Page 352 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

George Pitkin’s Crazy Idea

When doing fancy work with small cordage, the
ends ravel easily, making it difficult to tuck them
through tight spaces. Taped ends are too bulky,
as are Constrictors in all but the finest, most-diffi-
cult-to-manipulate twine. But if you dip the ends
in Krazy Glue and wait a few seconds, your ravel-
ing days are over.

any strand and hitch it around its neighbor to the
right (counterclockwise), passing the end over to the
right, back under to the left. Now spill the hitch into
the other strand by pulling on the one that made the
hitch, just as for the Spilled-Hitch Bowline (Figure
3-21), to get Figure 10-7D. Now take the strand
into which the hitch was just spilled and hitch it
around its neighbor to the right and likewise spill
that hitch. Continue with all the strands. Because
there’s no end hanging down, figuring out where
to hitch the fifth strand can be difficult. But if you
look close to the stem on the right of #5’s beginning,
you’ll see #1 (Figure 10-7E). Pull a little slack into
it to give you room, and hitch around it. Fair every-
thing up so it is compact and symmetrical; fuss with
it, or you’ll get hopelessly lost later.
Next, Crown all the strands clockwise (Figures
10-7F, G). This is just like Crowning for a Back-
splice (Figure 4-1), but in the other direction. Fair
the Crown.
Moderately tricky: Take an end, lead it coun-
terclockwise, and follow the course of the strand on
the right into the knot (Figure 10-7H), going first
under the working strand’s own part then down
through the loop. Repeat this procedure with the
other four strands, taking care that the working
strand always stays inside the strand it parallels.
Again the fifth strand can be confusing, but since
you’ve kept everything fair you’ll see how one of the
Crown parts remains undoubled. That’s the one you
parallel (Figure 10-7I).
Turn the knot over, take a strand, and continue
following its neighbor to completely double it, then
Figure 10-6. Beginning a knife lanyard. Start by mid- tuck the working strand directly through the mid-
dling three 6-foot pieces of twine and braiding them dle of the knot, inboard of everything else (Figure
together at their middles for about 3 inches.
10-7J). Repeat with each strand, taking care that

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