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NTA – Parts of a rope

In knot tying a rope has three parts:

The End – the part of the rope you are working with when you tie a knot.

The Standing Part – the length of the rope not being used.

The Bight – the central part of the rope between the working end and standing part.

NTA – Whipping a rope

The end of a rope should always be bound or whipped to prevent it from fraying or becoming unlade.  Whippings are usually made with a strong twine and the length of whip should be approximately equal to the diameter of the rope on which it is used.

Following the above illustration, lay a loop along the rope and then making a series of very tight turns over the loop until the desired length of whip is obtained. The working end is finally brought up through the loop and pulled out of sight by pulling on the opposite end.  Both ends are then trimmed.

NTA – Stopper Knots

The figure eight knot stronger and easier to untie than the overhand knot. It does not harm your rope as much as the overhand knot does. As shown above, to tie the figure eight, just make one additional turn before putting the end through the loop.

The overhand knot is the simplest knot. Therefore probably the most used. The knot is very useful to support knots in yarns.

NTA – Hitches

The clove hitch is a very important knot since all lashing projects start with this knot. Without extra support, it is untrustworthy in any situation, except as a crossing knot. If you have to use it, work it up properly; pull length-wise only at both ends before you load the working end.

The tautline hitch is a remarkably useful knot. It is adjustable AND trustworthy.  Anyone who uses a tent should know this knot. Place rope end around pole, make a turn below it, then bring rope up across the standing part around the pole and tuck through.  It is the best way to adjust your lines to the tent-poles. It is the most simple of the adjustable knot family.

NTA – Hitches – Cont.

2 Half Hitches is a reliable and useful knot for attaching a rope to a pole or boat mooring. As its name suggests, it is two half hitches, one after the other. To finish, push them together and snug them by pulling on the standing part.

NTA – Loops

The Bowline Knot is one of the most useful and one of the simplest ways of putting a fixed loop in the end of a rope. It is easy to tie and untie, it never slips nor jams and has a high breaking strength. If the loop is expected to be heavily loaded, the bowline is, in fact, not secure enough. There is a rule of thumb which states that the loose end should be as long as 12 times the circumference for the sake of safety.

NTA – Joiner Knots

The square Knot is used to join the two ends of the same rope or bandage. ("Right over left - left over right").  It is only useful in simple applications. It is easy tied and will not jam, so it is always easy to untie. It is used to tie packages, and as a base for he shoe-bow. Its relatives, the granny, the thief-knot and the what-knot all have their purposes, but not as a trustful knots.

The granny knot is dangerous, and untrustworthy. One moment it slips the other it jams. It is best to ban it out from your habits.  Unfortunately, many boys tie it when trying to tie a square knot.

NTA – Joiner Knots – Cont.

The sheet bend is one of the most important knots for joining two rope ends, especially if the ropes are of different sizes. Sailors named it in the days of sailing ships when they would "bend" (tie) the "sheets&quot' (ropes in the rigging of a ship).   Begin with a bight in the larger rope. Then weave the end of the smaller rope through the eye, around the bight, and back under itself. Snug it carefully before applying any strain to the knot. 

NTA – Take Up Knot 

The Sheepshank knot is used to shorten a rope that is fastened at both ends. Take up the slack, then make an underhand loop and slide it over the blight and pull tight. Do the same to the other end to complete the knot. The sheepshank is only a temporary knot as it stands. But it can be made more permanent by adding a second half hitch to each end. 

NTA – Eye Splice

 To make an eye splice in three stranded rope, unlay the strands for a short distance and bend the rope to form an eye of the desired size, placing two end strands across at right angle to the lay of the standing part of the rope and the other strand behind (A). Then take the centre strand under the nearest strand of the standing part (B). Take the first end strand under the next strand, going where the second strand came out (C). Turn the rope over and tuck the third strand under the remaining strand of the standing part, going where the first strand comes out (D). There should now be an end strand projecting from each space of the standing part (E). This completes the first tuck. Tuck each strand in turn “over and under one”, making three full tucks and two taper tucks. The taper tuck is made with the strand thinned down by scraping away some of the fibers. To complete the splice, roll it underfoot, then stretch it and finally cut off surplus end. 

Links Page 

http://www.troop7.org/Knots/ 

http://www.realknots.com/knots/index.htm 

http://www.videos.sailingcourse.com/square_knot.htm 

http://www.4thtyldesley.co.uk/skills/knots.htm 

http://www.scoutingresources.org.uk/knots_index.html 

http://www.mistral.co.uk/42brghtn/knots/ 

http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/writing/explode.htm 

http://www.troop9.org/?s=knots/index 

http://www.tollesburysc.co.uk/Knots/Eye_splice.htm

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