Knot Tying
2008-11-25 04:38:29.017953+00 by
Dan Lyke
8 comments
It always amazes me that people don't know how to tie knots. I remember a particular challenge in Boy Scouts involving a steep slope, holding myself up with one arm hanging on a rope, and tying a bowline around myself with the other, one-handed.
Viviane's Sex Carnival had a link to how to tie a bowline with one hand, if you're a beginner at such things, but YouTube user TyingItAllTogether has a whole bunch of how-to-tie videos, including a lot of the decorative knots that I probably knew at one point, but have mostly forgotten
So whether you need the basics (and whatever reason you need it for, I'm not asking...) or more advanced work, looks like there's some good how-tos there. And the knot tying videos are all safe, even if I found 'em through a site you might not want to look at in school.
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comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment Re: made: 2008-11-25 06:27:26.748955+00 by:
ebradway
Dan, given the extent of some prior discussions on Flutterby, I'd question the expediency of your ability to tie the knot.
#Comment Re: made: 2008-11-25 12:42:44.280481+00 by:
radix
[edit history]
I think my greatest knot challenge was when I went to Brownsea and they required me to learn three new knots. I had already been active in Scouting for 8 years, so that was a toughie. (tough to find three new knots, that is... I don't do the esoteric fishing knots)
Years of teaching new Scouts and I think I can still remember the basic 8:
slipknot
clove hitch
two half-hitches
timber hitch
bowline
sheet bend
taut-line hitch (great for tent guy lines)
square knot
#Comment Re: made: 2008-11-25 13:44:37.535106+00 by:
meuon
Square Knot: A quick way to cut the strength of the rope in approximately half.
Half hitches: If you can't tie a knot, tie a lot.
I use two knots a lot: The Figure 8, and the Butterfly. A Double Figure 8 aka "Bunny Ears" is also very useful.
Rule: Any knot that requires a "backup" knot, such as the bowline, should not be used for life support. Although I often tie a backup on an 8 just to manage the tail.
#Comment Re: made: 2008-11-25 14:57:07.915663+00 by:
petronius
When I worked for a medical school I was always fascinated by the students practicing tying knots one-handed, with gloves on, a needed surgical skill.
#Comment Re: made: 2008-11-25 15:00:09.1584+00 by:
Dan Lyke
Eric, some knots are only useful in esoteric situations.
Radix, I had to go look up the Timber Hitch, that's one I don't know that I've ever actually used aside from tying for someone to tick an item off a list.
Meuon, you're clearly doing more human suspension rigging than I've done in a while, the Butterfly is one of those knots that I love, but I only use every few years. And, yes, I tie a backup on a follow-through 8 too, just because I'm paranoid.
My favorite "all the people who taught me knots would cringe" knot is the trucker's hitch with an extra turn on the slip knot. The fastest surest way to secure a load.
#Comment Re: made: 2008-11-25 15:28:40.17079+00 by:
JT
I tie a few small knots just for general purposes while kayaking, rarely for anything important... but nothing impresses the kids more than a monkey fist. I showed them once and since then they've tied probably 20 or more of them.
#Comment Re: made: 2008-11-27 12:18:13.73723+00 by:
DaveP
I was having lunch with a friend yesterday, and when she asked if I'd ever been in Boy Scouts, I replied
that I had been, but hadn't gotten very far. Remembering this discussion, I said that from the Scouts, I'd
learned how to tie someone up, light a fire to cook and feed them a good meal, and bandage any wounds
they had. Did she know anyone who might be interested in such skills?
The strange looks I get when flutterby conversations cross over into "real life" sometimes amuse the heck
out of me.
#Comment Re: made: 2008-11-27 13:54:02.5512+00 by:
meuon
Dave P, and most everyone in my life. I get those strange looks a lot, when I talk to my sister (seldom) or people outside of my normal circles. We seem to talk about things, and take tangents that the default world does not consider.
I'm trying to keep my mouth shut.. but it's hard. :)
I gotta tell a story, about that thought, and knots:
I was hanging with some cavers, some of them were also burners.
the conversation started off like a normal caver conversation,
talking about ropes.. knots.. caves.. and it took a turn
about some esoteric knots used in Japanese rope bondage and suspension techniques. Next thing you know, Clem has some "not exactly climbing rope" in his hands, and is (over her clothes) demonstrating on a young girl from PMI Rope.. a minute later, she is suspended from a rafter, hanging quite comfortably. I was sitting on the couch and barely paying attention. Seen this, done this.. yawn.. - 4 people headed for the door as Clem described using these techniques for rescue, as well as "recreation".
They were just not ready for that kind of tangent.