Page 71 - Frank Rosenow "Seagoing Knots"

The Marlinespike Hitch

To gain better purchase on the end of a whipping
or lashing, you can tuck a marlinespike or bar of a

suitable kind over and under the line as in the
topmost drawing, making a half hitch with
the right part of the line below the left.
Slip the end of the spike behind the
standing part as shown in the second
drawing and flip the half hitch over to
the left to coincide with the shaded
image. Push the tip of the spike up
through the flipped loop to make the

hitch shown in the final drawing.
The knot may of course be used for
many other things. You can tie a net
with it, as proven by a waxed-canvas
game bag with netted front that I
bought in Turkey. Also, it makes an
excellent tie for ribbons in the tail of a
kite!
If the loop is fully pulled out, the
hitch converts into a useful purchase
loop as shown below.