INTRODUCTION

The art of making a knot is as old as mankind. It started as defining the need to attach two items together. Initially it was probably as simple as tying two ends of a smock (or fur robe) together for protection from the environment or to create a weapon such as a stick and rock.

Man has always been inventive and as the old saying goes "necessity is the mother of invention". The information on the following pages is intended to provide the how-to of tying practical knots to creating decorative weaves. You are invited to read and copy this information. The tying of knots is a simple skill that has use in everyday life. The information is presented to run from the practical to the decorative.

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HISTORY

Man has always found something fascinating about knots! Thousands of knots have been invented over the millennia, and there are multitudes of books and websites entirely devoted to knots (teaching how to tie knots, knot artwork, the mathematics of knots, the history of knots, etc.), and there are computer programs which teach how to tie knots, and there are knot tyers' magazines, newsletters, discussion groups, clubs, associations, guilds, and so on.

But with this overload of information on thousands of knots, how is the average individual going to know which knots are the best and safest to use? After all, using the wrong knot, or using a poorly-tied knot, has led to many accidents, injuries, deaths, and destruction of property.

People who use ropes, fishing lines, yarn, etc., in their work or in their recreation (such as sailors, rock climbers, fishermen, weavers, farmers, search-and-rescue workers, and so on) are familiar with various knots that they use frequently. But for the average person who only uses knots occasionally, it is helpful to learn just a few knots which are easy to remember and easy to tie, yet are strong and secure and safe for a wide variety of purposes. By learning a few good knots and practicing them now and then, you will be well prepared for those times when you need to tie secure knots in rope or string.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Knowing the maximum safe working load for line can help prevent accidents and tragedies. You should never stress a line anywhere near its breaking strength. As line is spliced, stretched, wears, is subjected to sustained loads, shock loads, loads of many times the recommended working load, subjected to great heat or ultraviolet light for long periods of time it will continually loose some of its strength. Each line should be inspected prior to using it in extreme load conditions and if chafe, excess dirt, cut or worn strands, stiffness or hardness are found the line should not be used.

Safe working load is generally thought of as no more than 1/5th of a line's breaking strength. Said another way, the breaking strength should be five times the weight of the object the line is going to hold. You should remember this 5 to 1 safety rule. You should always choose a line with its intended safe working load in mind. The American Boat and Yacht Council has published charts of safe working loads for various types of line.

Important: Do not allow anyone to stand in line with, or within 45 degrees on either side, of a line under tension. Should the line part, the recoil force may cause serious injury.

Although the above statements are true and should be adhered to, there has been extensive research into the breaking strength of certain materials and uses. This is particularly true in the case of fishing knots. Berkley has found that certain knots (like the Improved Clinch Knot) can retain up to 90% of its rated strength.

Knots almost always lower the strength of a rope, sometimes by 25%, 50%, or more. At a local hardware store, the highest-rated rope that found has a Safe Working Load of 450 pounds, but most of the ropes were rated at under 300 pounds. If a rope has a Safe Working Load of 300 pounds, then it be might assumed that the rope should be okay to use for lifting an injured 200-pound man to safety, right? But, if a knot is tied in the rope to help lift the injured man, and if the strength of that knot is rated at 60%, then the Safe Working Load of our rope has suddenly been reduced to 180 pounds (60% of 300 pounds). The injured 200-pound man is now beyond the Safe Working Load of our rope because of the knot that we tied.

Modern ropes used by rock climbers often have a breaking strength of several thousand pounds when they are new, but what about the rope that you bought at the hardware store or the grocery store (which has been sitting around in your garage forever)? What was its Safe Working Load when it was brand new? How old is that rope now, and how much wear and tear has it been through? How much of a load is your rope capable of holding now? And do you know how to tie secure knots that won't slip loose and won't cause your rope to break under a strain or under a series of hard jerks?

Because of these issues, the best type of knot is one which reduces the breaking strength of a rope as little as possible, and is easy to remember how to tie properly, and is secure enough not to come loose, and sometimes it is good if it is easy to untie after being under a heavy load, and so on.

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KNOT STRENGTH RATINGS

Considering the number of people who trust their lives to the knots that they tie (such as rock climbers, cavers, search-and-rescue workers, etc.), it is surprisingly difficult to find solid research on the strengths of the main knots that are being used.

Consider that a single number for the strength rating of a knot (such as 60%) cannot realistically tell us how our particular ropes will stand up under the particular weather conditions of the moment (hot and dry / rainy and wet / freezing cold), or under the particular strain which we are placing on the ropes, and so on. Therefore, it is probably best to interpret the common strength ratings of knots as general guidelines, and also to be guided by the combined experiences of people such as search-and-rescue workers who trust their lives and other people's lives to the knots that they use. Obviously different people will have different opinions and preferences, but certain knots tend to emerge as being commonly trusted in life-or-death situations such as rock climbing and rescue operations. If such knots are secure and are trusted when lives are at stake, then it is reasonable that they are likely to be secure and trustworthy for the everyday purposes of the average person.

If you learn how to tie all of the dozens of knots which are described in this series of articles, you will probably find that your brain goes into a cramp trying to decide which knot to use when you need to tie a knot in a rope or string! Therefore, in each category I have tried to boil the information down to just one or two knots, which I personally consider to be "The Most Useful Rope Knots for the Average Person to Know" (hence the name of this website). I'll give the reasons for my choices, but you might find that you prefer different knots than the ones I use.

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BASIC TERMINOLOGY

Here are a few terms that you need to be familiar with:

LOOP: When a rope circles around and then crosses over itself, this is often referred to as a "loop":

BIGHT: A "bight" is essentially an open loop:

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KNOT DRESSING:

After you tie a knot, it is important to "dress" the knot properly. This means making sure that all parts of the knot are in the right place and that the rope doesn't cross itself unnecessarily. Each time a section of rope is sharply bent over something (such as another part of the rope), this can stress and tear some rope fibers. This is why it is important to dress the knot properly, because otherwise you are weakening the rope without realizing it, and in some cases you could be trusting your life or property to a significantly weaker rope than you had expected. In the pictures below, the first one shows an improperly-dressed knot and the second one shows the same knot which is properly dressed:

Improperly Dressed	Pproperly Dressed

Again, if a knot is not properly dressed then it can weaken the rope more than a properly-dressed knot will. Also, the knot should be "set" by being tightened before it is used. Otherwise the knot might "slip" or "spill" or "capsize" and become unstable or fall apart, which can potentially be disastrous.

Knowing the best knot to use and properly tying it and properly dressing it and properly setting it can save your life or save someone else's life, or protect your valuable possessions from damage.

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We here at High Caliber Knives hope that you find this of use.

LEARN YOUR KNOTS, IT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE

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