Page 270 - Randy Penn Everything Knots Book

37-032-6-pp001-pp274.qxd 9/1/2010 2:49 PM Page 255

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

Try combining concepts you already know. Some of the knots
in this book show the last tuck with the bight instead of the running
end, making it a slipknot. Try this with any knot. Sometimes it will
completely release the knot, and sometimes it won’t. You could try
making more than just the last tuck with a bight, or even the whole
knot that way. It’s just one simple concept that can give you a world
of things to try. You can also try doubling a component, as in making
a crossing turn a double crossing turn, making a tuck through a
crossing turn twice instead of once. The possibilities are endless.

Tying “In the Bight”
When a knot is tied with the running end, sometimes the same
knot can be tied without it. This is what you do when tying a knot
“in the bight.” An example of this is the Clove Hitch. To test a
knot for this possibility, tie it the regular way with the running end,
then try to untie it without using the running end. If you can untie
a knot without using the running end, then you can tie it without
the running end. And if you succeeded in untying it without the
running end, just watch how it untied, and you will understand
how to tie it.

FACT

Many times when you are trying a variation, your result will
be another common knot, maybe even one described in this
book. This is not a failure, and you can use this experience to
learn more about the structure of the knot. You may find that
you now have a new way of thinking about that knot’s form,
and you may have even found a new way of tying it.

Learn to Tie by Untying

Perhaps the most powerful tool to give you insight into tying
methods for knots is to watch knots as they are untied. No matter

255