Knot (unit)

“ Make a single wall knot with the other three strands round the said bights and shroud; haul the knot taut first and stretch the whole; then heave down the bights close: it will look like the ordinary shroud knot. It is very liable to slip. If the ends by which the wall knot is made after being hove were passed through the bights, it would make the knot stronger. The ends would be tapered and served.
Flemish Eye (fig. 38) .—Secure a spar or toggle twice the circumference of the rope intended to be rove through the eye ”

“ When this knot is quite snug down in its place, take about one-third of the yarns out of the ends with which the knot was made, and tuck the remaining two-thirds under two strands, missing [Pg 95] one (see Fig. 121, where the arrow D shows how to tuck the end A, and arrowhead C shows where end B will come out) . Now halve these ends, and, leaving one-half, tuck the other as before; work them in nice and snug, put the grommet on a good stretch, and trim off the ends. If the work is well done no joint should be noticeable. ”

“ They should be taught knot-tying and its application in an intelligent and thoro manner, and have frequent practice-drill therein, till it becomes second nature to them.
When a knot is tied, it must be pulled together tight, so as to stay. Otherwise, especially if the cord is stiff, the loops will slide apart or flop out of position, and the knot will come loose. A knot derives its strength and reliability from the friction between its different parts. ”

“ With the left hand pass d over c down through the loop, after which you will have the knot represented in Fig. 17, which can be at once drawn apart by the ends e and f.
Fig. 18.
Fig. 19.
A breastknot is only an ornament. It can be tied with ribbon, and makes a very pretty bow, or can be used by the ladies as a frog for a sacque. It consists, first, of three half-hitches overlapping each other as in Fig. 18. Interweave the part a under b and over c; b over a and under d. Then draw out the bight a over e, and the bight b over f, when we will have the knot as in Fig. 19. ”

“ The knot is the universal “fisherman’s knot” or becket hitch made in the usual manner. The method of using the mesh stick, however, is rather peculiar, and somewhat clumsy compared with that used by civilized net-makers, as it serves only to measure the mesh and not also to hold the successive meshes as they are made. It is a long flat piece of bone or antler, shaped like a case knife, with a blade square at heel and point. There is often also a little blunt hook (as in Fig. 316, No. 56581 [1021] ) at the point, bending upward or toward the back of the blade. ”

“ The strands are turned round, and another overhand knot made with the other end round the first strand. When the knot is tightened by hauling on the standing parts, one knot jams against the other and holds securely. The knot is improved by putting the ends twice through their [Pg 23] respective loops, as at A (Fig. 2, p. 15) . The size of the knot is increased by this means, but it will stand a much heavier strain, so that it is advisable to do this whenever the size of the knot is not of paramount importance.
The whipcord knot (Fig. 14) is used to fasten the lash to a whip. ”

“ To tie a knot seems a very simple thing and yet there are right and wrong ways of doing it, and Scouts ought to know the right way. For sometimes even lives depend on a knot being properly tied, as with sailors or men in building trades, and in case of fire-rescue. ”

“ A certain class of knots are, however, really ornamental and seldom serve to fasten two ropes together, or to make any object fast to another. They are, however, very useful in many ways, especially aboard ship, and they are so handsome and interesting that every one interested in rope work should learn to make them.
The simplest of the fancy knots is known as the "Single Crown" (Fig. 110) . To form this knot unlay the strands of a new, flexible rope for six to eight inches and whip the ends of each strand, as well as the standing part, to prevent further untwisting. ”

“ The “chain knot,” for lashing to a spar is illustrated by Fig. 71; a clove-hitch is first formed round the spar, and as many single hitches as required are then made. It may be finished off with any secure knot. Fig. 72 shows another and better way of making the chain knot. An overhand knot is formed at each turn, and consequently it is much more secure than Fig. 71. This is used for bending yachts’ sails to the gaff. As each turn forms a knot if the cord parts, the remainder holds firm, [Pg 60] and does not necessarily come adrift, as it would be almost sure to do it if fastened as in Fig. ”

“ D shows a mode by which the end of a rope may be quickly fastened to a ring. E and F are lark knots, used for fastening the painters of boats or canoes; it is only necessary, in case of sudden attack or alarm, to pull out the stop stick to instantly free the painter without untying. G is a bowline knot, which is applicable to any purpose where it is requisite to have a loop which will not run home. H is a hawser bend, which can be expeditiously made use of for joining the ends of large ropes. I is a knot commonly made use of for securing a hawser to a mooring post. ”

“ Fig. 3. The Figure Eight knot is similar to the over-hand knot except that the loose end of the rope is passed through the loop from the opposite side. It is commonly used to prevent a rope running through an eye or ring or tackle block. It is also used as the basis for ornamental knots, etc.
Fig. 4. The Double Figure Eight knot is made by forming a regular figure eight and then following around with the end of the other rope as shown.
Fig. 5. The Square knot is probably the commonest and most useful of all knots. It is strong and does not become jammed when being strained. ”

“ The “bowline knot” (Fig. 20) cannot slip, and is therefore always used for slinging a man for the purpose of doing some particular piece of work; [Pg 28] the workman sits in the sling. The end is first laid back over the standing part, so as to form a loop; the end is then passed up through the loop, round the back of the standing part, and down through the loop again. Hauling on the end and the standing part makes the knot taut.
A modification of this knot, called a “Bowline on a Bight,” is shown by Fig. 21. The loop is made as in the previous knot, only with the two parts of a doubled rope ”

“ Two half-hitches (Fig. 24) are a useful knot for a variety of purposes, as they are quickly made, and will not slip, no matter what strain is put upon them—indeed, the more they are hauled upon the faster they hold. They are the best means of making a rope fast to a hook. First one hitch is slipped on, and then the other on the top of it, and the rope is fast in less than two seconds. This knot is used by surgeons in reducing a dislocation of the thumb joint. ”

“ If the ends are not passed correctly, a granny, lubber’s, or calf knot results. This is shown in Fig. 6. Though at first sight this seems to be a good knot, yet it is not so in reality, and when any strain comes upon it, it slips and becomes useless. Fig. 7 is a granny knot, as it appears when hauled upon. It is considered a very lubberly thing to make a granny knot, and readers should practise until they can make a true knot rapidly and with certainty in any position. ”

“ The overhand knot is large, and the Solomon’s knot is a little unwieldy, but is considered more beautiful when tied. The flat reef knot is small, is easily tied and will not slip. The netting process has a good knot and has the advantage of a short single cord, as the meshes are made independently and the cord is carried on the netting needle.
It is a great advantage, when making a hammock with the simple overhand, the flat reef, or the Solomon’s knot, to loop all the pairs of cords at the center about a rod, Fig. ”

“ It is also used to form collars around stanchions or spars, and, placed around a rope close beneath a man-rope knot, it gives a beautiful finish. When made of small line sailors often use the Turk's Head as a neckerchief fastener. Although so elaborate in effect, it is really an easy knot to make, and while you may have difficulty in getting it right at first a little patience and practice will enable you to become proficient and capable of tying it rapidly and easily in any place or position. ”

“ After the knot has been well stretched the ends are tapered, laid smoothly between the strands of the shroud, and firmly served over. This knot is used when shrouds or stays are broken. French Shroud Knot.—Marry the parts with a similar amount of and as before; stop one set of strands taut up on the shroud (to keep the parts together) , and turn the ends back on their own part, forming bights. ”

“ If the knot does get safely into the fabric, the trouble is by no means finished, for if it is untidy in appearance it lowers the quality of the fabric and reduces the saleability. A frequent point of danger is the eye of the thread-carrier which is fine in aperture, and unless the knot is of reasonable size, it stands a strong chance of causing a press-off on the machine, with loss of time in having the fabric picked on again added to the loss due to stoppage of the other machine sections. ”

“ Their hair is allowed to grow to its full length, and is twisted round and round the head, and fastened in a knot in front, in which the Khond always keeps a few cigars made of tobacco rolled in a green leaf. He generally decorates this top-knot with a piece of red cloth and feathers.
The women wear a rather large cloth round their loins, and decorate themselves with vast quantities of beads and other ornaments, among which the most conspicuous are some heavy bracelets, which are little more than thick brass bands twined round their wrists. ”

“ Knot, not, n. a wading-bird much resembling a snipe, sometimes said, but without evidence, to be named from King Cnut or Canute.
Knot, not, n. a bunch of threads or the like entangled or twisted: an interlacement of parts of a cord, &c., by twisting the ends about each other, and then drawing tight the loops thus formed: a piece of ribbon, lace, &c., folded or tied upon itself in some particular form, as shoulder-knot, breast-knot, &c.: anything like a knot in form: a bond of union: a difficulty: the gist of a matter: a cluster: the part of a tree where a branch shoots out: an epaulet: (naut.) ”

“ In the scientific sense a knot is an endless physical line which cannot be deformed into a circle. A physical line is flexible and inextensible, and cannot be cut—so that no lap of it can be drawn through another. ”

“ ROPE FORMATION.
Knotting is an ancient device with which very early inhabitants of this earth must have been acquainted. From the beginning, mankind must always have used some kind of knot to join animal sinews, plant fibres, or hide strips which, in ancient days, were the prototypes of the varieties of cordage now employed.
A large number of knots has been invented by the skill of man, and on their strength and correct tying depend the lives of thousands and thousands of workmen—seamen, building trade operatives, etc., day by day. ”

“ While for most purposes knots serve every purpose for fastening two ropes together or for attaching a rope to some other object, yet a tied rope is never as strong as a whole rope and moreover where two ropes are thus fastened together, the knot will not pass through blocks, eyes or other openings which will admit the rope itself. ”

“ Fig. 57.—Bend Shortening.
Fig. 58.—Chain Knot.
The knot shown in Figs. 55 and 56 is called “manharness,” or the “artilleryman’s knot,” and is used when hauling guns over a difficult country, when horses cannot be employed. It is a valuable knot where heavy weights have to be drawn with ropes, as by its use a man can exert his strength [Pg 51] to much greater advantage than by merely grasping the rope with his hands. To make it, form a half-hitch, turn it round, and lay it against the standing part. This is, in fact, a marlinespike hitch, and is represented in Fig. ”

“ A half knot as it appears at back is longer than wide. The rows of knots are pressed down so that the warp is concealed at back. Warp, wool. One of the two threads encircled by a knot is generally depressed below the other at the back. Weft, wool of fine diameter, generally dyed red. A thread of weft crosses twice between every two rows of knots. Pile, wool, of medium length. Border, three to five stripes. Sides, a red added selvage of two or three cords. Both ends, a narrow web and warp fringe. Texture, moderately firm. Weave at back is of medium grain. ”

“ This last knot can be made by making a large loop, and then holding the string in place with one finger until the knot is slid down against the pasteboard arm and drawn tightly in place; a second and third knot, tied over this, will make it large enough for the purpose, and the arms will be found to move freely, up or down (See Fig. 289, Chapter XXIV.) .
Figs. 154-157.
Attach the legs in the same manner; if you will now thrust a small stick through both the clown’s fists you can make him take all the positions of a trained circus-man, by twirling the horizontal stick between your fingers. ”

“ Let me, however, linger lovingly for ten lines on the knotting—"knotting and splicing," as the never-divorced terms ran in the days when rigging a topgallant-yard was a constituent part of our curriculum. The man who has never viewed the realm of a seaman's knots from the outside, and tried to get in, must not flatter himself that he fully appreciates the phrase "knotty problem." I never got in; a few elementary "bends," a square knot, and a bowline, were very near the extent of my manual acquirements. ”