Page 137 - Des Pawson "Pocket Guide to Knots & Splices"

Cow Hitch

The cow hitch is also called a lark’s

head. It is a neat way of attaching to a
ring or rod a bight of rope or a loop
in the end of a rope. This is a good

way to fix the eye of a lanyard to a
whistle or knife. The pull must always

be on both parts of the rope at once; a
pull on one side will cause the hitch to

slip. If you look closely at this hitch
you can see that it consists of a pair of
half hitches made in opposite

directions to one another. Compare it
to the clove hitch where the half

hitches are made in the same
direction. Do not mix them up.

1 Put a bight of the rope behind the bar.
2 Bring the bight over the bar and pull the
pair of strands through the bight.

3 The finished cow hitch, note the pull is to
be on both strands.

4 If one strand is tucked behind the bight it
becomes the Pedigree cow hitch.

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