Klutz Book of Knots 1985 Cassidy

8/7/2019 Klutz Book of Knots 1985 Cassidy

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KLUTZ is a kids ' c o m ~ a n y staffed entirely by~

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Book printed in Malaysia .Rope manufactured in Ta iwan .

1985 John Cassidy .All right s reserved .

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Design, Art Dire ction an d Production :Design Office Bru ce Kortebein

Illustrations : Ed Taber, Heathe r

Preston , Zahid SadarCover Des ign and lettering : Bill Burn s

ISBN 0-932592-10-4

4 1 5 4 2 4 0 7 3 9 8 8

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Introduction

book about knots is a bookpersonal organization

on the real world level,where shoelaces untie,

packages tall apart , andctotheslines droop . This

is life's ground lioor, the everyday bailieagainst the smal l-scale forces 01chaos . Inthe course of a modern lifetime, il is nolthe struggle thal receives Ihe most notice,but it is the one that seems to consumethe most time.

Knots are tools employed in Ihis noblecause . They are meant to connect andIhus 10 simplify. Oespile Ihe popular misconception , a properly tied knot is generally distinguished by its simplicity andthe ease with which it can be untied , notby its strength or complexity. Anymixedup tangle of rope can be reasonablystrong bul it would be neither appropriate to the job, nor simple to undo . IIwould be, as mosl one -of-a-kind knolsare, an over-elaborate solution to theproblem. Anda pain in the neck beside s.

There exists , in the knolling literature,approximately 4,000 different knots .In

c h o o s i n g ~ ' the 24 that went into

this book,~ ,

" we kept to a s ingle

remorse- / ' y " less criteria:Basic. , \ /( {~

work-a-day,nor-

. . . - - " " ~ \ j / , - ; : mal-life, 9-to-5

) )~ )

" l ' - / . utility.Remember.

/ / J : "$ t ; : ~ 1 ing that most of our

~ f readers have forsak-

,--:..."~

; 'Y , / ( en the sea, and aref7/

~ neither woodsmen ,

I { \ wranglers nor/ ; ' ' " "'->_ soldiers of fortune,

~ \ t , ' ''- we left off such

f," (:.').,r things as them ~ l e:

. , ~ ' " ~ packers dla-

~. . " mond hitch, an

- - ----- . . , . . . . excellent knotfor loading up trail animals , and included the short-end sheet bend , aspeciatist in the repai r of broken shoe-

laces . Less romantic perhaps, but occasionally we have to lace these kindsof realities.

But Which Is Really theBEST K n o t ?

Atrue landlubber's question , but onethat is inevitably raised . The correctanswer should be the responsiblealbeit boring- " It depends ." Are youknolling together sheets for an openair exit from a burning hotel? Or areyou tying up your hair?

But let's say you've really only gotroom for two or three knots inyour long-term memoryfiles. 11such were the case ,Icould be

forcedto recommend thebowline (#1).the sheet bend(# 7), and the clovehitch (#2) . The fhree of them are the classof the three primary knot catego ries-loop knots, rope -to-rope knots (bends) ,and rope -to-something -else knots(hitches). Betweenthem , they should getyou into most binds.Incidentally, the opposite question ,Which is really the worstknot? is larsimpler to answer. As diSillusioningas this sounds , it's the squareknot, the most over-hyped , understrength knot in creation . CliffordAshley,the author of the definitiveencyclopediaon the subjecl of knolling, states that thesquare knot " .. .has probably been responsible for more deaths and injuriesthan all othe r knots combined ."


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The reason is that the square knot "capsizes ," i.e. it unties itself. A couple ofquick tugs on the rope , or an inadvertentbump , and the honest square knot turnsinto thin air, an unhappy result that demonstrates the difference between a"strong " knot. one that weakens therope the least , and a "secure " knot, onethat resists unraveling . In the normalcourse of things , it's "security" that 'lIcarry the day, not "strength. "

How to use this book

This isa

tool-book,

that is to say, it ismeant to be more than just read . Allthose knots which are designed to betied to something, can be tied to theboard pages of this book , next to theirillustrations.

A word of general advice . To the tying ofany knot, there are two parts : one ,crossing the ropes in the right order ; andtwo, working the knot closed-tightening it. This second part is occasionallymore difficultthan the first, and almostalways as crucial. On some knots , theshoelace bow for instance , all you needis a simple tug to bring the knot intoplace . But on others, the short-end sheetbend or the bow tie , for example , working the knot

shut is practically the

entire problem .

nfortunately, it's aproblem that illustrations can only helpwith a little, becauseit's such a general"pulling-together''kind of process . Whatit requires is a reason-

ably idea of where the knot is going .My best advice is to work the ropesgradually at the final stage , pulling all theloose ends in turn until you discover

A GIOAaI')' o f Terms

K n o t . Any lump inthe rope.

Hitch. A knot

joining a rope tosomething else.

Bead. A knot joining two ropes .

Loop . Aknot join

C::::::::==;1ing a rope to itself .

Ov e ... . . . . . d.

which pull or which tug shapes the knot Half-Hitch. SlIpped. A "quickrelease " modification.in the ways that you want.


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1 TheBowUne

11 you were marooned on a desert island andcould only lake one knot with you , this would bethe one. Properly tied in ortlinary rope , Ihere islinle danger of the bowline slipping before thebreaking point allhe rope itsell is reaChed-acomforting thought if you should ever have 10 liea rope around your waist . And nearly as important. the bowline is easy 10 untie . even after having been dunked in water and put under load .

Like most knots , the bowline's origins were onboard the full-rigged sailing ships where it wasused almost 10 the exclusion 01 all other loopknots . and where it was sai d that . . . . . the devilhimself would make a good sailor. it he couldonly tie a bowline and look alolt."

If you should ever have ID deal with particularlythick or stiff materials-a rolled-up bedspread forexample , or anything cable-like , one of the bestways to join them is with two interlocking bowlines,

.)

,

J


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sYou only think you knowhow 10 lie your shoes.The bener bow untieswith a simple lug , justlike the soon-to-be-ou l

dated model you haveon your shoes rightnow, but the differencei s - i t doesn 't jiggleloose . Learn it andyou ' ll never go back , Ipromise .As the illustrationsshow. there 's only onecrucial difference be

tween this knot and theold style . Instead oflaking a single turnaround the middle 01the loops . you' ll taketwo . Be sure to wrapboth these turns aroundthe end of your linger .When you withdraw

6This may come as aminor revelation. butthe knot you tie on yourshoes (old style) is thesame knot you tie3mund your neck-a tleast the finished product is the same . Thedifference is how youget there .You can practice withcord . as per the illustration. bulla really getthe idea . you need flatmaterial . ideally thereallhing . Follow thesteps as illustratedwhile remembering thatthe trick is in the laslstep-pulling the wholething into shape .

The Bet ter B o w

your linger. the "hole"it leaves is the placewhere you push thesecond loop through .

T h e B o w T ie


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7 The Sheet Bend

D o u b l e d Va r i a t i o n

This is the knot that you Ihoughllhe sq uarewas-a strong . simple . honest. easy-ID-tie connection. One that you can trust. In the same wayIhallhe clove and bowline are . the sheet bend is

an all-slar knot. the basic of its category .The doubled variation is a bit more secure . I'd useit if someth ing important was on the line.

8 The Square Knot

Originallythis was known as the reel knot , usedon board ship to seCU re the lurled-in sa ils , not aparticularly critical ap plication . Somewher ealong the way, though , it picked up a repulalionfor reliability that it most certainly doesn 't dese rve . As mentioned in the introduction, it is arather unstable knot, capable 01 capsizing ifbumped or jiggled in the wrong way. particularlyif lied in dissimifar materials .OHseHing these qualities is the fact that you atready know how to tie it. As a result. I include ithere for all Ihe lightweight applications . bundleand parcel wrapping for example .The surgeon 's variation, incidentally, is the one10 use when there 's no one around to lend a thirdhand when you 've got the knot half-tied on top ofsome box.

The Surgeon' . Variation


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9The

Fisher . . lan'sK n o t

- ~ -As its name suggests . the fisherman 's knot isused quite frequenlly to join together two piecesof fishing l ine-to form a leader . lor example .With cold or wet hands , it is far simpler to tiethan the sheet bend . In larger materials it makes

a strong . clean and neallooking connection . Ihave used il in places where it will be both visible and permanen!.

1 0

The Grass Bend

Another specialist. Tied in rope or cord this iscalled the whatnot and ranks near the bottom Interms of securily. But in flat semi -lIexible malerial (seat bell webbing, leather belts . ele) ilchanges ils character entirely. 11 is. in facl. thebest. if not the only, useful knot for joining thiskind of hard ta -knot malerial.


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1 1 The Trucker 's Hitch

The Irncker's hitch is actually a combination 01knots pullogelher in order 10 gel some leverageon the lightening process . 11 is Cl super knot forcinching down a load . Properlv lied. you can gela line guitar-strumming light with this hitch.In order to practice this knot here , start with abowline. Tie it behind the board page and insert

hall of the resulting loop through the slot. Theother end of the cord comes through the holepunched in the board and is threa ded through theexposed part of the bowline loop. Follow the illustrations for the remainder of the process , noting that the final ste p is two half hitches .

1 2 The C onst r ic tor Knot

Clif10rd Ashley invented this arrangement of rope ,making it one of the vefY few knots with an identifiable source . 11 is a s upremely good knot lor"seizing " bundles 01 loose material, or for closing the necks 01 bags . I've used it in a lot 01places as a substitute lor tape to bundle thingsup . Simple to tie , it will not work loose . possess-ing a ratchetlike bulldog grip. As a result 01these tine qualilies though . it's best untied with asha rp knile.


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13Probabl'1 most tamili::Has the knot you use witha rubber band. the ringknot is the ullimate insecurity when you ' re deal-ing with a closed loop,but it's a lso used occasion-ally with a loose end,as il is illustrated here .

14

This is a climber'sknot, and you 'll proba-bly never need it. Bulon the other hand , ifyou're ever laced with avertical rope that youhave 10 climb. the pro-sik could be a potentialtilesaver.

15Deceptively secure ifyou tie it around arough surface , the lim-ber hitch is childishlyeasy to tie and never-failingly simple toundo . It's par1icularlyappropriate If the ropeis going to be under aconstanl strain. On theother hand , don " use itwhen security is a highpriority, or when the di-rection of the pull isliable 1o jump around .

The Ring Knot

The Prusik Knot

Start with two shortpieces of cord , ofsmaller diameter thanthe rope you're intending to climb. These willbe your " footholds : '

Make the two cords intotwo loops with sing le

sheet be nds , as per theillustrat ion . (Or. evenbetter. use the doubledvariation .) Take one ofthe loops and lie wllatamounts 10 a twice-through ring knotaround the vertical rope(see the illustration) .

00 the same with the

The Timber Hitch

second loop . 11 the cordyou've lied the prusik inhas a smaller diameterthan the rope you 'll beclimbing on . you 'll beable to slide this foot-hold up . step in it. andnot have to worry aboutit sliding back down ,


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16 The Killeg Hitch

Actually just an application of the limber hitch .the killeg is designed for big messy

b u ~ dle s or

odd shapes - a rock for example . or a duNel 01some kind . The killeg is the universa l lie -on ,adap table 10 most any shape .

17 The Sheep Shank

A knot designe d 10 so lve the problem of too muchrope , the shee psh ank will take up slack and holdit. as long as there 's a strain on Ihe rope . Whenthe job is over, you can shake it out with a cou-ple of llips.


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I8 The RoDing HitchA near cousin to thelaulline hitch

.the roil-

ing hitch is about thebest knot for slaying puton a pOle when the pullon it is lengthwise , upor downwards . Il's alsothe knot of choice whenyou ' re lying one rope tothe middle 01 another .

I9 TheCoUNot really a knot. but a way to keep and arrangerope so it stays tangle -tree . Il's simple 10 form,keeps the rope neat. and comes undone in a second when you need it.

Incidentallv. the key, once again , is pulling thewhole thing snug al the end .


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Stopper knots a re noth-ing more t han lumps inthe rope . designed tomark a sp0!. or to kee p

the rope Ir om s lippi ngthrough some kind oftight spot. The simplestis the overhand knot.described on page 2.bul just ab out as sim-ple. and easier to un tieafter having been rea llytightened. is the Figure8 stoppe r.

The Figure 8 Stopper

24 The Incredible Magic Loop


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hen i t comesto knot-tying,are you

missingthe boat?

" ,

Don't just read this book ...You are holding in your hands a fully illustrated step -by-stepgu ide to the tying of the world 's 24 most useful knots.Carefully selected from a total of over 4,000, these are theAll-Stars , the knots you need in the daily battle with the self

untying shoe lace , the dirt-level clothesline, the pop-up trunklid and the rest of the modern everyday forces of chaos .

" \ .... But The Klutz Book of Knots is more than just awritten guide . It's also a tool, meant to be usedas well as read . Each of the board pages isspecially die -cut so that the knots can bepracticed directly next to their illustrations .

\ ' \ \I I It is, in short, a book you can really getwrapped up in.

ISBN 0-932592 -10-4

U.S. $10.95pee l off

Can. $18.99UPC J-3076J-92104

KLUTZ

Klutz Book of Knots 1985 Cassidy

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Transcript of Klutz Book of Knots 1985 Cassidy