Page 176 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

166 History and Science of Knots

The Single Fishermans Loop was used in manila rope for a long time as both
end and mid loop, but alternative knots were always available and often more
popular. When nylon rope seemed to require something more secure, it was
found inconvenient to tie a Double Fishermans Loop; tying the Grapevine Knot
a long way from the end is a somewhat fiddly operation of a kind unpopular
with many cavers and climbers. However, a Swami Loop [12, p. 76] [29, p.
37], sometimes called a One and a Half Fishermans Loop or a Three Quarters
Fishermans Loop, has been developed, apparently initially in New Zealand.
This seems to have most of the advantages of the Double Fishermans Loop
and yet is easily tied.
Reweaving or Follow-through Techniques
Several simple end loops can be made by tying a simple stopper knot in doubled
rope; these include Single and Double Overhand, and Figure Eight and Figure
Nine Loops. All of these have found considerable application in climbing and
caving; the last two are specially suitable for nylon rope. But it is quite often
desired to tie these knots round an object, such as the loops of a climbing
harness, in situations where the ready-tied knot is inapplicable. The solution
is to tie the simple stopper knot in the standing part of the rope in the position
where the knot will be wanted, lead the end round or through the object and
then take it back to the original knot and carefully follow all the turns of the
knot with the end, finishing with it beside the standing part, pointing away
from the loop. This reweaving or follow-through technique for tying knots can
also be used in other situations, and is now frequently applied to life-support
ropes. It is uncommon in general knotting.

Fig. 30. Double Overhand Fig. 31. Figure Eight Loop Fig. 32. Figure Nine Loop
Loop
The Overhand Loop was the first end loop used in mountaineering (Fig. 1),
and can also be made by reweaving [20, p. 29] [27, p. 75] [29, p. 251; it is still
in use, specially in continental Europe. The Double Overhand or Grapevine
Loop (Fig. 30) is a bulky but secure loop, prone to jamming under load, used
more in caving than climbing [12, p. 76][13, p. 65]; it can be tied by reweav-
ing, but is more commonly tied direct with the bight. The Figure Eight Loop
(Fig. 31) is now used as an end loop [10, p. 96] [14, p. 28] [27, p. 75] much more
than the Bowline, however secured; most applications require reweaving. The
Figure Nine Loop (Fig. 32) is mostly used by cavers [12, p. 75][13, p. 86]; it is