50 Knots You Need to Know: Learn 50 knots for sailing, climbing, camping, and more

By Marty Allen

Essential rope-and-string tying advice for the nerdily inclined. Includes two lengths of rope to help you practice tying knots. Attention all nerds, put down that laptop and pick up this brilliant guide to tying 50 must-know knots. If you're unaware of the difference between a Cow Hitch and a Marlinspike Hoop or a Running Bowline and a Square Lashing, all will be revealed in "50 Knots You Need to Know." Packed with step-by-step instructions, discover how to tie knots to get you through any situation, whether it's nautical knots for sailing adventures or shanks and hitches for camping or climbing weekends. You will learn simple knot-making techniques that can be used for all your nerdly pursuits. And once you've graduated from the easy stuff you can move on to the more serious examples, such as a make-shift rope halter to you can use to tame a wild beast or strong knots for securing and tying things together. Also included are a couple of pieces of rope, so you can start tying knows right away. But be warned, it's VERY addictive!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small
• Release date: Apr 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781911026310

Book preview

50

KNOTS

YOU NEED

TO KNOW

Learn 50 knots for sailing, climbing, camping, and more

Marty Allen

To me, the simple act of tying a knot is an adventure in unlimited space.

Clifford W. Ashley, Ashley’s Book of Knots

Dedication: For Bruce Bowen, the heart of Mass Art’s Studio for Inter-related Media (SIM). You only taught me a few knots, but I knew I’d better tie them right or you’d kill me if that light fell.

Published in 2015 by Dog ’n’ Bone Books

An imprint of Ryland Peters & Small Ltd

20–21 Jockey’s Fields 341 E 116th St

London WC1R 4BW New York, NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text © Marty Allen 2015

Design and illustration © Dog ’n’ Bone Books 2015

The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress and the British Library.

eISBN: 978 1 911026 31 0

ISBN: 978 1 909313 56 9

Printed in China

Editor: Rosie Lewis

Designer: Jerry Goldie

Illustration: Kuo Kang Chen except pages 11, 40, 41, 83, and all cover artworks by Stephen Dew

contents

Introduction:

Knot for the Faint of Heart

Knot Talk

Section 1

Tips for the First-time Knot Tier (Knot Basics)

Basic Overhand (or Thumb Knot) and Double Overhand

Half Hitch

Figure 8 Stopper Knot

Half Knot

Square Knot (Reef Knot)

Rope Coiling

Whipping the Rope

Section 2

A Sailor’s Knots of the Sea (Nautical Knots)

Sheet Bend

Double Sheet Bend

Slip Knot and Noose

Cleat Hitch

Marlinspike Hitch (Hoop)

Albright Knot

Anchor Hitch (or Bend)

Double Fisherman’s Knot

Ashley’s Stopper Knot

Section 3

The Outdoor Adventurer’s Guide to Life in the Forest (Camping Knots)

Bowline (Bowlan)

Clove Hitch

Monkey’s Fist

Carrick Bend

Poacher’s Knot

Constrictor Knot

Rolling Hitch

Tautline Hitch

Timber Hitch

Square Lashing

Tripod Lashing

Celtic Knot

Section 4

A Handy Guide to Climbing In and Out of All the Things (Climbing Knots)

Bow Tie

Lark’s Head (or Cow Hitch, Lanyard Hitch)

Munter Mule and Hitch

Alpine Butterfly Loop

Double Alpine Butterfly Loop

Prusik Knot

Better Bow

Blood Knot

Sheep Shank

The Knut

Scaffold Knot

Section 5

The Knot Tier’s Guide to Escape (Miscellaneous Strong Knots and Tying Diversions)

Mooring Hitch

Highwayman’s Hitch

Running Bowline

Package Knot

Barrel Hitch

Trucker’s Hitch

Honda Knot (or Lasso)

Handcuff Knot

Tumble Hitch

Make a Net

Monkey Braid

Index

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Knot for the

Faint of Heart

Knots. It’s easy to take the little guys and gals for granted. You need one thing attached to another. Well, let’s see… I’ll just twist this piece of rope…over this piece of rope. Nope. You need proper Knot Knowledge. And, friend, you’ve come to the right place.

Knowing how to tie things together properly is more than just a skill. It’s a magic trick and a super power combined in a little bundle. Luckily, what is true of knots is true of nearly everything in life: if you practice, you’ll get better at it.

So read the book. And the next time you’re adrift at sea or facing a menacing bear, with a piece of rope in your pocket, you’ll be the one who can save the day.

Knot Talk

A basic glossary

Here’s a selection of basic knot lingo for the would-be lion hunter, mountain conqueror, camping guru, or peg-legged boat captain.

The bight is a curve or arc, often caused by slack. It is not to be confused with a loop: the critical difference is that the two sections of rope have not crossed, but are next to each other.

The loop is just that—a loop in the rope, wherein the ends of the rope cross over each other and a circle is created.

A turn is where a rope wraps around another object 360 degrees. We’ll talk about turns a lot in this book.