Andy's Most Useful Knots
Before we start, one word about orientation: on the left, there are links to the multiple pages in this series.
This first page contains my selection of "essential knots"—those that I recommend for anyone to learn if they would like to acquire a "Swiss Army Knife" collection of knots for every purpose. If you'd like a list to orient yourself, you can always visit the Knots Index. The page called "optional knots" presents knots that I also count among the most useful, and the other pages contain other material (such as less common knots or alternate ways of tying common knots) for those who would like to dig deeper into the world of knots. I hope you enjoy your visit. If you do, I always appreciate it when someone shares the site, links to it or adds it to their bookmarks.
What Knots Should I Know?
I needed a collection of knots that was like a Swiss-Army knife.
Learning how to tie a few knots is probably one of the best ways to invest your time. Why? When you're sitting in a wheelchair in a nursing home, you'll sure be glad that you're able to occupy yourself with two bits of string.
For a long time, I wished I knew a set of knots that would be the knot equivalent of a Swiss army knife. I knew a few good knots, but every once in a while I'd try to do something like lashing two pieces of wood together and I'd grunt at the end because I didn't know a satisfying way to stop the rope.
When I finally set out to acquire my Swiss army knife knot collection, I had to dive deep into the knot world. I only wanted to know somewhere between ten and twenty knots, but I ended up looking at, tying and reading about hundreds. This was needed so that I could pick the knots that I liked the best for various jobs. In the process, I became a knotting addict—I walk around with pieces of rope in my pockets, and I am active on the forum of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. On this page are the knots I have brought back from the "deep sea of knots". Many of the other knots that I saw in its depth were beautiful, but I am happy to leave them below the water.
There are plenty of online resources about knots, some with encyclopedic information. On this page, I didn't want to present knots in a dictionary style. Rather, I wanted to present knots according to their function. I wanted each knot to answer one question: "How do I do this?" Asking this question is how I learned most of my knots. For each question, I didn't want to list twenty options—it has always baffled me that most knots books do that. Rather, I wanted to present what I consider to be the best knot for the job.
This functional way of organizing knots sometimes overlaps with the classic knot families: loops, bends, hitches, lashings, and so on. Often, it does not.
Knot References
In the text, when you see a note such as "(ABOK #1013)", it is a reference to the knot in one of the "knot bibles"—in this case, it means "knot #1013 in the Ashley Book of Knots". The link will take you to my description of the book, further down on this page.I broke my "best knots list" into two pages so as not to clutter the first page for those people who want to go straight to the essentials. For those who enjoy learning about knots, the "optional knots" page is a wonderful second stop. If you get hooked, you'll probably be visiting the other pages.
Ready? Here we go.
Best Knots to attach a rope to a tree, climber, etc.
When I learned the simple bowline as a kid, it was taught to me with this verse: "The snake comes out of the hole, goes around the tree and goes back into the hole". (Most people use a rabbit instead of a snake, but what does a rope ressemble the most?) The bowline is known as the king of knots. I've used it to attach a rope to just about anything. Way back when I learned it, it was the preferred way to secure a rope for climbing. So I was surprised to hear that climbers don't use it so much anymore and prefer the "threaded figure-eight". Apparently, that's because it is easy to make mistakes while tying a bowline. And indeed, staring at drawings of a proper bowline, at some stage I realized that I had tied an improper bowline for many years—the variation known as the "cowboy's bowline". Luckily, my "wrong" knots had never come undone. Speaking with others, my feeling is that a number of "wrong bowlines" are very strong. But in doubt it's best to stay with the known.Another reproach often heard about the bowline (particularly from young climbers who've learned not to use bowlines as one embraces a religion) is that it can loosen, leading to accidents. But as we'll see, a number of methods have been invented to secure the loose end of bowlines, from adding one or two half-hitches to the convoluted Yosemite bowline.
I've learned the threaded figure eight, but I still prefer knots in the bowline family because they are much faster to tie. You may have heard that the simple bowline is not as safe as a figure-eight. Not so of the bowline with two turns.
Bowline with Two Turns
If you only learn one knot to safely attach a rope to a tree, post, ring or climber, my pick would be the the bowline with two turns (a.k.a. the round turn bowline, ABOK #1013). Why? First, it is rated as safe as the Alpine butterfly and the figure-eight rethread. Second, it's fast and easy to tie. Third, it uses little more rope than a regular bowline.
A quick way to start the knot is to loop the rope twice around your hand or finger.
There is also an ultra-fast way of tying the round-turn bowline, but I recommend you learn it only once you've memorized the exact shape of the knot, as there is room for mistakes.
If your life depends on it, you can further secure this very safe knot by tying the end of the rope to itself using a double overhand knot.
Simple Bowline
Compared with the bowline with two turns above, to make a simple bowline, simply skip the second turn and proceed with the knot.
If you're climbing on a simple bowline for climbing, it's usually advised that you tie the end of the rope to the loaded end using two half-hitches or a double overhand knot.
Optional Knots:
Once you feel sure you have the exact shape of a bowline etched in your memory, you may want to learn the "Lightning" or "Jedi" method, an ultra-fast way of tying a bowline. There's also a really easy way to make a bowline starting with an overhand knot.
There's also a handsome (and potentially useful) way to tie a bowline with a single hand.
Many people use the threaded figure-eight in place of a bowline.
Best Knots to Make a Fixed Loop in a Rope
The Alpine ButterflyI learned this magical knot at a rainbow gathering from a bloke who did a lot of set-up work at festivals. He said that it was the standard loop when they worked on big tents because the Alpine butterfly can take pressure from all directions. He showed me the standard way to tie it, which is quite fun.
Ashley calls this knot the Lineman's loop (ABOK #1053). There are two main ways to tie it. I suggest you pick at least one. Here is the classic way:
Two years after learning to tie the Alpine Butterfly the classic way, while exploring Dave Root's excellent knots website, I learned anothing wonderful method of making this knot.
Tying an Alpine Butterfly around the Hand
Best Sliding Loop
Sometimes you need a loop that can slide and "strangle" an object—for instance, the branch of your sunglasses. The very idea of a "hangman's loop" gives me the creeps. Furthermore, I find that knot messy to untie. My favorite sliding loop is the double overhand sliding loop. It is simple to tie (a double overhand knot over a bight) and it is extremely effective. The loop slides very well. Ashley calls this knot the Poacher's knot (ABOK #409). He also gives a three-turn version, the scaffold knot (#1120).
Now that you know the slow and careful way of making the double overhand sliding loop, you might want to learn the ultra-fast way. Basically, it is the same as making a slip knot except that you make two loops at the start instead of one. This method comes in handy for the ultra-Fast way of tying a Round-Turn Bowline
There is another wonderful kind of sliding loop that grips the rope when you pull, letting you adjust the size of the loop. It is discussed next.
Best "Slide-And-Grip" Adjustable Loop (tensioning rope)
Most tent flies come with tensioning ropes that can be adjusted. But sometimes you run out of tensioning ropes! Luckily, there exist a class of marvellous knots that serve the same purpose.The first time you make such a knot, it is magical. The knot grips when you pull the rope, but slides when you grip its neck!
I started with the tautline hitch. It was fun, but it didn't hold very well, so I started reading up on alternatives, such as the tarbuck knot. I hit the jackpot on Dave Root's website when I found...
The Adjustable Grip Hitch
This knot has great grip. Yet it slips up and down easily when you want to adjust your tensioning rope. This knot is also fun to make, partly because it uses the same pattern as the adjustable bend, so it feels like it's part of a family.
Optional:
If you insist on knowing a second knot for this function, my second favorite is the three-turn tautline.
Best Knots to Tie Two Ropes Together — Bends
There are a hundred ways to tie two ropes together. When the clothes line is not quite long enough, you have to pick one. These kinds of knots are called bends. In this "Swiss Army knife of knots", there are two bends.The Double Sheet Bend
This knot is for times when you want a quick way to tie two strings or ropes together, as in the clothesline situation.
One beautiful feature of this knot is that it can be used in a number of situations that differ from the pictures above. For instance, imagine that on the left, instead of the red rope, you have a metal ring or a rope loop. With the blue rope, you can go through the loop or ring and tie the exact same knot. Now imagine that in the place of the red rope you have the eyelet in the corner of a tarp. Likewise, with the blue rope, you can go through the eyelet and tie the same knot.
If one of the two ropes is thicker or stiffer, it should be the one in the position of the red rope. For extra safety, you can make a third turn with the blue rope (triple sheet bend).
The Double Fisherman's Knot
I use this knot (also known as the grapevine knot) when I want to be absolutely sure that a bend will hold—for instance, if I'm going to be hanging from one end of the rope. I love this knot's symmetry, but it's often hard to untie. It is basically two double overhand knots around a rope.
Pay attention to how you exit the double overhand knots: the strand that starts at the bottom must exit at the top (and vice-versa). According to TBK, a technically correct double fisherman's knot has the two "x'es" on the same side, as in the pictures above. (This is not what you can see illustrated in HBK.) I'm not sure having both x'es on the same side makes much difference, but if you're keen on the double X, remember "start over". When you start the first knot, take the bottom rope and cross it over the second rope. When you start the second knot, take the top rope and cross it over the bottom rope. Starting "over" helps you tie the knot faster.
Optional:
There is a third bend I suggest learning just for fun: the Alpine butterfly bend.
Then, for grip knot lovers, there is the adjustable bend.
Then, for lovers of rigid airships or heavy metal, there is the wonderful zeppelin bend.
Tightening a rope around a bulky object
This used to embarass me: I would tie a string around a package or a large object but didn't know how to finish the job, short of using the same knot as for tying my shoes.Here are my two favorite knots for gripping a bulky object. These two knots are for situations when you can use both ends of the string. If you have only one end (e.g., when you're finishing a lashing), look into the constrictor or the clove hitch.
The square knot (a.k.a. reef knot, ABOK #1204).
I learned this knot from a girlfriend a long, long time ago. It looked really simple, so for the first two years of our relationsihp I paid no attention, dismissing the knot as "girly". My girlfriend used it to tie two ropes together, something that, for whatever reason, we seemed to need to do fairly regularly. It was a recurring embarassment that I didn't know how to do this easily (I used to tie one bowline into another) even though I'd heard her explain her knot a hundred times—"left over right, right over left".
Eventually, I came down from my high horse and asked my girlfriend to show me slowly (I can be a bit challenged in 3-D space). But I was too late in showing respect: we separated soon after that. For years, I remembered her every time I tied two ropes together: left over right, right over left. I no longer use the square knot to tie ropes together as all knot books frown on the practice.
During my courtship with the square knot, I never thought of using it to finish tying a string around a bulky object, such as a parcel. But the square knot is brilliant for that. In fact, it is worth knowing for this only purpose.
If you yank one of the ends towards the knot, you will find the easiest way to untie a square knot (it will "spill")—and the reason why it is not trusted.
Surgeon's Knot
This is what I use whenever I feel I need something a little more secure than a square knot. The surgeon's knot is basically a square knot with an extra turn during the first phase.
Tightening the mouth of a bag
Let's say you have an open five-gallon bag full of chicken manure. Further, let's say you want to shut the bag. You could tie its mouth with the same kind of knot you use to tie your shoes, but generally you'll want something more secure. The best knots for this kind of job are those in the "constrictor" family. It is really neat how the more you pull, the more they grip.The constrictor can get so tight that you need a knife to undo it. When I don't want to cut rope, my favorite trick is the Sofia Constrictor Method, a fast and easy way to tie a "slipped" version of the constrictor, allowing a quick release.
The Sofia Constrictor Method
On September 26 2009, I came up with this method of tying a slipped constrictor (ABOK #1250) in the hand. It was my lady friend's birthday, so I called the method after her. Of course, knots get discovered and re-discovered over the ages, and I can imagine an old sailor showing this trick to members of his ship's crew off the Australian coast two hundred years ago. But since I had not seen this method documented, and since it deserved a name, I gave it one: the Sofia Constrictor Method.
This is a really fun, fast and easy way to tie a slipped constrictor (three seconds is all it takes). Once the knot is formed in your hand, you can slip it over the object to constrict. To tighten, identify the string that slips through the knot, then leave it alone and pull hard on the other two bits. To release, try pulling on the two ends in succession—one will slip and open the knot.
Once you've tried it a few times, the Sofia Constrictor Method is hard to forget. On the third picture, you are pulling a "bight" (a bend of rope) through your fingers. On the fourth picture, you are removing the loop from your two top fingers and putting it over to your two bottom fingers.
You can use almost exactly the same method to tie a simple constrictor in the hand. The link also to points to the two other methods to accomplish this task.
Simple Constrictor
The constrictor knot has many applications besides closing bags—for instance, to finish a lashing. When you don't want the slip loop of the slipped constrictor because you are after a more permanent knot, there are several ways of tying a constrictor directly around the object. (Tying constrictors in the hand is covered on another page).
You can tie a constrictor directly around the object to be bound. After the first crossing, I rembember "over once, under twice".
Constrictor Shortcut (ABOK #1251)
If one end of the object is free, the constrictor is much easier to tie with this "shortcut":
To see an animated version of the "constrictor shortcut", follow the link.
You could use the "constrictor shortcut" to tie a slipped constrictor by starting with a bight, but that is more cumbersome, much slower and less fun than using the Sofia Constrictor Method.
Stopping a rope from going through a loop
Bulky knots can prevent a rope from slipping through a loop or a hole. I recommend a simple double overhand knot.There are two ways of tying the double overhand knot. First, here is the fast way. Sometimes you need to yank hard for the "X" in the knot to form.
I like the method that works backward from a "bight" (a bend in the rope) because it is the basis for many other knots.
If the double overhand is not enough bulk to stop the rope, add turns to it (this will make a "blood knot").
Optional:
The Ashley stopper is a gorgeous bulky stopper.
Securing a load / pulling something tight
The knot for this job is the Truckie's Knot. Actually, there seems to be as many versions to the truckie's knot as there are truckers. I use two versions depending on how long I plan to secure the load for and how much rope I have. But if you master the quick-release version below, it is the only truckie's hitch you'll ever need to know.The "Quickie Truckie"
I was initiated into this marvellous knot when I volunteered as a "garbo" (garbage collector) for the three weeks of set-up at the Woodford Folk Festival. I was given a pick-up truck, and I spent much of my days loading and unloading up to six wheelie bins on its back. It took me a couple of days to get the hang of this knot, but once you get it, it's for life. Many people say they know the truckie's knot, but few are those who tie it in the way it was shown to me in the Woodford Garbology department. It's a fast knot to tie and untie (garbage doesn't wait), and it's fun, thanks to the double twist.
You can admire the knot being tied on this YouTube video.
Optional knot:
When you're not constantly tying and untying, you can save a little rope with what I call a "permanent truckie's knot".
Tying two poles together (lashing)
When I started attending back-to-nature events such as the Confest festival and rainbow gatherings, I was impressed with how structures such as kitchens and first-aid tents sprung up in the middle of forests, complete with elaborate furniture such as shelves, benches and drying stations for dishes. The secret of this furniture lies in knowing how to tie two pieces of wood (sticks, branches, logs or trunks) together, usually at a right angle. The knots in this family are called lashings. Once you learn a lashing, you open a magic door to the world of bush furniture. If you're setting up camp for a few days, knowing how to make a shelf and a bench is a truly great skill to have. It will make your stay much more comfortable.Knot books typically show two kinds of lashings: the square lashing and the diagonal lashing. In fact, there are many other cool ones, such as the Norwegian lashing and the Japanese lashing.
Everyone has their own way of lashing. Mine is basically a square lashing with a couple diagonal turns added. The three turns between the two spars are called "frapping". They are really important because by contracting the lashing, they make it much tighter.
Strong Lashing
I start the lashing with an Alpine butterfly loop, but that's a matter of taste. Many people start with a clove hitch. More important is how you end the lashing. I often use a clove hitch (sometimes reinforced by two half-hitches) or a constrictor knot. Or, if I've left a bit of loose twine at the end of the initial Alpine butterfly, I might use that and the working end to tie one or several surgeon's knots.
Repeat the "square" twice
To make my lashings even tighter, I often use a tensioning technique I call backtracking, adding one or more "zigzag turns" on the frapping turns and on the binding turns.
Finishing off a binding or lashing
You've tied one end of a rope to a pole or a tarp, you've gone around a trunk or group of objects a few times, and now you need to tighten your knot. You can't use the truckie's hitch because the rope is snug around the tree and there's nowhere to pull back from. How do you stop that rope so that everything stays tight?I remember a few times when this problem made me mad. I would go around and around, wasting rope, but my knots didn't work and I always ended up losing all the tension I had carefully applied.
Nowadays I often handle such situations with a simple constrictor knot. But if I'm going to untie the knot (often impossible with constrictors), I prefer a clove hitch.
Clove Hitch
There are many ways of tying a clove hitch. Here are the two best-known. The first is tied around the spar.
The second method is tied "in the bight" (directly in the rope) then thrown over the object.
On the first diagram, note how the two "leaves" of the clove are not exactly symmetrical: one loops under, the other loops over. To go from the first diagram to the second, simply pick up the left "leaf" of the clove and drop it over the second.
Zigzag Turns (Backtracking)
Zigzag Turns are not a knot. Rather, they are a knotting principle (or technique) that can be applied to many knots and tying situations. In their minimal form, they can easily be turned into a knot.When a rope is going around an object, the idea of zigzag turns is to make the rope make a u-turn, backtrack around the object and grip itself in the bight formed by making the u-turn. Said differently, you make a bight in the rope in the direction of the turns you were making, then go back around with the working end (changing direction) to then come out through the bight. Thanks to its "pulley action", the zigzag turn allows you to put considerable tension on the knot, tightening it and constricting the object(s) it binds.
On the one hand, you might call this technique "obvious". On the other hand, nothing is obvious until it has been seen and used. Although zigzag turns are widespread in outdoor activities such as pioneering, I have not seen them properly discussed in knotting books, or even named. So I call the technique "backtracking" or "zigzag turns". In Ashley, the knot I could find that best illustrates the principle of direction change together with pulley action is the zigzag knot (#1195), though that knot is not used for constricting. This question has been discussed on this post on the International Guild of Knot Tyers forum.
I often use zigzag turns in lashings, both during the frapping turns and during the regular binding turns. A zigzag turn gives you a pulley effect (as in a truckie's hitch), so it multiplies your force and adds a lot of tension. When you have two ends of rope that you can pull close together (as when you tie your shoe laces), adding tension is not so hard. But what about times when you only have one end of the rope? One thing I love about backtracking is that when you are working with just one end, a zigzag turn gives you a second end to work with.
If you want to go extra tight, you can make several zigzag turns in a row, as in the pictures below. However, beyond a certain point, friction on the rope offsets the pulley effect. And if you pull too hard, the rope may break.
To stop a rope after a zigzag turn, you can make a clove hitch. Or, as in the pictures below, you can pass the working end under the standing part before tighening, forming a bight, pull to tighten, then use the bight and the working end to make a square knot or a surgeon's knot.
Best Knot Books and Knot PDFs
First, if you are looking for a simple introduction to knots to print and take with you, I have two recommendations:1. On Scribd, I came upon What Knot, a fantastic little guide by Martin Stone. In case it disappears, I have mirrored it so you can also download it here.
2. Ropework. A marvelous ebook from a pioneering site.
Ashley Book of Knots
The classic reference, a towering giant. What I love about Ashley is… almost everything. I love that he organizes knots according to their functions and the trades that use them. I love his stories. And the drawings are lovely.
The Book of Knots: How to Tie 200 Practical Knots, by Geoffrey Budworth and Jason Dalton. This came highly recommended on Amazon. It disappointed me in some ways, but it is my favorite volume that size. This compact book has 200 knots. There's much overlap for the functions of the knots presented, so you don't really know what to read. For a small book, I would rather have twenty knots, with five pages on each, so that you can really get to know them. The author is something of a knot guru who has authored many books such as the comprehensive Ultimate Encyclopedia of Knots & Ropework, which I haven't seen.
Handbook of Knots, by Des Pawson. Inviting illustrations and layout. I like the long introduction that presents the different kinds of ropes. In this intro, I picked up something "obvious" that I was not doing: to make a "crossing turn" (a loop where the rope crosses itself), you don't need to cross your hands; hold a tight bight with one strand in each hand; now in one of the hands, roll the rope between your fingers: it will naturally cross and make a loop. On the other hand, this book is part of the large family of knot books that shows you ten knots for the same purpose, without telling you which one to learn and which ones to forget. We forgive the author because he has a nice beard.
The Morrow Guide to Knots, by Mario Bigon and Guido Regazzoni. This 1981 book is somewhat hastily translated from the Italian. The pictures from the knot-maker's viewpoint should be helpful, but they often leave me wondering how we got from one photo to the next one. I have a sneaky feeling that the guy tying the knots is left-handed. Mario and Guido are blissfully silent about some of this page's all-stars, like the Alpine Butterfly. Despite these shortcomings, this book is attaching because it contains information not presented in other knot books. For instance, it shows six ways of tying a bowline; and it shows how a square knot can easily be "capsized" (undone), information that is useful both to understand the knot's weakness and to know how to untie it quickly. If you find a used copy at a good price on Amazon, do not hesitate.
For rope rescue, read this marvellous PDF file.
Links
The most useful knots for the average person, by Dave Root is one of the best knots sites I have seen. Sadly, it seems to flicker between online and offline. I like that Dave doesn't just show you a million knots: he gives you their pros and cons and advises which ones to memorize. The site has a nasty habit of periodically disappearing from the web, which may be why a mirror also exists.The forum of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. Fantastic place if you want to discuss knots. For instance, see this thread started by Dave Root about the "best of breed" knots.
Scouting Resources has an excellent page for more knot links and an amazing A-to-Z "knot catalog". Clean and clear.
You can keep up with the rec.crafts.knots Usenet group on the web thanks to Google Groups.
Smiles,
Andy
My knot site has more pages (see the links in the left column at the top of the page):
Other best knots (optional knots)
Great Knots You Probably Don't Need to Know
Best Ways to Tie a Constrictor
Best Ways to Tie a Bowline, and Variations
Index of Knots
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Learned everything since it's presented so well, went looking for all the other awesome knot sites on the internet, and came up with… Nothing! Way to go being the best knot site on the web!