Directions for Knot Tying
Knot tying is an essential skill for anyone interested in camping, boating or other outdoor activities where rope is required. Here are five basic knots that are good to know. The square knot joins ropes that won't be bearing any weight. The double fisherman's knot ties ropes together more securely. The clove hitch can fasten a rope to a post or dock piling quickly and easily. The round turn with two half hitches is a stronger way to tie a rope to a post. Finally, the bowline forms a loop at the end of a rope that will not come loose.
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Instructions
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Square Knot
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1
Overlap the ends of two ropes and cross the rope end over, then over again, to form a half knot.
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2
Bend the rope ends back and cross them over, and again, in the opposite direction to form another half knot.
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3
Pull the rope tight to secure the knot.
Clove Hitch
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4
Make a loop in the rope with the left side on top of the loop. Make another identical loop in the rope to the right of the first loop.
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5
Place the right loop over the left loop and align them. Place both loops over the post to tie the knot to and pull both ends to tighten the knot.
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6
Tie the knot using an alternative method, for posts that are too tall to reach the top, by wrapping the rope completely around the post so that the end overlaps the body of the rope. Wrap the end of the rope around again and slip it under the second wrap. Pull the knot tight.
Round Turn with Two Half Hitches
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Wrap the end of the rope around the post one and a half times to form the turn.
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8
Wrap the end of the rope around the body of the rope. Insert the end of the rope between the body of the rope and the end. Pull this knot tight to form a half hitch.
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9
Repeat the previous step to form another half hitch behind the first half hitch to secure the knot.
Double Fisherman's Knot
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10
Overlap the two ends of the rope to be joined together.
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11
Wrap the end of one of the ropes around the body of the other rope exactly one and a half turns so that the end of the rope is under both ropes.
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12
Thread the end of the wrapped rope through the two loops you just created to make a double overhand knot around the other line. Pull the knot tight.
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13
Repeat the last two steps with the end of the other rope around the body of the first rope to form two double overhand knots that are opposite each other.
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14
Pull the bodies of both ropes to bring the knots together and tighten them. Trim the ropes near the knot.
Bowline
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15
Make a loop in the rope about 1 foot from the end by passing the end of the rope over the body of the rope.
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Turn the end of the rope back to make another larger loop and thread it up through the first loop. Wrap the end around the back of the body of the rope.
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Insert the end back through the first loop away from the body of the rope. Pull the knot tight to form a solid knot with a large loop at the end.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not use either a square knot or a clove hitch to bear a significant weight, especially that of a person, as these knots come loose easily and can cause injury.
