Page 22 - Des Pawson "Knots The Complete Visual Guide"

20 GETTING STARTED

Techniques

Some basic knot-tying techniques will provide you with the
fundamental skills to make both simple and complicated
knots in a quick and easy fashion.

Estimating rope length

To estimate how much rope is needed for a knot, make a dummy with
loose turns, leaving out the actual tucks. It is better to overestimate
how much rope is required rather than run out of cord.

Loose turns

Working with a long length of rope
More complex knots will require a long length of rope. Rather
than attempting to manipulate an unwieldy working end,
simply form a bight (see p.18).

Under

Over

Form Pull
bight

Form the working end into After tucking the bight, pull
a bight by folding it back the rest of the working end
on itself before tucking. through.