5 ms·

Andy's Most Useful Knots

79 points by gnosis 16y ago

minouye 16y ago
Great list--I'd argue that one of the most important ones on there is the one-handed bowline. It could save your life! http://www.asiteaboutnothing.net/cr_bowline-methods.html#one-handed-bowline http://www.asiteaboutnothing.net/cr_bowline-methods.html#one...
- johngunderman 16y ago
  I learned the one handed bowline a few years back, and in the process actually forgot how to do a 2-handed bowline. Now its only useful if I'm drowning...
gnosis 16y ago
Previously on HN: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=828539 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=828539 Also see: http://davidmdelaney.com/knot-pages.html http://davidmdelaney.com/knot-pages.html and: http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?board=6.0 http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?board=6.0
TGJ 16y ago
Psh, doesn't even have the fastest shoelace knot. Plus I would say this site is better anyway for knots. http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm
- roryokane 16y ago
  And as an alternative to the double-knot for a tighter shoelace knot than the normal one, http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm from that site is also handy.
dantheman0207 16y ago
These are some great knots to know, but all of these knots are common ones, with common names. None of which he accurately refers to here.
- dhimes 16y ago
  It might depend on your domain. These are what mariners call them.
  - electromagnetic 16y ago
    You're right, these are the names I frequently heard for them growing up (fishing community) and what I hear from my boss (fisher/farmer growing up), but I've heard completely different names for some of them from people who've worked in forestry and things.
davcro 16y ago
I think the list is too long. You can do 99% of things with 3 knots. The ones I use in order of frequency: 1. Truckers hitch - for tying anything to the roof of my car or the bed of my pickup. 2. Bowline - for attaching anything to the end of a rope. 3. Fishermans - for tying two ropes together, for backing up a bowline. I also like the following knots. Clove Hitch - provides an adjustable anchor. I use this rock climbing and rafting. For rafting I use it to tie the raft to shore. I can easily adjust the length of the anchor when the river level fluctuates. Double Figure 8 - the standard for rock climbing. I prefer the bowline because it is easier to untie.
- blackguardx 16y ago
  Which is why the bowline is more dangerous.
- electromagnetic 16y ago
  Lariat loop/knot is an extremely simple knot that can have a ton of uses. Not to mention it's the knot for making a lasso but works well for stringing a bow. I've even seen it used to string up a shower curtain before (non jamming knot) while camping.
- gnosis 16y ago
  I do like the truckers hitch, but have some different preferences for the other knots you list. For a fixed loop at the end of a rope, I prefer the zeppelin loop. It's just a tiny bit more difficult to tie than a bowline, but has the virtue of being very easy to untie, even after being subjected to great loads (ie. it doesn't jam). It's also very secure. When joining two ropes together, I like to use the zeppelin bend. It's very easy to tie, very secure, and very easy to untie (like the zeppelin loop, it doesn't jam). As for the clove hitch, according to Wikipedia, it "can slip when loaded. In smaller diameter cords, it may jam and become difficult to untie after being heavily weighted. It is also very unreliable when used to hitch to a post with sharp corners." So, instead of the clove hitch, I prefer to use the double constrictor knot. Unfortunately, like the clove hitch, it can be difficult to untie when subjected to a lot of stress. But it is very, very secure (gripping tighter and tighter when either end is tugged). Here are some other knots I find useful in various situations: For an adjustable loop, I prefer the adjustable grip hitch. For a simple noose, I like the figure-of-eight noose. If I need a fixed loop in the middle of a rope, I like to form the alpine butterfly. For an incredibly tight grip on a slippery cylindrical surface, where weight will only be applied in one direction parallel to the cyliner, there's virtually nothing better than the icicle hitch. For tying bags shut, there's the appropriately named bag knot. For tying packages, the packer's knot. To tie my shoelaces I use the Turquoise Turtle Knot, which is very simple to tie, and never accidentally unties.
moultano 16y ago
Great article. I hadn't heard of most of these before. I've added a link to my knol on backpacking: http://knol.google.com/k/how-to-backpack#view http://knol.google.com/k/how-to-backpack#view in the knots section for further reading.
webginja 16y ago
What does this have to do with HACKING though? Crap this site is going down hill fast.
- bootload 16y ago
  How would you know? - for all the 30 days you have been listed? Knots are pretty interesting. Why? Well skills for one. Get stuck, practice a new skill - one knot per session. Knots are also pretty useful if you get stuck outside ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157623445003205/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157623445003205... hiking ~ http://paulgraham.com/addiction.html http://paulgraham.com/addiction.html Knots are also pretty interesting maths wise ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knot_(mathematics) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knot_(mathematics)
- wwortiz 16y ago
  As someone who dislikes all the facebook posts and apple and whatnots that aren't really hacking, this is an amazingly awesome post and I wish there were more of these things on HN. You can say the site is going downhill or that it is in a slump but this kind of post is exactly the opposite of the posts that I think are non-hacker news. I would much rather see 100 how to tie special knots, how to quickly repair an engine or something along those line posts over another facebook privacy post (though those are indeed almost non-existent now).
phil 16y ago
If you enjoy reading about this kind of thing, check out Black Diamond's QC Lab blog, which has lots of interesting posts about climbing gear strength from their head of quality control. Here's a post on the strengths of three knots commonly used to tie two ropes together: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb/qclab/qc-lab-what-is-the-best-rappel-knot-en-glbl http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb/qcl...
jamesgeck0 16y ago
I'm a fan of the tautline hitch because, while not optimal for everything, it adapts decently to a wide variety of situations. It's also easy to remember and modify. Need more grip? Just add more loops. Too tight? Take a loop out and you have two half-hitches. A good fallback knot.
- gnosis 16y ago
  If you like the tautline hitch, you might want to check out the adjustable grip hitch. I've heard several recommendations of the AGH over the TH, such as this one: "The Tarbuck Knot and the Tautline Hitch (Midshipman's Hitch) are also good slide-and-grip knots, but in my experience they are not as easy to dress and set as the Adjustable Grip Hitch, and they don't seem to grip as well." from: http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_Hitches.htm http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_Hitches.htm
metachris 16y ago
He didn't include one of the most essential knots to tie two ropes together: the one-sided overhand bend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-sided_overhand_bend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-sided_overhand_bend). It's very strong and really simple (which is most important in stressful situations when you can't afford any mistakes). In rock climbing when you do multiple pitches, you usually climb with two ropes (50 or 60 meter each). That provides double safety and you can abseil 60 meters straight. At abseiling you make the bend on one end, put the rope through the carabiner on top of the route and use both ropes to get down on. Then you simply pull on one rope and both come down.
- earle 16y ago
  This is only good in big diameter ropes. I wouldn't suggest tying this in monofiliment.
- gnosis 16y ago
  Personally, I prefer the zeppelin bend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin_bend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin_bend). It's very secure, very easy to tie, and very easy to untie.

79 points by gnosis 16y ago

Great list--I'd argue that one of the most important ones on there is the one-handed bowline. It could save your life! http://www.asiteaboutnothing.net/cr_bowline-methods.html#one-handed-bowline http://www.asiteaboutnothing.net/cr_bowline-methods.html#one...

johngunderman 16y ago
I learned the one handed bowline a few years back, and in the process actually forgot how to do a 2-handed bowline. Now its only useful if I'm drowning...

gnosis 16y ago

Previously on HN: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=828539 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=828539 Also see: http://davidmdelaney.com/knot-pages.html http://davidmdelaney.com/knot-pages.html and: http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?board=6.0 http://igkt.net/sm/index.php?board=6.0

TGJ 16y ago

Psh, doesn't even have the fastest shoelace knot. Plus I would say this site is better anyway for knots. http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm

roryokane 16y ago
And as an alternative to the double-knot for a tighter shoelace knot than the normal one, http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm from that site is also handy.

dantheman0207 16y ago

These are some great knots to know, but all of these knots are common ones, with common names. None of which he accurately refers to here.

dhimes 16y ago
It might depend on your domain. These are what mariners call them.
- electromagnetic 16y ago
  You're right, these are the names I frequently heard for them growing up (fishing community) and what I hear from my boss (fisher/farmer growing up), but I've heard completely different names for some of them from people who've worked in forestry and things.

davcro 16y ago

I think the list is too long. You can do 99% of things with 3 knots. The ones I use in order of frequency: 1. Truckers hitch - for tying anything to the roof of my car or the bed of my pickup. 2. Bowline - for attaching anything to the end of a rope. 3. Fishermans - for tying two ropes together, for backing up a bowline. I also like the following knots. Clove Hitch - provides an adjustable anchor. I use this rock climbing and rafting. For rafting I use it to tie the raft to shore. I can easily adjust the length of the anchor when the river level fluctuates. Double Figure 8 - the standard for rock climbing. I prefer the bowline because it is easier to untie.

blackguardx 16y ago
Which is why the bowline is more dangerous.
electromagnetic 16y ago
Lariat loop/knot is an extremely simple knot that can have a ton of uses. Not to mention it's the knot for making a lasso but works well for stringing a bow. I've even seen it used to string up a shower curtain before (non jamming knot) while camping.
gnosis 16y ago
I do like the truckers hitch, but have some different preferences for the other knots you list. For a fixed loop at the end of a rope, I prefer the zeppelin loop. It's just a tiny bit more difficult to tie than a bowline, but has the virtue of being very easy to untie, even after being subjected to great loads (ie. it doesn't jam). It's also very secure. When joining two ropes together, I like to use the zeppelin bend. It's very easy to tie, very secure, and very easy to untie (like the zeppelin loop, it doesn't jam). As for the clove hitch, according to Wikipedia, it "can slip when loaded. In smaller diameter cords, it may jam and become difficult to untie after being heavily weighted. It is also very unreliable when used to hitch to a post with sharp corners." So, instead of the clove hitch, I prefer to use the double constrictor knot. Unfortunately, like the clove hitch, it can be difficult to untie when subjected to a lot of stress. But it is very, very secure (gripping tighter and tighter when either end is tugged). Here are some other knots I find useful in various situations: For an adjustable loop, I prefer the adjustable grip hitch. For a simple noose, I like the figure-of-eight noose. If I need a fixed loop in the middle of a rope, I like to form the alpine butterfly. For an incredibly tight grip on a slippery cylindrical surface, where weight will only be applied in one direction parallel to the cyliner, there's virtually nothing better than the icicle hitch. For tying bags shut, there's the appropriately named bag knot. For tying packages, the packer's knot. To tie my shoelaces I use the Turquoise Turtle Knot, which is very simple to tie, and never accidentally unties.

moultano 16y ago

Great article. I hadn't heard of most of these before. I've added a link to my knol on backpacking: http://knol.google.com/k/how-to-backpack#view http://knol.google.com/k/how-to-backpack#view in the knots section for further reading.

webginja 16y ago

What does this have to do with HACKING though? Crap this site is going down hill fast.

bootload 16y ago
How would you know? - for all the 30 days you have been listed? Knots are pretty interesting. Why? Well skills for one. Get stuck, practice a new skill - one knot per session. Knots are also pretty useful if you get stuck outside ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157623445003205/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157623445003205... hiking ~ http://paulgraham.com/addiction.html http://paulgraham.com/addiction.html Knots are also pretty interesting maths wise ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knot_(mathematics) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knot_(mathematics)
wwortiz 16y ago
As someone who dislikes all the facebook posts and apple and whatnots that aren't really hacking, this is an amazingly awesome post and I wish there were more of these things on HN. You can say the site is going downhill or that it is in a slump but this kind of post is exactly the opposite of the posts that I think are non-hacker news. I would much rather see 100 how to tie special knots, how to quickly repair an engine or something along those line posts over another facebook privacy post (though those are indeed almost non-existent now).

phil 16y ago

If you enjoy reading about this kind of thing, check out Black Diamond's QC Lab blog, which has lots of interesting posts about climbing gear strength from their head of quality control. Here's a post on the strengths of three knots commonly used to tie two ropes together: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb/qclab/qc-lab-what-is-the-best-rappel-knot-en-glbl http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/journal/climb/qcl...

jamesgeck0 16y ago

I'm a fan of the tautline hitch because, while not optimal for everything, it adapts decently to a wide variety of situations. It's also easy to remember and modify. Need more grip? Just add more loops. Too tight? Take a loop out and you have two half-hitches. A good fallback knot.

gnosis 16y ago
If you like the tautline hitch, you might want to check out the adjustable grip hitch. I've heard several recommendations of the AGH over the TH, such as this one: "The Tarbuck Knot and the Tautline Hitch (Midshipman's Hitch) are also good slide-and-grip knots, but in my experience they are not as easy to dress and set as the Adjustable Grip Hitch, and they don't seem to grip as well." from: http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_Hitches.htm http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_Hitches.htm

metachris 16y ago

He didn't include one of the most essential knots to tie two ropes together: the one-sided overhand bend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-sided_overhand_bend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-sided_overhand_bend). It's very strong and really simple (which is most important in stressful situations when you can't afford any mistakes). In rock climbing when you do multiple pitches, you usually climb with two ropes (50 or 60 meter each). That provides double safety and you can abseil 60 meters straight. At abseiling you make the bend on one end, put the rope through the carabiner on top of the route and use both ropes to get down on. Then you simply pull on one rope and both come down.

earle 16y ago
This is only good in big diameter ropes. I wouldn't suggest tying this in monofiliment.
gnosis 16y ago
Personally, I prefer the zeppelin bend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin_bend http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin_bend). It's very secure, very easy to tie, and very easy to untie.