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All about Ropes

and Twine

CORDAGE IS THE GENERAL TERM to describe anything you can
use to tie a knot—string or twine (for small knots) and line (for
nautical knots). This chapter contains all the information you need
to know about cordage big and small.

Basic Structure and Materials

Both the structure of rope and the materials it is made of help
determine its knot-making properties, allowing you to choose the
right rope for your needs. Almost all cordage is built up from
threadlike lengths called fibers. How these are twisted or woven
together constitutes a rope’s structure. The structure can affect the
rope’s abrasion resistance, stretch, flexibility, handgrip, appearance,
and many other qualities.
The material used to make cordage also has a significant effect
on the properties of the knots you can tie with it. How expensive
a rope is, what it looks like, and how it feels to the touch are all
dependent on what type of material it is made of. A useful way to
consider the properties of rope materials is to break down cordage
into natural and synthetic categories.

Twisted Ropes

One of the most basic cordage structures is the twisted rope.
Twisting rope to combine fibers was, for a long time, the most

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