Page 426 - The Ashley Book of Knots

TRICKS AND PUZZLES

twice, sticking bights instead of ends. This splice is valueless except

as a trick, being ruinous to rope.

2585Y2. False braid. Take four strands, secure them to a hook or

other holdfast and arrange with three strands in the left hand and

one in the right. Take the outermost left strand and cross it over

its two sister strands, laying it snugly parallel and below the single

right strand. Now take the next (outermost) left strand and lay it

snugly across its one remaining sister strand and parallel to and

below the preceding one. This completes one cycle.

There will now be three strands in the right and only one in the

left hand. Take the outermost right strand and lay it across its

two sister strands and place it parallel to and below the single left

strand. Take the next (outermost) strand of the right side, lay it

across its single sister strand and place it parallel to and below the

two left strands. This completes the second cycle. Repeat alternately 2S

left and right until the desired amount of braid is completed. Lay the

strands snugly and the product will resemble ordinary FLAT SINNET.

If well made, it will stand ordinary usage, but give it several smart

jerks and perhaps a little assistance with a finger if necessary, and it

will at once resolve itself into two two-strand ropes, one right-laid,

the other left-laid. To make an effective trick for a large audience use

material that is large and soft.

2586. Having tied a BOWLINE into a BOWLINE on the bight, the

trick is to remove the latter without disturbing the former. This

interesting puzzle was propounded to me by a sailor of the Eastern

Shore of Maryland. He had heard the problem but did not know the

answer. After experiment it was solved in two ways.

A piece of banding may be used, the loops should be large and

the rope between long. The standing part of the rope should be held

by a spectator or else be secured to another object, and is not to be

tampered with.

The BOWLINE on the bight can be very quickly and easily re-

moved by first loosening it and then rolling it back away from the

standing part, exactly as a stocking i~ rolled inside out but without

disturbing the single BOWLINE. This is a method used at sea for :::;:2587

disentangling small lines. All that is necessary is to keep in mind that

at no time must the standing part be pulled or tightened. This is so

simple that after a little practice the knot may be easily untied be-

hind the performer's back, while held in full view of the audience.

Moreover if the fingers are kept "busy" the audience may require a

number of demonstrations before they will understand how it is

done.

I 2587. The BOWLINE on the bight can be tied back into the Bow-

I LINE without employing either end of the rope. The method is illus-

trated step by step in the accompanying diagrams. Having mastered

these, the reader will not find it difficult to answer the original

proposition by reversing the order of these diagrams.

[ 4 I 7 J