Page 33 - Gibson W.B. "The complete guide to knots"

25
About Hitches

A hitch, as its name implies, is a
means of hitching a rope to an object,
often in a temporary way, so that it
can be undone or removed quite
readily.
Some knots can be used as hitches,
as can some bends. But sailors think
oi 'bending" a rope rather than
'
"hitching" it, when making a rope
fast to an object.
One advantage of a hitch is that it
can be made directly about an object
— such as a post, pole or spar —
instead of having to be formed first,
like a knot, and then placed over the
object. Most hitches are specially
designed to "fall apart" when the
object is removed. In short, they are
not knots, because they have to be
made fast to an object in order to
exist.

Crossing Hitch

This simple formation might well
be called the "Loop Hitch," for that
is exactly what it is, a loop that is held
together as a hitch.
If you carry the end of a rope
around an object and across the
standing part, then exert opposite
pressure so that one portion of the
rope draws upon the other, you will
have the simple Crossing Hitch.
This is useful in tying packages
along with other things, and it
answers the purpose of a knot,
provided the ends of the rope are
otherwise secured.
This "loop hitch" can be used as a
"one end" fastening by forming a
loop around an object so that the
loose end is jammed between the
standing part and the object. A pull in
one direction will tighten the loop
and hold it in place.