How to Tie a Half Hitch

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 knot that you have just tied. If you add a second half hitch on top of it to make a double half hitch, it becomes a more stable knot.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rope

1. 

   Pull the rope around whatever you want to secure. If you want to use the half hitch as a stopper knot, skip this step.

2. 

   Cross the free end of the rope behind the trailing end.

3. 

   Cross it back over and through. You now have a half hitch. Tighten the knot.

4. 

   Consider doubling up the loop with a second half hitch. Loop it over again and pass it back through.

5. 

   If you are just making a stopper knot, follow the above steps without fastening the knot around anything.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that the two half hitches are in the same direction. Otherwise, the knot will slip easily.
• Never use this knot in a critical application, such as for support when climbing. There are other much more stable knots.

Resources

• Animated Knot Tying