Page 98 - The New Encyclopedia of Knots

figure 68.3

Fool’s knot see Tom Fool’s knot.

Forming a knot: a knot may be first formed in the hands before being ‘cast’ (dropped) over the object

to which it is being secured, a term applied mainly to hitches; alternatively, when it must be made
around an object which has no available end, such as a continuous railing, the knot is ‘turned’
(formed) around the object.

Frapping turns: when applied to whipping, these are turns taken around the whipping parallel to, and

in between, the ropes being seized together. The turns are best finished with a clove hitch (see page
40) and secured with a thumb knot (see page 171); see also flat seizing, racking seizing and round
seizing.

French bowline or Portuguese bowline: this is a very good knot, as it produces two bights on a single
end and it can be used as an alternative or quick bosun’s chair, since a person can sit in one loop

while the other loop goes around the back to provide support. We have illustrated the knot here on a
much smaller scale for clarity.

The initial formation of the French bowline is exactly the same as for the ordinary bowline (see page
21) with the tail being laid across the standing part, which is lifted over to form the bight with the end

automatically taken up and through (figure 68.1). Now take the end in a complete full turn and return
it up through the loop (figure 68.2), around the standing part and back through the bight (figure 68.3).
Obviously for a bosun’s chair the bights will need to be considerably larger than and of differing
sizes to those indicated here.

French sennit (four-stranded): begin by securing the four strands at the top. In our illustration we

arranged two lengths of cord side by side, then formed a bight at the mid-point and seized the four
lengths together at a point that allowed for a small eye if required.