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Revision as of 15:43, 25 February 2002 by RjLesch (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Both length and velocity are measured in knots; in the former case, it is equivalent to a Nautical mile; in the latter, to a Nautical mile per hour.
A knot may consist of a length of one or more rope, cord, twine, string, strap or even chain interweaved so as to create in the line the ability to bind to itself or to some other object - the "load". Some knots are well adapted to bind to particular objects such as another rope, cleat, ring, stake or to constrict an object. Decorative knots usually bind to themselves to produce attractive patterns.
Knots have been the subject of interest both for their ancient origins, common use or their mathematical implications, see knot theory.
Knots are essential in many industrial, work, home or recreational activities. Truckers need to tie down a load and will use a Trucker's hitch, gaining a 2-to-1 mechanical advantage. Are you spelunking, having foolishly but voluntarily buried yourself pre-maturely under millions of tons of rock? What ever the activity, on the water sailing or on a cliff-side rock climbing. Learning well tested knots prior to some hazardous activity introduces a critical measure of safety. Even simple activities such as running a load from the hardware store to home can result in disaster if a clumsy twist in a cord passes for a knot.
Besides safety, using the appropriate knot can also save having to cut a line unnecessarily.
The list of knots is extensive but there are some general properties common to the various knot categories. For example, loop knots share the attribute of having some kind of an anchor point tied on the standing end (such as a loop or overhand knot) into which the working end is easily hitched to using a round turn). An example of this is the Bowline Knot. Constricting knots often rely on friction to cinch down tight on loose bundles. An example would be the clove hitch.
Knots may span multiple categories:
Some useful terms pertinent to the tiein0g of knots are standing end, working end, bight, loop and elbow.
Some knots have multiple names. For example the overhand is also known as the thumb knot. The Constrictor Knot, the Bag Knot, the Miller's Knot are all the same knot.
Alphabetical List of knots (Format of sub-topics, see below.)
The variant knot names should be included in the list with links to the most formal name.
- adjustible bend
- adjustible hitch
- adjustible loop
- albright knot
- alpine butterfly bend
- Alpine butterfly knot, or simply butterfly knot
- alpine butterfly loop
- alpine coil
- alternate ring hitching
- anchor bend
- anchor bend
- angler's knot
- angler's loop
- arbor knot
- artillery loop
- asher's equalizer
- ashley's stopper knot
- bachmann knot
- bachmann knot
- bag knot
- bait loop
- bale sling hitch
- barrel knot
- barrel sling
- becket hitch
- bimini twist
- binder's knot
- blackwall hitch
- blake's hitch
- blood knot
- blood loop dropper knot
- boa knot
- boas bowline
- boatman's knot
- boom hitch
- bottle sling
- bottom loaded release hitch
- bow knot
- bowline on bight
- bowline
- bowstring knot
- braid knot
- brummycham bowline
- buffer knot
- builder's knot
- buntline hitch
- carrick bend
- carrick mat
- cat's paw
- caver's helical knot
- chain hitch
- chain stitch lashing
- chi-fi knot
- chinese button knot
- chinese cross knot
- chinese good luck knot
- chinese lanyard knot
- clinging clara
- clove hitch
- common whipping
- constrictor knot
- continuous ring hitching
- cow hitch with toggle
- cow hitch
- cross-prusik knot
- crossing knot
- diamond hitch
- diamond knot
- double bowline
- double carrick bend
- double chain
- double chain
- double figure eight bend
- double figure eight
- double friction hitch
- double grinner knot
- double harness bend with parallel ends
- double munter friction hitch
- double overhand bend
- double overhand loop
- double overhand sliding loop
- double overhand
- double pile hitch
- double prusik knot
- double ring hitching
- double scaffold knot
- double sheet bend
- double stopper
- double uni knot
- draw kot
- dropper loop
- duncan loop
- dutch marine bowline
- dutra double loop knot
- eight strand square plait
- englishman's knot
- englishman's loop
- eskimo bowline
- extended french prusik knot
- eye splice
- farmer's knot
- farmer's loop
- figure eight coil
- figure eight follow through
- figure eight hitch
- figure eight knot
- figure eight loop
- figure-of-eight coil
- fireman's chair knot
- fireman's coil
- fisherman's bend
- fisherman's eye
- fisherman's knot
- flemish bend
- flemish knot
- four-strand braid
- four-strand plait
- four-strand sennit
- french bowline
- french prusik knot
- frost knot
- gaff topsail halyard bend
- good luck knot
- granny knot
- grief knot
- grinner knot
- ground-line hitch
- half blood knot
- half hitching
- half hitch
- halibut knot
- halter hitch
- halyard bend
- handcuff knot
- hangman's noose
- harness bend
- heaving line bend
- heaving line knot
- hedden knot
- hight post hitch
- highwayman's hitch
- hitching tie
- hunter's bend
- icicle hitch
- improved clinch knot
- italian hitch
- jamming hitch
- jansik special
- japanese crown knot
- japanese success knot
- jar sling
- jug sling
- killick hitch
- klemheist knot
- knife lanyard knot
- knute hitch
- kreuklem knot
- lariat loop
- lark's foot
- lark's head
- lighterman's hitch
- lineman's loop
- linfit knot
- long mat
- machard tresse
- magnus hitch
- major turle's knot
- manharnes knot
- mariner's knot
- marline hitching
- marlinespike hitch
- midshipman's hitch
- miller's knot
- monkey's fist
- mooring hitch
- munster hitch
- munter friction hitch
- munter mule
- nail knot
- ocean plait
- one way sheet bend
- orvis knot
- ossel hitch
- ossel knot
- overhand bend
- overhand knot and half hitch
- overhand knot with draw loop
- overhand knot
- overhand loop
- oysterman's stopper knot
- packer's knot
- painter's hitch
- paldo tackle
- palomar knot
- pedigree cow hitch
- peg knot
- penberthy knot
- perfected whipping
- perfection loop
- pile hitch
- pitzen
- piwich knot
- plafond knot
- plank sling
- pole lashing
- portuguese bowline
- prusik knot
- racking bend
- reef knot
- rigger's bend
- ring hitch
- ring knot
- ringbolt hitching
- rolling hitch
- round hitch
- round mat
- round turn and two half hitches
- round turn
- running knot
- running loop
- rustler's knot
- sack knot
- sail maker's whipping
- sailor's knot
- savoy knot
- scaffold knot
- seizing bend
- shake hands
- sheep shank man o' war
- sheepshank
- sheet bend
- simple chain
- simple knot
- simple noose
- simple simon double
- simple simon over
- simple simon under
- single hitch
- single stopper
- six strand round plait
- sliding loop
- sliding ring hitch
- slip knot
- slipped overhand knot
- slippery hitch
- slippery round hitch
- snuggle hitch
- spade end knot
- spanish bowline
- splice
- square knot
- square lashing
- square turk's head
- stevedor's knot
- strangle knot
- strop bend
- surgeon's end loop
- surgeon's knot
- surgeon's loop
- taut-line knot
- thief knot
- three quarter figure eight loop
- three way sheet bend
- three-strand braid
- thumb knot
- tiller's hitch
- timber hitch
- tom fool's knot
- top loaded release hitch
- transom knot
- trilene knot
- triple bowline
- triple figure eight
- triple overhand knot
- trucker's hitch
- true lover's knot
- tug boat hitch
- tumbling thief knot
- turle knot
- twined turk's head
- two half hitches
- two strand braid
- two strand overhand knot
- underhand loop hitching
- uni knot
- valdotain tresse
- versatackle
- vibration proof hitch
- vice versa
- wagoner's hitch
- water bowline
- water knot
- waterman's knot
- weaver's knot
- west country whipping
- wrapped and reef knotted coil
- yosemite bowline
- zepplin bowline
- zigzag braid
Format for the knot sub-topics.
Sentence giving alternative names
Category: binding, knot, decorative etc.
Origin: ancient or modern etc.
Similarities: to other knots
Releasing: jamming or non-jamming etc.
Load Strength: 60-75% (for Bowline)
Caveat: none, spills, slips, secure if wet, not secure if wet, etc.
Uses:
Methods: how to tie, picture &/or descriptions or each method
See also: Scouting
In knot theory, a knot is an embedding of a circle in 3-D space, considered up to deformations (isotopies). This is basically equivalent to a conventional knot with the ends of the string tied together to prevent it from becoming undone. In higher dimensions, circles are unknotted anyways, so one considers embeddings of spheres and hyperspheres.