "left over right; right over left." It Others just look at what is happening in each situation and make the second overhand cause even bights to be created with the running ends laying along side their respective standing parts.
This knot is great for joining strings or ropes together, for tying up a package… almost everything. It is usually difficult to untie when very tightly pulled so it has the advantage of being fairly permanent. It is easily one of the most important knots. It is often recommended, because of its beauty, for tying scarves. For joggers, it is the knot for tying a headband -- Smoothly, easily untied, and looks good.
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Thief's Knot A knot that looks just like a square knot but isn't (and will slip) is shown at the right. A bight is formed, then the other bight is made carefully so that the running ends emerge on opposite sides of the standing parts. A package (camping gear, etc.) tied with the thief's knot, is very likely to be re-tied by the skillful theif with a square knot, not knowing there is a very subtle difference… but an important one between the square and the thief's knot. Both the thief's knot and the granny knot are inferior because under nonnal pressure the knot will fail.
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Compare the location of the ends of this knot with those of the square knot. |
Clove Hitch
The rope was attached near the top; I pulled it upright then tied a clove hitch around a nearby tree. Easy.
The clove hitch demonstrates the key elements of the master knot tyer. These are that a knot should:
1.Be easy to tie
2.Be easy to untie
3.Cause little loss in rope strength.
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Hint: If A is short and B is pulled very hard to the right because of a shift in load or an animal moving, the knot might fail. A simple trick to avoid this is to repeat step 3, swinging the rope around the post again and making another tuck.
Not much chance of this slipping! Unless a moderate pull is kept in the B direction, the clove hitch will loosen, especially if there is vibration or movement (as on a boat).
An alternative: toss the running end into a half-hitch (discussed next). Every knot reduces the rope efficiency, the comparison of strength to that of a straight pull on a new dry rope.
The clove hitch results in about 60% efficiency of the rope. It is one that causes the the least loss in rope efficiency.
Knots are hard on ropes!
An alternative view ...  |
Rolling Hitch
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Pipe Hitch
Pulling a fence post or pipe out of the ground is stressful. Posts are hard to grasp. The pull must be straight up unless it is to be dug out. Whether the pull is by muscle or machine power, knowing a perfect knot to use can be impressive … and stress reducing. The pipe hitch is the one. It is a combination of wraps downward and away from pull, pluss two half hitches.
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Timber Hitch
I had just tied off a lashing on a log raft with a clove hitch, climbed the hill from the river and had found a new log to add to the raft. I tied a timber hitch to the end of the log, a big brute. I called for my friends and together we pulled the log down the old logging road. We were having a great time in this sweaty, rough, tug-of-war game. The cool river would be our reward. We yelled "heave-ho" and made awful jokes. Then I stepped back, stumbled, and fell over a five-foot bank.
The road had turned in a sharp switch-back. I landed on my back, head down the bank. My arm was tangled in the greenery. It had a new angle; I had broken it! Hours later after first aid, a long ride to the hospital, and treatment that gave me the new meaning of "stoic" and convinced me that I wasn't, I returned home with my first cast. A day later my arm was throbbing. Off came the cast; underneath was a gross case of dermatitis or "poison ivy." Weeks later, even the experience of weeks of suffering from a combination of pain in a modified cast and persistent, unreachable itch, has not detracted from my love of outdoor experiences. I remember that timber hitch well.
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Double Sheepshank
We were crossing a river in a Florida swamp. A rope had been tied on both sides. A giant sag had developed and the flowing vm.ter and debris in the stream collecting put great pressure on the rope. Without changing the fastening at either side - a risky task for a slip at either side could have created dangerous problems, I shortened the rope with a double sheepshank.
Once working in close quarters in a cave, I made a large double sheepshank in a heavy rope rather than coiling it. A Worker hauled it out with a lighter rope.
The double sheepshank is two hitches, clove hitches around bights in the same rope. The two hitches are around bights in the same rope. This knot looks more complicated than it is. The general picture of one hitch around a bight is shown for a single sheepshank. For the double, an extra hitch is added at each end.
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The Bowline
Besides the square knot, the bowline has been most useful to me. It is a knot to form a loop that will not slip. I've used it in simple situations with my grandchildren playing with string. I used it to create a big "lariat loop" for lashing things onto campers and trucks. It is great for rescue work but for more frequent and less traumatic situations it makes a great- foot-loop for tree climbing. In the old days, people learned to tie it by forming the loop in just the way it is shown (that is the trick), then telling a story about "the rabbit" (the fuzzy end of the rope) coming out of the hole, running around"the tree" (the vertical standing part, then running back down into the hole.
The other trick is to hold the bight just created steady, (pinch A and B together), then tighten the loop by pulling up on C.
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The finished bowline, a loop that will not slip.
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The Double Sheetbend "Sheets" are ship sails but the "sheetbend" knot will probably outline the sailing vessels. It was used to tie a small rope to a large one. One use was with easily throwing a small rope to shore then pulling a larger ship's rope to shore. I 've done the same for hauling ropes into trees when I worked with a tree surgeon but there have been plenty of Tarzan rope swings created in the same way. I'd tie a rock to a thin rope or binder twine, then throw it where I wanted, then attach with a sheetbend the larger heavy rope, then pull it into place. It is easily and quickly untied, a condition usually appreciated when docking a rowboat or a sailing ship. Some boat docks have permanent large rope loops as places to fasten boats. The sheetbend is often used since rrost boats have smaller ropes.
It is a very useful knot for attaching any 2 ropes together, especially if they are of different size. An extra loop or two shown here creates a double sheetbend. I always use the double when there is great difference in the sizes of the ropes. It just reduces the chance of them coming apart since the single sheetbend is easily and quickly tied and easily untied. (When beaten as previously described, it is as no more difficult to untie than many other knots.)
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Tautline Hitch
I've only had ice form on my tent ropes several times and this hitch has held well. I tightened up the wet ropes that had relaxed during the night. The ice sprayed off as the hitch slid up the rope. Sorne ropes, especially new ones, stretch when they becane wet; others shrink. It is always a good idea to learn how a rope will perform in all kinds of situations. Like any friend, you want to know how it will react in difficult times. Any rope (or friend) can give average performance. It is during the extreme events that both are tested. Try out ropes when wet and dry. It is not a bad idea to plop them into a freezer if there is a chance they will be used outdoors in winter. Ropes of synthetic materials have surprised me on several occasions. When wet they can be slippery; an otherwise good knot will not hold. Some change in strength quite rapidly when left exposed to sunlight. Surprising to some, but it makes sense, sand and dirt among the fibers of the rope can weaken it.
Keep them clean, shake them out after drying; wash them if feasible. Store them dry and shaded.
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~ ~ ~
When lightning and thunder awaken you from a deep sleep in yow; tent late at night it is usually pleasant. There is a feeling of excitement and mystery. Your hair stands on end just before you snuggle down into your sleeping bag as the first drops of rain bounce on your tent slopes. Soon the water drips off the edges into the ditches that you dug. How much better now than in those wet early nights in tents…sleepless! But rain changes tent cloth and ropes. Some shrink; some stretch. The wise tent-sleeper puts in good deep stakes --- prepared for the worst - wet and windy about four a.m. (when you're in deep sleep, groggy, and it is too early to get up). The rain splatters, the tent sags, and you know you must go out in the rain to adjust things. It is a pleasure (as much as getting a little wet can be) to go around to all ropes with their taunt-line hitches, adjusting each in a second, then rolling back into the sack and sleeping the best of all sleeps, physically tired from good work, very peaceful, and lulled by the same rains as lull local gray foxes in their dens.
Girth Hitch
Never a horseman, but forever entranced by the wild West, I knew cowboys tightened up their saddles. They use the girth hitch to tighten and hold the strap that beld on saddles. It went around the entire girth of the horse. It is a simple hitch but very effective when made in leather. The clove continues in one direction; this one reverses direction. Two bights can be easily thrown to create the hitch. This is the preferred knot to fasten a rope to a hook (as on a pickup truck). It can be used on a rope as shown but usually it is used over a pole or metal ring.
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Package Tie
I've heard "Put your finger here"all of my life when near a package, especially at Christmas time. After the overhand knot, then a finger is needed to keep the wrapping tight. Maybe I was beeing encouraged to be helpful, maybe they just didn't know a gcod knot, maybe packaging is a social activity that more people should enjoy.
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End Knots
Before continuing with other hitches and knots, here are some end knots. These keep a rope from unraveling. New plastic ropes can be heated to achieve this same effect. (Be careful! The melted plastic is difficult to control and can cause a bad burn. The odor is very unpleasant; I suspect poisonous.)
I've carried for years an 8-foot length of parachute cord in my field jacket "game pocket" just because. I burned the ends … and me. The black gobs of plastic have always offended me. They were not pretty but the multi-stran nylon has not unraveled.) "Real" rope can be whipped (see the insert) or the ends tied. A simple end knot is the overhand already shown. The figure-eight works very well.
I use it in many situations with an Overhand knot or a one-half hitch…just to keep the end from coming untucked or sliping back through the loose tuck. The figure-eight makes a bigger lump or ball on the end of the rope than the overhand.
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Stevedore Knot
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The Stevedore assured me I would have the tools after I climbed the tree and pulled them up by rope.
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Tying cord, string, or thread around the end of a rope to keep it from unraveling is an excellent idea. It makes ropes pretty and in some cases a "thin" rope (without an end-knot) is needed in order for it to be threaded through a hole. Frayed or knotted, it may not go.
One easily-made whippings is shown. Usually the width (extent down the rope) should be about the same as the diameter of the rope. Waxing a heavy thread or doubled-thread makes a good whipping. As with knots, a few practice trials should be made with lose wrappings.
A Cleat Hitch
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Extra Fun with Knots
1. In a group, see who can tie a knot in the dark. Someone callout a knot name, turn out the lights, then judge results and give points for correct knots.
2. Have a relay race. Run to a point, tie a named knot correctly then return to start to allow the next racer to go tie another (or the same) knot.
3. Make as long a rope as possible by joining rope pieces of players using square, sheet bend, and double sheet bend. "Rescue" a player by pulling him or her to safety using the constructed rope.
4. Coil the rope and toss it out straight to a target or a person to be rescued. Coil, distance, straight throw, and contact can be scored.
5. Pull a person (or all players) up a hill using a properly tied bowline around the waist.
6. Make up stories and have people go along a pathway and tie the appropriate knot for thee situation. When correct, move to the next story point.
7. "Knot Ahead" game. Players tie knots (or clear situations for a specific knot) that are called out. If correct, the players can take a step forward. The first to cross the line is winner.
8. Make a collection of knots. Some people make knot boards to display them; others put them on one or two ropes, then label each one (this is more efficient of space). Others collect them in a box.
There arehundreds of named knots developed throughout the history of many countries.
9. See who can get the best score on the knot-trivia game.
Loose Knots
A bight can be placed in almost any knot or hitch. The typical shoe string-knot is two bights in a square knot. A wooden pin, nail, or screw-dri ver can be inserted in a knot before it is finally tightened. When ready to untie it, the pin can be used to help loosen it or it can simply be removed and the knot easily untied. Most of the time a good knot does not have to be tied tightly - just well. A characteristic of a good knot is that it unties easily. If you want something held permanently, don't use a rope or binding - use glue, solder, nails, screws, etc.
Beauty
When a mechanic works with an engine that finally performs as desired, it is often called beautiful. Beauty is in how something looks but also how it works. They are inseparable. A standing horse is beautiful, partially because of remembrance of the running horse. Knots are often beautiful. The whipped end of a rope is beautiful because of its synmetry, neatness, and because it works well when whipped.The beauty is relative not only to how it leaks but to remembrance of old difficulties with unwhipped ropes -- this one and others. The beauty is in the coalescence of smooth performance and the easy escape from fraying -- of the mushroom-like fuzzy ends that prevents use through a ring or block or of unraveling that cuts rope lengths (at high cost), and of a condition that may even prevent a life being saved. There is beauty in past and expected performance, ugliness in failure, but for now, let us admit simply,a whipped rope looks good.
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