Eight essential knots made easy How to really tie one on KNOWING HOW TO TIE A PERFECT KNOT MAY come as second nature to some people, but to most the skill seems elusive. I’m with the majority. I never “got it” back in the days of Boy Scouts. And it’s not that I didn’t try to master this art. I’ve bought knot books, sat on the front porch for hours practising things like the sheet bend, monkey’s fist, Turk’s head and hangman’s noose. When it came to actually using them in the field, however, I panicked and tied things down with half a dozen granny knots, then hoped for the best. The day I watched my canoe drift off down some rapids because of a poorly tied bowline was the day I committed to learning at least eight of the 4,000 known and documented knots. Here’s a list of essential knots – those that are easy to remember in a pinch.
PHOTO BY KEVIN CALLAN
BY KEVIN CALLAN
BOWLINE
This is the best knot to form a nonslip loop. It’s considered the king of knots, and has the advantage of that catchy “rabbit and the hole” chant to help you remember how to tie it: “The rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around the tree, and back down 1 the hole again.” Looping the rope forms the “hole.” The rabbit is the rope’s free end, and the 2 tree is the other standing part of the rope. For added security, end the knot with a figure eight or two half 3 hitches. The knack of untying knots To untie jammed-up knots, quickly and firmly twist the sections of rope on the outside of the knot back and forth while pushing in slack at the same time. Another method involves using a thin stick (called a “fid”) to slide into an opening in the knot to pry the rope segments apart.
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