  Most of us are called upon, in the course of our daily duties, whether afloat or ashore, in camp or at home, to hitch up pack animals, do up packages, equipments and outfits, and make fastenings on sails, tents, scaffolding and play apparatus. This involves the tying of a great number of knots and in many cases life and limb depend upon the correct tying of those knots. The seamen, textile workers and civil engineers are pastmasters of the art. Our scouts, sailors and soldiers are taught knot-tying as an essential factor in their training. Would it not seem a part of wisdom, for the sake of safety and economy in time and good nature, for everybody to master these knot problems? It would, at least, be a very practical part of the training for children in the schools. They should be taught knot-tying and its application in an intelligent and thoro manner, and have frequent practice-drill therein, till it becomes second nature to them. When a knot is tied, it must be pulled together tight, so as to stay. Otherwise, especially if the cord is stiff, the loops will slide apart or flop out of position, and the knot will come loose. A knot derives its strength and reliability from the friction between its different parts. When tension is applied on a knot, the two parts which lie alongside of each other should move in the reverse directions and produce a maximum amount of friction, as the ropes tend to slip. One may readily learn to tie the different knots by carefully following the accompanying drawings. Procure a slender, flexible rope, bend it into the shape shown in the drawing, and go over and under, as indicated, so that the parts will be in the correct relative positions. Begin by making the simple knots, and, later, tackle the more complex ones. Also learn their names. NAMES OF KNOTS AND BRAIDS 1. Overhand knot—to prevent unraveling of rope, starting of a square knot; also a stop knot. 2. Figure-eight knot—used for a stop knot. 3. Boat knot—used on sails and rigging. 4. Slip knot—used to fasten rope end to a post. 5. Flemish loop—stays tight, will jam. 6. Stevedore knot—will not jam. 7. Sheet bend or weaver's knot—for joining two ends. 8. Square or reef knot—for joining two cords—very useful, is non-slipping. 9. Granny knot—most people confuse it with the square knot. It will slip. 10. Thief knot—will slip. 11. Carrick bend—used on top of gin pole or mast to hold it erect; the four ends are fastened to the ground. 12. Carrick bend—used to join two ropes. 13. Bowline—a very useful non-slipping loop. 14. Clove hitch—an effective means for fastening rope to a post or ring. 15. Timber hitch—used for pulling logs. 16. Handcuff hitch—used to convey prisoners. 17. Sheepshank—to decrease the length of a rope. 18. Bowknot—is tied like the square knot, but with ends doubled back in tying the latter half—used on neckties and ribbons. 19. Spanish bowline—used as boatswain's chair. 20. Wall knot—used by electricians as a stop on drop-cord. 21. Wall knot crowned—a neat rope-end finish, to prevent unraveling. 22. Three-strand flat braid. 23. Four-strand flat braid, begun. 24. Four-strand flat braid, continued—the right strand goes over, the left one goes under, and then is passed to the right, in front of the middle strand. 25. Six-strand flat braid, begun. 26. Six-strand flat braid, continued—note that each strand goes from one side clear to the other, before turning around and goes over and under, alternately, in crossing the other strands. 27. Chain knot—is begun like a slip knot. 28. Chain knotting, continued—each loop is pulled taut. 29. Double chain knotting—is started like the single chain knot, but the second loop is formed from the free end, and slipped thru from the same side as the first. Both ends are used, alternately, and the loops are pulled taut. It makes a beautiful cord, triangular in shape. 30. Genoese braid, begun—two cords are used, one end of each is used as a core, tho a thicker core may be used, and with the other two ends, in turn, loops are drawn around the core. 31. Genoese braid, continued—makes a handsome flat braid. 32. Watch fob—may be made of three or more strings or ribbons. Four strings are used in this case. Take two shoe strings and double them. Tie thread around them, about two inches from the loops. Hold the loops in the left hand, with the ends up. Name them A, B, C, D, as is shown in the drawing. First, bend A to the right; bend D over A, and away from you; bend C over D, and to the left; bend B over C, and toward you, and slip the end under the loop of A. Second, take string A and double it back to the left; bend B over A, and away from you; bend C over B, and to the right; bend D over C, and toward you, and slip the end under loop at A. The third step is like the first, and the fourth like the second. When finished, slip the loops thru your watch-ring, open the two loops and slip the watch fob thru them. The charm is neatly fastened to the finishing ends. 33. Banister bar—is made by tying the overhand knot over a core of any desired thickness. 34. Banister bar, continued—the process of tying this knot is as follows: Hold the left strand horizontally behind the core; reach under it at the right of the core and take the right strand, bring it forward and to the left across the front of the core, and then back at the left of the core, thru the loop formed by the left strand. Continue by repeating this process. 35. Solomon's knot—this is started like the banister bar, but, instead of tying all the knots alike, the tying is done, in turn, first with the right-hand strand, then with the left. Each strand will thus remain on the same side of the core as at the start. The strand in front of the core is used continually for tying the knot by the left and right hand, alternately, as the strand moves from side to side. It is a series of left and right overhand knots over a core. 36. Four-strand round braid—is very pretty, and well repays any difficulty in mastering it. It is not as easy to illustrate, by drawing, the process of making a round braid as a flat one; however, by carefully following the movement of each strand in the illustration, while manipulating the four strings, one will soon gain success and also much satisfaction. First, hold the four strands in the left hand, as in the beginning of the flat braid, but, instead of taking the right strand, reach in, just in the left of the right strand, and, from behind, take the left strand, bring it forward and across in front from right to left. Second, exchange the places of the words, right and left, and repeat the above-described process. Referring to the drawing, reach in at B, and from behind at the right, below x4, take C; bring it forward and across B, at x7. Next, hold the braid in the left hand and, with the right, reach in at D and take A from behind, and bring it forward and across C, at E, as is shown by dotted lines. Braiding with three strands, or as many more as desired, may be done with ropes, strings of beads, rich-colored cords and ribbons, or basketry materials, for making many useful and beautiful articles, such as chains, belts, hangings, bags, portieres and wicker work for baskets, lamp shades and chairs. |
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