Page 86 - Randy Penn Everything Knots Book

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TYING BENDS

however, this knot will be insecure. To help the join handle a bigger
size difference, a Double Sheet Bend can be used. These knots are
also popular for ropes that are of different material. For each cir-
cumstance, you must tie and test your join to determine its suitability.

ALERT!

Knots that involve combining two or more ropes of different
materials can be very unreliable and unpredictable. Not only
does the presence of different materials affect the friction
within the knot, but different ropes vary in their stiffness and
springiness as well, further compromising the ability of a knot
to keep its form.

When the size difference of the ropes to be joined is signifi-
cant, you may not want to tie them together at all, but connect
them with loops or hitches. A rope can also be tied to a larger
rope with a hitch just as if it were a pole. This is made easier if
there is a loop at the end of the larger rope to which a smaller
rope can be attached with almost any hitch. A loop can also be
tied in each end so that they interlock. The Bowline Bend is such
a join and if the loop knots themselves are secure, this join is
secure regardless of the differences of the two ropes.

ESSENTIAL

It is important to remember that there is both a left- and a
right-handed version of the Overhand Knot. The left-handed
Overhand Knot, like the one in Chapter 4, is also known as an
“S” Overhand Knot. The right-handed Overhand Knot, like the
one at the end of this chapter, called the Overhand Bend, is
known as a “Z” Overhand Knot. The letters S and Z describe
the path the running end takes through the spine of the knot.
The same is true for Multiple Overhand Knots.

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