Page 423 - The Ashley Book of Knots
P. 423
THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS
2572. The Whirling Ring. Another "See-if-you-can-do-it" trick,
el1ually easy, and just as annoying as the last. To perform the trick
" spin the hands around with the two finger tips inside the loop or
ring. First one way, then reverse. Close the thumbs and forefingers
of both hands when in the position of the second diagram, then
move the hands together until the thumbs touch the tips of the op-
posite forefingers. Open both hands without separating opposite
thumbs and forefingers. Although the ring appears to be still in-
volved, it falls to the floor quite free. The trick is ridiculously simple
25"72. and somewhat pointless, yet there are over one hundred million
people in these United States alone who won't have the least idea
of how to do it even after they have been shown. Dr. John H. Cun-
ningham first showed it to me.
2573. An elusive knot. The effectiveness of this trick depends al-
most entirely on the patter. The feebler the patter, the more suitable
it seems to be. This is the way I got it from Arthur Carlsen, who
showed it to me.
"This is one of the queerest knots. Some days I can tie it, some
days I can't. First I will tie a half knot, then I will add another half
knot, which makes a good solid square knot. Anyone may examine
this who wishes to. I am going to add a h)tch here and then I will
stick the end there. Now when I pull the two ends be prepared to
see something remarkable." The knot disappears. "H-mm, I think
I shall drop this knot from my act; this is the third day in a row
that it hasn't worked."
2574. A similar trick was shown to me by its originator, Mel-
bourne Christopher; I do not believe I am betraying a trust in show-
2S13
ing it and I wouldn't know how to gain his permission as his last
address was somewhere in central Europe.
A, Band C are tied slowly for the audience to observe, but 0 is
stuck without the knowledge of the audience at the same time C is
being stuck. The knot is tied for the ostensible purpose of selecting
a suitable rope for something else that is to follow. So, after the knot
has spilled completely two or three times, the rope is discarded as
unsuitable, and another rope is substituted, with which the act passes
on to something else.
2575. To change a REEF or SQUARE KNOT into two OVERHAND
KNOTS, and to change these back again. Given as a puzzle, this is
not apt to be solved in a hurry but it may also be treated as a trick.
B The REEF KNOT (diagram I) falls very simply into the form of two
OVERHANDS (diagram 2), but the reverse may not be so inevitable,
as often the second HALF KNOT takes the form of a HALF HITCH,
in which all the turns are in one end. But it is only necessary to move
the left end to the right, the right to the left and the REEF KNOT
will materialize. In both cases a knot is pulled as indicated by the
ZS74
arrow but the end of the rope must not be allowed to follow
through.
257 S
251S
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