Knots and Stitches

A GOOD KNOT assures that your boat will be there when you return, your tire swing will hold, and your dog won’t run into traffic. Here are a few useful knots with many everyday uses, and a few words on stitches, which come in handy for small repairs.

A piece of rope is all you need to begin. In each of our directions, “rope” means the stable or standing part of the rope. “End” refers to the part you are working with to make the knot, the working end. Make sure it’s always long enough to do the job. “Bight” is another word worth knowing; it’s the part of the rope that becomes the knot.

1. Stoppers

A stopper knot keeps a rope from slipping through a hole; it is the bulge at the end of a line. The most ordinary kind is called the overhand knot, or half knot. It’s the knot you use to keep a thread in place when you start to sew.

Half knots are not very strong, but they are perfect for making the swing part of a rope swing. Tie four or five loose half knots near the bottom of the rope. Push them together, and tighten. They’ll form a larger bulb that’s perfect for sitting on as you swing. If you like, tie a half knot every few feet up the rope, for climbing or for holding on to while you do an arabesque (twisting the rope slightly around one ankle, and lifting your other leg gracefully behind you, like they do at the circus).

Safety note: For rope swings, you’ll want to attach the swing to a tree branch using a stronger clove hitch or a tautline hitch. Make sure you tie the rope to a branch that extends far enough from the trunk so you can swing safely.

An alternative to the half knot is the Flemish knot, which you can also use any time you need a knot at the end of a line. It’s both strong and lovely.

Make a loop at the top. Cross the end in back and over to the left. Wrap the end over and into the eye of the initial loop. You should see a figure eight. Pull the end into the eye, or center, of that loop. Pull tight.

2. Loops

Once you’ve mastered the Flemish figure eight, you can make a loop the same way. Double up the rope or string. For hauling, tie the loop around your object, and lift or drag with the rope.

3. Bends

Bends link two ropes together. When you need to repair a string that’s broken, add new length to a rope, or for any reason tie two ropes together, the square knot is what you want. Also called the Hercules knot, it was used by the Greeks and Romans as a healing charm. In Natural History, the Roman writer Pliny the Elder advised people to tie off their bandages with this knot, since it would heal the wound more quickly. Simple and reliable, this knot works best on twine or thinner rope, and with any ropes of equal size.

The classic formulation for a square knot is this: Left over right, right over left. Don’t worry:

In our experience, that’s the kind of direction that makes more sense after you already know how to tie knots. So, try this: Loop A over loop B. Wrap the ropes of B over the sides of, and into, loop A. Pull.

If you’re attaching the ends of a single rope, perhaps to tie off a friendship bracelet, try this: Make loop A. With loop B, thread the end into loop A, from the back. Then weave it out the bottom side, and under and across to the top of the loop. Next, bring rope A over the top side and through the loop, so it’s next to the other side of rope B.

If you need something stronger, or your ropes are different sizes, use this variation, the sheetbend knot. The green one is the thicker rope.

4. Hitches

Hitches tie an object or animal to a post, whether it’s your dog at a friend’s house, your horse to a tree in the shade, or your kayak to a pole on the dock while you go for a swim.

The tautline hitch is incredibly useful on camping and boating trips. Here’s how to make it:

Start from the back and bring the end around the pole to the front , then over and behind the rope and into the center, or eye, and out the front . Pull the end over and behind and into the center once again and pull out the front . Take the end past the first two loops , and wind it over and behind and into the center and pull tight .

The around-the-pole hitch moves around a pole. This is perfect for a dog who doesn’t want to end up tangled, twisted, and stuck with a two-inch leash.

Loop the end one turn around the pole, front to back, and bring the end under and in front of the rope. Change course and lead it toward the top.

Wrap the end again around the pole, this time back to front, and then lead the end under and through the loop.

Finally, the timber hitch helps you drag a heavy object, like a log across a field. This knot is simple and also easy to untie, an important consideration in knots. It tightens in the direction you pull in, so make sure to use that to your advantage.

Wrap one turn, top to bottom, back to front. At the top, loop the end around the rope, to the left (this loop is important; the end must be wrapped around the rope it just came from). Tuck the end over, back, and around three or four times, and pull tight. The tucks must sit flat against the object for this knot to stay tight, since it is held in place by the rope’s pressure against the object as you pull.

5. Stitches

There will no doubt come a time when you need to mend your gloves, replace a button that’s fallen off, or sew the tear your pants suffered while climbing rocks.

Cut your thread, push it through the needle, double the thread so it’s extra strong, and place a knot—a gorgeous Flemish stopper knot—at the end. You’re ready. The stitches below can help you quickly mend any rip or tear that will inevitably occur in a daring life.