It's Knot time

I recently started working on memorizing knots. Knots are something that I don't use too often, but when I do need one, I always struggle with it. Up until last year, my knowledge of knots was pretty limited. I could tie a bow on my shoelace and a square knot and that was about it. At my last Tracker School class, one of the guys in my group showed me some pretty cool and useful knots which really got me interested.

This week I bought a book on knots. I also bought a bundle of nylon rope. It is about a 1/4 inch in diameter so it is easy to tie and untie. My plan is to keep learning new knots until I have a good arsenal to work with. I cut 3 ft. sections of rope off the main rope and have them in different places so I can always have them to work with. I have rope by the couch for when I 'm watching tv. I have some at work to practice with over lunch and maybe snare some unsuspecting co-workers with. I also have some in my car in case I get stuck at a long red light.

As with pretty much all learning, the best way is with repetition and experience. Each time I learn a new knot I also tie the ones I already know and try to combine different knots together to see what I can make. One of my favorite drills is to tie knots with my eyes closed or with my left hand. I'll never know when I'll have to tie a knot in the dark or when my right hand will be injured.

These are two of the new ones I'm working on now. The top is a bowline loop and the bottom is a hangman's knot.