Macrame & Knots

Macramé is the art of knotting rope into interesting patterns. Macramé patterns range from relatively simple to the extremely elaborate. With time and practice, you can master complex...

If you want to spruce up an old toy horse you can do so by giving it a simple bridle. This will not only improve the look of the toy it will add a dynamic of play for the user of it. I devised a...

This is a simple way to make a strong rope handle that is comfortable to hold. This can be used for many different applications! Such as a handle for trunks, buckets, wooden boxes, or a...

Understanding how to tie a Sheet Bend knot is the key to making two short pieces of rope into a single long piece that is as strong as the rope itself you started with. If one of your two pieces...

By knowing how to tie a figure eight knot, you open yourself up to being able to tie one of the most famous "Stopper Knots" there is. The Stopper Knots are useful not as a way of...

How to tie a slip clove hitch. This is a common knot used to hold almost anything that may need to be removed quickly. We use them for sail ties and to hold our fenders on our sailboat!

The sailor’s (also known as the anchor knot) is one of the easiest knots to tie. It’s also very stable. It was originally designed to tether up a boat to the dock—so the boat wouldn’t escape out...

The most effective, strongest way to splice two pieces of rope is the short splice. A long splice will unravel unless the ends of the splice are finished with a sewn seizing and the eye splice is...

A 3-strand rope is braided the same way hair is braided. It sounds simple, but if you have never done it before, you have to have someone tell you the procedure. And then to get proficient at it,...

The hemp plant, native to Asia, was probably first used by people living on the steppes of Siberia during the fifth century B.C.E. Using hemp to fashion ropes and nets probably predates the...

When making hammocks by weaving the cord, using a hammock shuttle is the best way to guide the twine or rope in and out horizontally through the vertical rope on the loom. Hammocks are popular as...

Tying a lark's head knot is useful for hanging a swing or using knots that aren't on the actual rope. Tie a lark's head knot with tips from a knot tying specialist in this free video on tying knots.

Use a sheep shank knot to shorten a long piece of rope. Learn how to tie sheep shank knots for shortening rope in this free knot tying video from an Eagle Scout.

A sheep bend knot can connect a small diameter rope to one with a larger diameter. Learn how to tie sheep bend knots for connecting rope in this free knot tying video from an Eagle Scout.

Rescue someone with a bowline knot that has a loop on the end of a rope. Learn how to tie bowline knots for rescuing people in this free knot tying video from an Eagle Scout.

If you are tying a rolling hitch to hold up a load you should put the end of the rope holding the load away from the double loop. Learn how to tie a rolling hitch knot in this free knot tying...

A rolling a hitch can be used to tie a thin rope to a thicker rope. Learn how to tie a rolling hitch knot to a rope in this free knot tying instruction video.

The half hitch is a knot that is easy and fast to tie in any rope. Learn how to tie a half hitch knot in this free knot tying instruction video.

Making a loop with figure-8 knots often results in a rope that's hard to straighten. Learn about making loops with figure-8 knots in this free knot tying video from an Eagle Scout.

A sling made of rope is a good safety precaution for belaying. Learn about making a sling from rope in this free instructional video from an Eagle Scout.

Use a rope sling for backing up a belay device. Learn about wrapping rope slings in this free instructional video from an Eagle Scout.

The right knots are easier to untie and don't damage rope. Learn about tying the right knots in this free instructional video from an Eagle Scout.

Wire rope or wire cable, as it is also known, can be braided like most other ropes, but there are a couple of things you need to know before giving it a try. In this article, we will use...

Macramé consists of a series of knots woven throughout different cords. Macramé is a fine way to create a lot of the art that once embellished the home and an even finer way to hook up a...

Rope lanyards are commonly used to carry things. They are also resourceful ways to express your creativity. Oftentimes, rope lanyards are worn around your neck or wrist, or you can tie items to...

A monkeys fist is fun and easy to make. It is classified as a stopper knot and is used mainly to keep the end of a rope from fraying or for decoration (they make nice key fobs).

Knots are used for building, securing, hooking, stabilizing, and more. They hold shoes together, fasten a fish hook to a line, and secure a boat to a dock. They are even used to hold a shirt...

Have you ever wondered how to tie a "Slip Knot"? Here's your chance!

Ever wanted to know exactly how to tie a Half-Hitch Knot?

An overhand knot is one of the most basic knots to learn how to tie, as well as the basis for a number of other, more complicated knots. Once you've mastered the overhand knot, you can go on to...

A square knot, otherwise known as a reef knot, is fast and fairly secure. It is good for tying a line to itself to secure stationary loads. It is also a useful knot in macrame. It is not all that...

The hangman's knot, or hangman's noose is not only used for its obvious, grim purposes. A variation of it known as the uni knot is very useful for fishing. Although many knots have been used in...

By itself, a half hitch is not very stable. It works fairly well as a stopper knot and is easy to tie. You can use it to stop a rope from coming out of something or to reinforce a more complex...

A honda knot is most commonly used to create the loop in a lasso. The honda’s loop knot allows it to slide freely along the rope on which it is tied, making it a common and handy tool for...

The French bowline is a versatile knot. It can be used like an ordinary bowline, to moor a ship, or for any number of other applications. For example, it can be used during a rescue situation to...

A French bowline is a type of double bowline that you would most often use to hoist an injured person. One adjustable loop serves as a seat and the other goes around the person's chest under the...

The prusik knot is a double-friction hitch knot used by mountain, rock and ice climbers in the ascent. It's known as a friction hitch because while the knot slides easily upward along its cord...

Knots have been around as long as history itself. Knot tying has been part of primitive cultures, religious rituals and even used to cure illness! Evidence of knots has been dated as far back as...

The Adjustable Jamming hitch is similar to a taut-line hitch, but is designed to tighten around a bundle or package and lock or "jam" in place to secure the bundle. The knot can later be slid...

Learning to tie knots is not just necessary for a Boy Scout badge. You can use a buntline knot when you want to secure something, even if the rope will move around a lot. It is a very secure knot....

A pile hitch knot is one of the easiest and most useful knots one can use. The method in which it is tied makes it very strong, and therefore ideal for hobbies such as boating.

A simple noose is a useful slipknot which anyone can easily make. It should not be compared with the hangman's noose, which is a different, more complex knot. Read on to learn how to tie a simple...

A helical knot, or ascender knot, is a friction knot used for climbing and is similar to the Prusik or friction hitch. A climber ties the knot to a rope, then suspends himself from a sling or...

The handcuff knot is not to be used to restrain someone like real handcuffs do. However, it can be used to lower and raise firefighters into tight spaces in order to save a trapped victim. It can...

A clinging Clara is a type of hitch knot. It comes in handy when you need to tie a small line to a larger line of rope. A clinging Clara knot is used to secure large boats to a dock, or when you...

A whipping knot is any knot that keeps a rope from unraveling and the common whipping is the simplest knot of this type. It should not be used on rope ends that will be handled frequently because...

A cross-Prusik knot is a variation on the standard Prusik knot. Use it to attach a belay line to an anchor line. It is a simple but secure hitch, first used by climbers, but now becoming popular...

Use a dogshank knot to shorten the length of a rope. It is similar to a sheepshank but is much less likely to slip. While you can tie a sheepshank in the middle of a rope, the following method of...

Use a double Blackwall hitch to attach a rope to a hook. It is safer than a single Blackwall hitch and, unlike the single Blackwall hitch, the double Blackwall hitch may be used when the rope and...

Use a double Carrick bend to join two lines. Its use is especially common with thick or stiff cable that cannot be easily formed into the more common bends. The double Carrick bend also goes by...