Page 228 - Barbara Merry "The Splicing Handbook"

tie and begin hitching with the new strand.

Continue knotting until you reach the drop-off at the end of the first layer of
the poly core. You’ll need to taper the manila layer of hitches to accommodate
this change in shape and to keep the coat snug around the core. To do this,
simply skip a loop. If the space that is left in the wake of this step seems too
large, you skipped a space too soon. For this particular fender’s coat, skip a loop
just a bit after the place where the first layer drops off. Then skip another just 1–
1½ inches (25 to 38 mm) before the seized eye, just after the second layer ends.

To finish the pudding’s coat in a tidy way, run the working end of the last
strand back under the hitches for three rows. Bring it out and closely trim it and
any other remaining strand ends. A Turk’s Head knot (using ¼-inch/6 mm
manila) tied at the center of the fender adds a nice, decorative touch. You’ll find
instructions for tying a Turk’s Head knot in almost every book about knots.
Your fender will feel stiff, but you can make it flexible enough to bend around
your boat’s bow by tying a loop of rope through the two eyes and pulling it into
a tight U shape overnight.