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I'm not quite sure what it is, but there is 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 person 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.
Every rope has a "breaking strength," which means that if we place a heavy enough strain on a rope then it will eventually break. The Safe Working Load of a rope is generally considered to be one-fifth of the rope's breaking strength, according to BoatSafe.com.
Knots almost always lower the strength of a rope, sometimes by 25%, 50%, or more. At my local hardware store, the highest-rated rope that I found has a Safe Working Load of 450 pounds, but most of the ropes I saw were rated at under 300 pounds. If a rope has a Safe Working Load of 300 pounds, then we might assume that the rope should be okay to use for lifting an injured 200-pound man to safety, right? But if we tie a knot 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.
Considering the number of people who are trusting 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. For some discussions of knot strength ratings, here are some topics at the forum of the International Guild of Knot Tyers:
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 are trusting 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.
When a rope circles around and then crosses over itself, this is often referred to as a "loop":
A "bight" is essentially an open loop:
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 might 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:
 |
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| Improperly dressed |
Properly 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.
There are many people who can be considered experts in knots. In this series of articles I have mainly quoted from two recognized authorities on knots:
Here are several websites which provide a lot of information about knots. Every link will open up in a new window to give you more control as you browse around in this website:
Here are some computer programs for drawing knots:
If you have any questions about knots, I would recommend that you visit the online forum of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. There are some very knowledgeable people on that forum who will probably be able to answer your questions.
Here is a list of the articles in this series. Every link will open up in a new window to give you more control as you browse around in this website:
Consider visiting some of my other websites!
You'll find a Christian ministry with dozens and dozens of articles and answers to many questions that I have received over the years (please feel free to send me your questions and prayer requests!); plus a collection of some of the best self-working card tricks around (no sleight-of-hand required!); plus a bunch of amazing/funny/fascinating/interesting videos from around the Web which are all clean and family-friendly; plus lots of reviews of numerous fun and educational (and free!) computer games that you can download; plus a huge collection of cool science tricks and other fun stuff to try (using things around the house), and more!
For a complete list, go to http://www.Layhands.com/DavesWebsites.htm.
Hope you like 'em!
Modification History
| 07/18/2009: | Added links to KnotTyer3D and KnotMaker. |
| 07/30/2007: | Removed a table of knot strengths (which I had found by searching the Web) due to dead links and poor/misleading data. Added links to several discussions of knot strength ratings at the forum of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. |
| 11/17/2006: | Chopped out several paragraphs. Added a link to my new page called "Dave's Websites." |
| 10/17/2005: | Added a new page called "Knots Index." Added the ability to download this entire website (all 9 articles) in a single .ZIP file. |
| 01/13/2005: | Modified some of the wording throughout the article, and updated all of the other articles. |
| 05/27/2004: | Added a link to the online forum of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. |
| 05/04/2004: | Added a new page called "Decorative Knots." Added pictures of a "loop" and a "bight" in the Terminology section. Added a link to some interesting "exploding" knots in the "References and Links" section. |
| 12/10/2002: | New article. |
Dave Root
Send e-mail to: dave@Layhands.com