How to Make a Slipknot Lasso

A lasso is simple to make using the slipknot method.

Lassos have been used traditionally to catch horses or cattle, but the uses for lassos are endless. A slipknot lasso is comprised of a loop of rope that can be thrown around any object to be pulled in a particular direction. The use of a slipknot allows the rope to securely tighten around the circumference of an object. Lassos are also known as nooses, lariats, ropes and snares. Slipknot lassos are simple to make and require just a minute or two to complete.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors or sharp knife
• Rope

Instructions

1. Cut rope to a length that is long enough to wrap around the item being lassoed, as well as long enough for a person to hold or secure the other end. Tie a knot at the very end of one side of rope.

2. Place the rope in front of the body. Place the end of the rope with the knot into the right hand. Place the other end of the rope in the left hand. Bend the rope into the shape of the letter "u".

3. Pass the right end of the rope under the bottom of the left side of the rope. Continue pulling the rope around the outer right edge of the rope, under the rope and toward the left side, creating a large circle with a smaller circle at the top.

4. Place the left hand on the larger circle with the fingers holding the piece of rope on the left side.

   Hold the piece of rope of the right side in the right hand.

   Place the rope in the right hand over the upper edge of the smaller loop, through the center of the loop and out toward the top of the loop. This will create a looped slipknot that secures the larger loop into place.

5. Grasp both loose ends of rope in the right hand and hold them securely.

   Place the left hand on the large loop at the bottom and pull to close the small loop and elongate the large loop. The small knot is a type of slipknot.

6. Pull both ends of rope with one hand. This action will tighten the slipknot. Use the other hand to push the loop up from the bottom while pulling the end of the rope with no knot. As the knot is slipped and the ends are pulled, the loop that forms the lasso will decrease in size. Stop pulling the ends and sliding the knot before the lasso is too small to be placed around the object.

7. Throw the lasso toward the object to be lassoed so that the loop wraps around a portion of the object. Alternatively, use hands to wrap the loop around the object. Pull the end of the rope without a knot in it to tighten the lasso around the object as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a stiff rope to form the lasso if the lasso will be thrown at the object to be harnessed.

References

• LayHands: Slip Knot
• Net Knots: Slip Knot

Resources

• Heller Information Services, Inc: Lassoing a Piling
• Juggling: Chapter 1 The Flat Loop