Page 317 - The Ashley Book of Knots
P. 317
THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS
1821. The HALF HITCH. In a storage room there is no better means
of hanging stores to remove them from micQ, squirrels and other
vermin than the HALF HITCH; with the nip at the top, \ .. rith the end
passed back through the ring as shown, there is little danger of
slipping. This knot will serve many purposes well, but it should
never be disturbed while at work.
I 8 21 ,~ 22. 18 '3A 1822. The SLIPPED HALF HITCH. A convenient knot for occasional
use. The pull on the standing part should be steady and in a direction
that is against the nip of the knot, which should always be at the top
as pictured. The knot is seen frequently on boat landings tied in a
painter, but this is hardly legitimate use unless the occasion is very
temporary indeed.
1823. A SLIPPED HALF HITCH, with the end tucked, is preferable
to the last knot.
1824. A FIGURE-EIGHT KNOT may be slipped either once or twice;
the left diagram shows one bight slipped and the right diagram shows
two. The center diagram shows how they are constructed .
• 824
1825. The NOOSE HITCH is one of the most used of all hitches. It
is weak and apt to jam, and is not entirely reliable. Nevertheless it
is much used by teamsters and truckmen and is found on the farm,
although not so much as formerly. Farmers read and profit from
school, college, government and state agricultural bulletins, and in
late years the subject of knots has received considerable attention in
these publications. Moreover the farmer is the most interested of
workmen and anything of a mechanical nature generally appeals to
him. But unlike the rigger, the sailor, the sailmaker and the weaver,
knots are incidental to his labor, so that it is entirely possible for an
indifferent knot tier to become a good farmer, although he will be
handicapped.
1826. The HALTER HITCH is based on the last knot. It is the same
'8 25" I 62.6 formation but it is slipped, and the end is stuck through the slipped
bight. The knot is used the world over for "hitching" horses. To
untie: Remove the end from the loose bight and pull on the end
smartly.
1827. Tho CHAIN SLIPKNOT. If the end is very long a practical
SLIPKNOT may be made by adding a CHAIN SINNET (~2868) to the
end. This is dORe by passing successive bights each through the
previous one as shown in the right diagram ~ 1826. When the end is
pulled the whole chain ravels, or unravels.
1828. The MANGER HITCH must have been designed originally as
a pacifier for a cow that slobbered. I found it in rural Delaware. A
18 wet knot is very hard to untie, but this one is practically jamproof.
However, halters in cow barns are about as common nowadays as
buttoned shoes in night clubs.
1829. A knot from Diderot's Encyclopedia of 1761. It was given
as a hitch for loom harness.
1830. A SLIPKNOT for passing a liznrd. This is given in Knight's
SelilnlTTlship of 1901 and was part of the gear used in crossing a yard
after it was sent aloft.
1831. The CAPSTAN KNOT. Both name and knot are from Tom
1630 183 Bowling, and it is given without explanation of its purposes. The knot
has one interesting feature: it may be slid to any point on the stand-
ing part and there "locked" by pulling smartly on the end.
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