Page 221 - Randy Penn Everything Knots Book

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THE EVER YTHING KNOTS BOOK

QUESTION?

Is tradition the last word on what is the best knot for a
certain application?
Absolutely not. The popular use of some knots can actually be
traced back to errors in early knot-tying publications. Sometimes
different knots should be used due to a change in the material
of the cordage. So, if you are staying up to date on cordage
changes in your preferred activity, you should also stay up to
date on knots for that activity.

If rope must be secured to an object of a particular shape, not
just any hitch will do. One example is the Barrel Sling, shown in
Chapter 7. In boating, rope is often tied to a horn cleat, which is
illustrated in this chapter along with the hitch that is used with it,
called the Cleat Hitch. Tying off to barrels or horn cleats would not
work with most hitches, so special hitches have come to be used
almost exclusively with them, and have even come to be named
after them.

FACT

Using specific knots for specific tasks results in a kind of
standardization that can make activities safer and more
efficient. When more than one person is involved with rope
and knot applications, using different knots for the same job
can lead to confusion. If you were crewing on a sailing ship at
night during a storm, you certainly wouldn’t want the ropes
to be secured differently than what you expect.

Size and cordage material can significantly affect the choice of
knots used with it. And by extension, activities that use particular
types of cordage tend to have many knots that are associated with
that activity. For some applications, it is necessary that the cordage

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