Page 174 - The Ashley Book of Knots

CHAPTER 10: KNOB KNOTS. MULTI-STRAND

BUTTONS, TIED ON THE TABLE

In the way of knots, especially for sea use, there cm be nothing more, •

I think, to invent. SIR EDWIN ARNOLD, 1900

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-

With the exception of the STAR KNOT, the knots of the preceding

chapter were built up of two basic knots, one superimposed on the

other. Generally these were doubled, and almost invariably one of

the two knots was a regular CROWN. Occasionally the CROWN was -

tied first, but usually it followed a WALL KNOT or, less frequently, a

DIAMOND or a FOOTROPE KNOT. Upon examination it will be found

that each strand of a CROWN regularly passes over another strand

and under a second one, so that a diagram of any of these CROWNS

consists of several symmetrical lines, each of which has two crossings - fJ1:::::: - =

only.

The first knot to be considered in the present chapter is the SPRIT-

SAIL SHEET KNOT, which originally was tied in a block strap. The

two ends of the strap were brought together, and the six strands, -

after being rove through holes in the block, were walled and topped

off with an irregular crown, two of the strands of this crown having

four crossings each, and the four remaining strands having two

crossings each.

Although the crown of the SPRITSAIL SHEET KNOT is irregular,

each strand has an even number of crossings, all crossings are taken

alternately over one and under one, and all the compartmellts are

either three- or four-sided.

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