Page 77 - The Ashley Book of Knots

THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS

417. The SINGLE DIAMOND HITCH is for two packs with no riding

load. It will be seen in consulting the sketches that the rope in this

lashing forms a single diamond at the center top, and the previous

hitch, a double diamond, which of course explains the names.

The Quilter

In quilting, the layers of material are often tacked together with

strong twine, although much the nicer method is to stitch elaborate

patterns which are first chalked out or stenciled on the quilt. In the

417 more common method the needle, bearing several parallel cords, is

first shoved down and then is stuck up again about three sixteenths

of an inch to one side of and parallel to the first thrust. The ends are

then square knotted together and "cut off long." A better practice,

which is often followed, is to tuft with colored yarns, much as the

upholsterer does (~483), but the knot used by the quilter is generally

a SQUARE KNOT.

The Riiger

Nowadays a hOlfl,e painter or a steeplejack may be listed in the tde-

phone directory as a rigger, but it is the ship rigger who is referred

to here. Seizings, wormings, whipping, marling, parceling, serving,

etc., are all to be found in Chapters 40 and 41, which deal with

marlingspike seamanship and other rigging practices. Rigger's splices

are to be found in three chapters devoted exclusively to splicing, and

here and there throughout the chapten; of practical knots are other

rigger's knots. The several given here are peculiar to the rigger.

418. In finishing off a seizing, the rigger brings the end up between

two turns, and if the material is small stuff he ties a WALL KNOT;

if it is spun yarn he ties an OVERHAND KNOT (~5 1 5).

419. The LANYARD KNOT is tied in the ends of shroud and stay lan-

yards, and is employed in setting up and securing standing rigging.

420. A FIGURE-EIGHT KNOT (~520) is tied wherever a temporary

stopper is needed and also near the ends of all running rigging, to pre-

•
vent unreevmg.

421. A CLOVE HITCH (~II77) is the CROSSING KNOT employed in

rattling down rigging. Ratlines are the rope steps found on shrouds,

by means of which the rigging is climbed.

In addition to the several knots that are illustrated here the rigger

uses a BALE SLING HITCH (~I 7 59) for a variety of purposes; a ROPE

YARN KNOT (~1480) is called for in serving, and a HALF HITCH

4.a SEIZED ('/I: 17 17) and Two HALF HITCHES SEIZED ('/I: 1719) are old

rigger's st:md-bys. The DIAMOND KNOT (~693) was formerly used in

jib-boom footropes. Among the general sailor knots, which constitute

the bulk of the material in this work, there are many knots for which

the rigger has occasional use. The MARLINGSPIKE HITCH ('/I: 2030) is

required constantly in tightening seizings and service .

4t.o 42,. . ~

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