Page 257 - Geoffrey Budworth "The Pocket Guide to Outdoor Knots"
P. 257
PRUSIK KNOT
Tying
This is another of those slide-and-grip knots that may be grasped in the hand and
shifted to the required position, after which—around a foundation with any sort
of friction at all, such as rough wood or a rope with a matt finish—it may be
loaded. It will withstand a pull from varying directions.
Tying
Begin as if tying a common cow hitch (figures 1–2) then pull out the working
bight and wrap and tuck it a second time (figure 3). Tighten the knot (figure 4).
Knot lore
Austrian professor of music Karl Prusik devised this knot during the First World
War to mend broken strings on musical instruments. Later, in 1931, he
popularized its use in mountaineering. A variety of such slide-and-grip knots or
hitches now exist and they are collectively known as prusiking knots (with a
small “p”).
