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Agreed, any "knot explainer" that includes the step "Tie a few ‘granny knot’ L over R, then R over L to secure the underlying knot" immediately disqualifies it

Agreed, any "knot explainer" that includes the step "Tie a few ‘granny knot’ L over R, then R over L to secure the underlying knot" immediately disqualifies it as an actual knot. The taughtline hitch is a much better knot for this. I never could master the trucker's hitch[1] though :-) [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUHgGK-tImY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUHgGK-tImY

tgb 6y ago
But doesn't alternating L over R then R over L make it actually a square knot? That's pretty classically an "actual" knot, albeit poorly described in this case.
- burmer 6y ago
  I don’t think so, they’re just repeating half hitches for stability. This is very commonplace. I’ve never seen a reason to alternate the direction of the half hitches though.
  - tgb 6y ago
    Well, one comes undone easily and the other is more secure, compare here [1] or here [2] for example. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_knot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_knot [2] https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/grannyknot.htm https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/grannyknot.htm
- yardshop 6y ago
  Agreed, L over R then R over L is a square knot or reef knot. L over R, L over R would make a granny knot. But maybe in the UK both are called a granny knot? Interestingly, when a granny knot is collapsed (the cord on one side gets pulled taut), it becomes two half hitches. When a square knot is collapsed, it becomes a larks head or cow hitch knot. In the balanced state, the granny is a weaker knot and the square is stronger. In the collapsed state (then cleaned up a little bit), two half hitches is a stronger knot than a cow hitch.
  - beardyw 6y ago
    >L over R, L over R would make a granny knot. Same in the UK.
mauvehaus 6y ago
If you can't tie a knot, tie a lot? Also, it's a taut-line hitch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taut-line_hitch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taut-line_hitch taut, meaning tight, not taught, the past tense of teach.

tgb 6y ago

But doesn't alternating L over R then R over L make it actually a square knot? That's pretty classically an "actual" knot, albeit poorly described in this case.

burmer 6y ago
I don’t think so, they’re just repeating half hitches for stability. This is very commonplace. I’ve never seen a reason to alternate the direction of the half hitches though.
- tgb 6y ago
  Well, one comes undone easily and the other is more secure, compare here [1] or here [2] for example. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_knot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_knot [2] https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/grannyknot.htm https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/grannyknot.htm
yardshop 6y ago
Agreed, L over R then R over L is a square knot or reef knot. L over R, L over R would make a granny knot. But maybe in the UK both are called a granny knot? Interestingly, when a granny knot is collapsed (the cord on one side gets pulled taut), it becomes two half hitches. When a square knot is collapsed, it becomes a larks head or cow hitch knot. In the balanced state, the granny is a weaker knot and the square is stronger. In the collapsed state (then cleaned up a little bit), two half hitches is a stronger knot than a cow hitch.
- beardyw 6y ago
  >L over R, L over R would make a granny knot. Same in the UK.

mauvehaus 6y ago

If you can't tie a knot, tie a lot? Also, it's a taut-line hitch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taut-line_hitch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taut-line_hitch taut, meaning tight, not taught, the past tense of teach.