Page 37 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

24 History and Science of Knots

Binding Knots and Hitches, using a Single Turn
The first knots tied seem likely to have functioned as binding knots and
perhaps hitches. An obvious first thing to do would have been to pass the
running end of the knotting medium once around the object and then across
the standing part at a reference point as in (6). This would have formed the
start of the simplest binding knots (Fig. 3).

15 16 17 ` 1s

Fig. 3. Binding knots using a single turn round the object
This simple `knot' (7) would have been completely ineffective in almost all
natural media. The simplest and most obvious way to try to make the binding
more secure was to twist the running end with the proximal standing part (8),
even several times, but would have been little more effective. However, tucking
the twisted ends between the object and the distal standing part (9), using a
bight if the ends were long, would have been quite effective in rough media;
this formation is the Binder Knot (#245). Probably the next most simple
way to try to secure (7) was to tuck the running end under the distal standing
part (10), forming an Overhand or Half Knot (#47). This would have held