Knot tying lesson 1

[jgohlke]

I had the chance to take a few pictures, so thought I would post the first lesson. The cavers/climbers also know this knot, but probably tie it differently. It is an easy knot to tie, it can be used for all kinds of situations and you can get it out even after it is wet and under strain.

Ok, step 1 get some rope:

Then make a loop in it like this:

One of the keys to learning a new knot is to tie it the same way every time. So, the rope comes down on the left and curls around to the right (loop is on the right) Make sure you always start like this. Make sure the tail end of the loop (the bottom part) is ON TOP OF the loop. See the picture for clarity,

Take the bottom end and put it through the loop (from the bottom out). There is a story that goes with tying the bowline. The bottom end of the rope is the "rabbit", the loop is the "hole" and the top part of the rope is the tree. So for this step, the "rabbit comes OUT of the hole".

Then the "rabbit goes around BEHIND the tree".

And then back into the hole. At this point, the knot is basically done, it just needs to be tightened.

Grab these parts, give a yank.

All done!

Here's a picture with 2 colors of rope for clarity.

edits:typos

 

[Devil Doc]

Can ya tie it with one hand?

Doc.

 

[junkman_56]

Can ya tie it with one hand?

Doc.

Yup

 

[Devil Doc]

Just a suggestion Joe, and not to steal your thunder, I would recomend starting with the parts of a line. Since all knots are combinations of bights and loops it might help the neophyte to understand.

Doc.

 

[Newfie]

Can ya tie it with one hand?

Doc.

LOL, that was my first thought too.

I remember on the bow of a Tartan 10 once on a beat into quite the breeze having to replace a sheet on a jib, and being damned glad I knew how to!!!

 

[Infinity]

Nice pics.

Probably the knot we used the most when we were cruising and yes, you can tie it with one hand but you wouldn't want to
do that when you are in a hurry to get it set, that's 99% of the time. :whistling:

Brian

 

[junkman_56]

The Bowline is a knot that should be backed up with a secondary knot.
A good way to backup a bowline is with a Yosemite tie-off. (see below)

 

[Devil Doc]

I don't believe it's necessary with hemp, but with the synthetics you use, it probably is.

Doc.

 

[jgohlke]

For me, reading the books and learning all the definitions is part of the fun. I figured for this, it was just about teaching a few knots that might come in handy for some folks in their everyday life.

I planned to sneak in the terminology over the first couple of lessons. Feel free to jump in with a post or two on terms or even how to tie a cool knot. This doesn't have to be a one-man-show. I am always interested to learn new knots or new ways to tie them.

I'm generally planning just a couple of useful knots for around the house for this series of posts. We might cover a few ways to tie shoes too.

If you want we could run an "advance class" too where folks posted with their favorite knots. I didn't recognize all of the knots from the cavers post. Some of those might be interesting. I typically use my knots lashing stuff down in a truck or trailer. We have a small ski boat and a few different knots come in handy there too. That's about it...I don't climb or cave....still a cool knot is a cool knot.

 

[LOCAL669]

This so far is a cool thread, one I will be reading alot. Thanks for the new thread.

 

[jgohlke]

Hey Junkman - Thanks for the pics! I don't typically add a secondary knot to my bowlines...but then I'm not hanging upside down from them in the dark 300 feet underground either!

 

[jgohlke]

What's a matter doc? Don't like my terminology? :laugh:

"The rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around behind the tree and then back into the hole."

It's not too technical for ya, is it?

And no I can't tie it one handed, but you can bet I just started practicing!

 

[Devil Doc]

What's a matter doc? Don't like my terminology? :laugh:

"The rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around behind the tree and then back into the hole."
It's not too technical for ya, is it?

And no I can't tie it one handed, but you can bet I just started practicing!

No, I've used that same story to teach my scouts for the last 30yrs.

Doc.

 

[sonuvabum]

Can ya tie it with one hand?

Doc.

Yup

In less than 5 seconds??

 

[okiesmoke]

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm also into tying knots and my wife thinks I'm nuts. It's nice to see that I'll be able to participate in two of my hobbies on the same site now. Looking forward to future installments!

 

[humboldtflyer]

definitely a cool thread... Keep 'em coming... :thumbs:

 

[Len___T]

we used to use this in the army...mainly while rappelling to tie off the rope...I remember using a dbl bowline when doing that...we would secure the knot with a half hitch tho...usually a dbl half hitch...len

 

[BlindedByScience]

Great idea - thanks for the lessons.....

 

[junkman_56]

Can ya tie it with one hand?

Doc.

Yup

In less than 5 seconds??

No, it takes me about 20 seconds...

 

[junkman_56]

There is no magic to tying a bowline with one hand, it just takes practice.

Here is what I used to learn how to do it.

Bowline - One Handed Twist Method

Step #1
Grab the end of the rope and place it across the standing part.
Place your thumb under the standing part.

Step #2
Rotate your wrist clockwise, hooking the standing part with your thumb and bringing it around in a loop. Keep the end inside the big loop.

Step #3
Continue rotating your wrist until the loop is formed in the standing part with the end threaded through it.
Now you can just weave the end behind the standing part and back down through the loop.

The finished knot should look like this: