Page 53 - Randy Penn Everything Knots Book

37-032-6-pp001-pp274.qxd 9/1/2010 2:49 PM Page 38

THE EVER YTHING KNOTS BOOK

There are many questions to ask yourself when choosing a knot
for a given application:

• Will the rope be under steady or changing strain?
• Will it need to be untied?
• Will it need to be tied or untied quickly?
• What knots do I know?
• How secure does it need to be?
• Will others need to tie or untie it?
• Will the tension in the rope need to be adjusted later?
• Will others have to use it?
• Is damaging the rope a concern?

These and many other questions can come into play when you
choose a knot. You will, of course, need to limit your choices to
which knots you know, just as you must choose from your toolbox
only tools that are in it. This leads us to another question you may
have been wondering about: “Which knots should I learn?”

FACT

Even if you read that it is good to use ¼-inch-diameter rope for
securing loads on the back of a pickup, you will probably still
find yourself getting ready to haul purchases away from a
lumber yard with thin and slippery tomato twine to secure it.
For situations like these, it is good to have knowledge of
different knots to get the job done with a variety of materials.

Choosing Which Knots to Learn
Many people are quite intimidated by the thought of learning
more than just a couple of knots, or think that it is difficult or time-
consuming. So here are some things to ponder when deciding
which ones you want to learn.

38