Page 55 - The Pocket Guide to Outdoor Knots

the various knot parts) and last of all by applying a tightening pull. Even then
it is desirable to do so evenly, to each working end and standing part in turn,

however many there may be (the bowline in the bight has six). So, with any
knot “work snug and then tighten.”

● Learn to tie knots in the dark, since knotting in real life must often be done
in such handicapped situations.

● For the same reason, untying knots can be an equal challenge; so train to

identify them by touch, eyes shut, and dismantle them that way too.

● Practice does not always make perfect but practice does make permanent.

Having learnt to tie any one of the knots in this book correctly, repeat it often
so as to transfer it from short-term memory into long-term memory (an

effective way to polish your own skills is to teach someone else how to tie a
knot). Only then can any knot be left alone in the mind with a realistic

expectation that it can be retrieved when needed next week, next year, or in
25 years time.

For a knot, once mastered, should last a lifetime. Knots forgotten were
never truly learned in the first place. A good memory for knots is not a gift, it

is a reward for curiosity, interest and active involvement during the learning
stage. So let’s get started. Knotting ventured, knotting gained.