Page 50 - Gibson W.B. "The complete guide to knots"
P. 50
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Racking Hitch
This is an extension of the Lark's
(ONE INWARD TWIST) Head as formed from the double
loops (fig. 1). Before bringing the
loops together, give them another
twist toward each other; then slide
them on the object (fig. 2). This
forms a tighter hitch and spreads the
fig. 1
strain on the rope making the hitch
more reliable.
(TWO INWARD TWISTS) Like the Larks's Head, the Racking
Hitch falls apart as soon as drawn
clear from the object to which it is
attached.
Cat's-paw
More twists are added, loop to
loop —three, four, five or whatever
(3 INWARD TWISTS) number you wish — to form the
Cat's-paw, which this hitch somewhat
resembles in appearance. With a
twisted rope, this should be done
against the "lay" or "twist," adding
more strength proportionately (fig. 3).
Ordinarily, both loops of the Cat's-
paw are slipped over the same object,
but they can be attached separately,
say to two hooks that are set a short
distance apart. The double-twist por-
tion of the rope then serves as a sort
of hanger, running between the
hooks.
Note that the illustration shows an
unbalanced "Cat's-paw" with an extra
twist on the left. In the standard
"Cat's-paw" another twist should be
added on the right, to make them
equal.
