Life Skills - Day 25

How to Tie Knots

My family is pretty big into sailing, so I figured it was a good idea for me to learn some basic knots, many of which are used in sailing. I don't have a website to link to for instructions since my father-in-law taught me all of these, but I'll put the names up, and I'm sure you can find them very quickly online. Here is what I learned:

Clove hitch, useful for tying the boat up to the dock for short periods of time.

Don't do this one . . . this is the "no-no" overhanded knot that everyone knows . . . it's bad for the rope and bad at holding things (causes the rope to lose 50% of its strength).

Figure-eight knot . . . you should use this one in the ties of your sweatshirt to keep them from coming out of the hood, plus it looks cool :) It is a good replacement for the overhand knot.

Bowline knot . . . if you only learn one new knot, it should probably be this one. It makes a loop that won't collapse on itself and is very common in sailing. It is easily undone in you fold it in half and pull that loop down . . . pretty handy. Plus, it comes complete with a story about a bunny going around a tree and into a hole, which is always fun :) 

Granny knot . . . this is what happens if you try and make the square knot and tie the knots the same both times instead of alternating . . . oops. This is also a "no-no" knot, stay away from it. 

Square knot . . . a quick way to tie thing into bundles, and it is easy to undo if you yank on one side of it. 

Sheet bend, useful for joining two ropes together

Carrick bend, this one is really pretty :)  It is also used to connect two sections of rope together.

What happens to the carrick bend when you tighten it up . . . it's okay, it is supposed to do that.

Half-hitch, for when you need to tie your horse up to a hitching post :) 

I call this one this "fist knot" because it looks like a fist if you put an extra loop into it. Some may call it the "Chuck Norris" knot :) It's really called a campers knot because it makes a really cool loop that can be loosened or tightened and helps secure tents or tarps to the tent  pegs. 

This one was complicated . . . it's called the Lumberman's knot. It is really useful for tightening things down on trailers and such because it is easy to put tension in it, kind of like using a pulley. 

Well, I think I have these knots, "all tied up" ;) I hope you are all having a Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus :)