How to Tie a Bow Line

Bowline knot

Knowing how to tie secure knots is a useful skill that everyone should posses and is a must for any theater professional, boater or climber. Learn how to tie one of the most commonly used knots, the bowline, which is used to make a secure loop.

Things You'll Need

• About a foot of any type of sturdy string or rope
• Embroidery thread, hemp, narrow ribbon or even dental floss is fine for practicing

Instructions

1. Grab hold of the left side of the string and form one small loop with the right side of the string in a counter clockwise direction

2. Take the right end of the string and feed it under and up through the loop you just made, forming a larger loop

3. Next wrap it around the other end of the string, starting from the right side

4. Feed it back down through the small loop

5. Grasp both ends of string and upper right side of larger loop and pull taut. You now have a secure loop tied with a bowline knot.

Tips & Warnings

• An easy way to remember the steps of tying the bowline knot: The rabbit comes up through his hole, goes around the tree and goes back down into his hole.