Knot ID

rsmentele

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So I was reading a quick, and somewhat uninformative, article on yahoo.com this morning (Here is the full article https://www.yahoo.com/makers/5-knots-you-actually-need-to-know-114681063500.html )

In summary the article is about 5 basic knots they feel that everyone should know. The last knot they listed is our good ol' friend the Half Hitch.. At the end of the half hitch portion, they showed a picture of a half hitch in 'use' but from my eyes, it doesn't look like a half-hitch (or two half hitches) at all... here is the picture:

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Looks to me like it is either a rolling half hitch, or a double figure 8....

I could be wrong, I have been before, but what do you guys think?

~Bob
 
A favorite quote of mine, from Frank Zappa was "Is that a real poncho, or a Sears poncho", perhaps todays version is that a real "X" or a Yahoo "X".
 
Not to mention that the opening picture of the article is of a granny knot, not the square not they first describe.....
 
So many better knots for every "use" he describes. Use a square knot to tie up a bundle of firewood? That may be the worst knot to use, there's no way to cinch or adjust it without untying; why not use a TIMBER Hitch plus a half hitch? Two half hitches for a hammock? Great idea if you want to end up on the ground when the hitch slips. Why not a "no knot" that allows you to use the full strength of the rope and is designed to be tied around rough friction-y surfaces like a tree. This makes me mad, but i guess if you really want to learn something you wouldn't be on yahoo
 
As an avid hammock camper, it should be noted that the only thing that should be going around the tree is webbing. A rope is harmful to the health of the tree.
 
'half hitch' for holding weight? Yeah writer is NOT a rigger.

My "knots you need to know" include bowline (think I learned it when I was about 5) and Clovehitch, which are actually useful!

I have a friend who is a certified tree climbing arborist, who agrees with you. However they still use ropes over branches to climb.
 
The author of the article also falsely states that the square knot is one of the strongest knots and seems to be unable to distinguish between a sheet bend and a double sheet bend.
A square knot is two half hitches. Right over left, left over right and you have a square knot. Now take the two ends that are in your right hand (let go of the left) and pull opposite, it straightens the right line and the left is two half hitches (slip Knot) and slides right off. And my boyscout leaders thought it was a good Knot..... NOT.
LOL
 
A square knot is two half hitches. Right over left, left over right and you have a square knot. Now take the two ends that are in your right hand (let go of the left) and pull opposite, it straightens the right line and the left is two half hitches (slip Knot) and slides right off. And my boyscout leaders thought it was a good Knot..... NOT.
LOL
I guess I had more advanced boy scout leaders - they taught how to tie a square knot, but also taught that it was not a particularly strong knot. We typically used a sheet bend to connect two ropes even when they were the same diameter. The square knot is a pretty knot though.
 
I've never needed to join two ropes in a heavy load bearing application, I usually just get a longer rope. Anyone know the strongest knot for joining ropes? Fisherman, Sheet bend, double figure 8?
 
I can't imagine it's the strongest, but my riggers are forever tying shorter pieces of tie-line together with both strands in a single overhand knot.

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Anyone know the strongest knot for joining ropes? Fisherman, Sheet bend, double figure 8?
The strongest of this list is probably the Fisherman's since it doesn't kink the rope under load. However they can be very difficult to untie after having been loaded, and can fail if tied incorrectly. The double Figure 8 is probably safer since it's easier to visually verify it was tied correctly.

Other choices are the zeppelin bend and alpine butterfly bend which are both variations of overlapping overhand knots. However, both of those are difficult to distinguish from the Evil Imposter which according to Ashley's Book of Knots looks similar but can fail under certain loads.
 
'half hitch' for holding weight? Yeah writer is NOT a rigger.

My "knots you need to know" include bowline (think I learned it when I was about 5) and Clovehitch, which are actually useful!

I have a friend who is a certified tree climbing arborist, who agrees with you. However they still use ropes over branches to climb.

You were ahead of me. I didn't learn the bowline until I was a boy scout, probably about 9 or so. I still remember "the snake comes out of the pond, goes around the tree, back into the pond and down into his hole.
 

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