Page 220 - Geoffrey Budworth & Jason Dalton "The Little Book of Incredibly Useful Knots 200 Practical Knots for Sailors"

Pedigree cow hitch

This is a more reliable version of the common cow hitch (see page 136), as popularized by Harry

Asher in his The Alternative Knot Book and subsequently adopted by the Girl Guides Association
for the first level of its Knotter’s Badge. It makes a good multipurpose hitch that is simple to
tie.

Pass the working end of the line around the post, spar, or rail (1), then take it across the front of

the standing line (2) and up behind the post again (3). Then pass it down through the loop just
created (4). Now make the variation that makes this a “pedigree” hitch: tuck and trap the short end
of the line through the knot you have just made (5, 6). If you wish, you can leave a drawloop as a
means of quick release.