Page 57 - Peter Randall - The Craft of the Knot

Chapter 4

PRACTICAL HITCHES

When you need to attach a rope to an object, the knot for this job is called a “hitch.”
This is a common use for rope and you will find a variety of hitches in this chapter that
will do a good job.

Hitches allow you to secure a rope to rings, rails, posts, hooks, other ropes, and other
objects. Sometimes they are tied by forming the knot directly around the object, and
sometimes by bringing the rope around the object and tying the running end to the

standing part. If the shape of the object allows it, you can tie the hitch (or a loop) first,
and then place it around the object. Some hitches, like the Rolling Hitch or Icicle Hitch,
provide a friction grip to prevent them from sliding when strain is along the direction of
the pole, rail, or rope.

You may want tension to remain in the rope after the hitch is tied. If you are
frustrated by a little slack going into the rope as the hitch is tightened, you will find that

making an extra wrap around the object, called “making a round turn,” will help hold
tension as the knot is tied. An example of this is the Round Turn and Two Half Hitches.
Another option is to tie a hitch that allows you to take out slack repeatedly without
untying the hitch itself, as with the Guy Line Hitch. Tying ropes without slack in them is

useful for many applications, like when you need to secure cargo.

Most hitches are tied by using Half Hitches in various combinations. When using more
than one, Half Hitches can have a left or right orientation, and many hitches are tied by
combining just two Half Hitches. Some hitches that seem different from each other are in
fact made with the same exact combination of Half Hitches—the only difference may be
that in one case, the hitch is tied directly onto an object, and in the other, it is tied

around the standing part. An example is the difference between the Clove Hitch and the
Round Turn and Two Half Hitches.

Some hitches allow you to put up to three times more strain on the rope than you are
applying to tighten it. A Trucker’s Hitch pulls on the rope as if you were using a pair of
pulleys, allowing you to make pulling tackle from a length of rope. The magnification
factor at any point is determined by how many ropes under equal tension are connected

to it. Don’t get confused by trying to think about which direction the rope is pulling. It
helps to consider that a rope can only pull, not push.

Some hitches attach rope for pulling or hoisting large objects. The Timber Hitch is