Page 44 - Randy Penn Everything Knots Book

37-032-6-pp001-pp274.qxd 9/1/2010 2:49 PM Page 29

LEARNING TO TIE KNOTS

It is sometimes easier to practice fishing knots with a larger
cord before tying them in fishing line. Because of the way some
of these knots are tightened, the more flexible the cord, the
better. A good example is the very flexible type of miniblind cord.
When you are confident that you are tying it correctly, you can
try it with small clear fishing line. It may also be safer to prac-
tice tying to something less sharp than a fishhook while you are
first learning.

Tips for Following Illustrations
Any illustration can be followed correctly, as long as you have
some patience. One way to get practice is to follow the diagram
of a knot you already know. If you are having difficulty holding the
shape of the knot before you are finished tying it, try pinning it
down on a corkboard or over a photocopy of the diagram (you
might want to use a copy machine to enlarge the diagram). Most
of the knots have the same behavior if the image of the diagram
is reversed, so a left-handed person may have less difficulty tying
from a reversed image.
Laying out multiple cords to match the stages of an illustration
can help, too. Be especially careful that the loops you make have
the same crossings at the base as in the illustration. You can also
try drawing the diagram yourself to help understand the crossings.
If you are still having trouble, learning similar knots could help set
you straight. Be sure to read the text accompanying the knot. If
you can, get someone to help you.

Additional Considerations
Most knots will only demonstrate their correct behavior when
they are tightened down to their proper form. Until this is done,
the knot is only a tangle with the proper crossings! It is usually
best to pull on all the leads coming from a knot, and with a little
practice and experimentation, you can learn to do this with min-
imal tugs. Some knots can end up with the wrong form if they are
not tightened correctly, so this is very important.

29