Page 71 - Peter Owen - Knots

tackle makers used to be able to keep secret the
Ii BLOOD KNOT intricacies of the various knots they tied
because it was so difficult to unravel them. Just
Also kllow" as: BARREL KNOT
before World War L however, an engineer on
The name barrel knot derives from the board an ocean-going liner, Jock Purvis, went to
appearance of the numerous wrapping turns the infinite trouble of dissecting and
that are required to complete this knot, which reconstructing a specimen blood knot, keeping
has a relatively high breaking strain. It is widely the cut sections in paraffin wax and using a
used to tie nylon line in a host of situations, microscope to examine the twists and turns of
although it is most successful when the line is of the line. Purvis's findings were published in the
m OTe or less equal thickness. angling press in 1910.
Because anglers tie their knots in such fine When you tie a blood knot, it is best to leave it
line, once they are drawn up tightly it is almost slack so that you can count the turns. This will
impossible to untie them - the line usually has mean that the ends will have to be cut neatly,
to be cut. During the 19th century, anglers and but the grip is excellent.

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