Page 373 - Geoffrey Budworth, Jason Dalton "The Little Book of Incredibly Useful Knots"

Matthew Walker knot

This classic stopper knot is far from being the only knot named after a person, but it may have

been the first, its namesake believed to have been a mid-eighteenth-century master rigger who
lived and worked aboard an old hulk moored on the River Wear at Sunderland in northeast
England. Tie it in three-strand (hawser-laid) rope. Sailors have their own sleight-of-hand way of

forming this tricky knot, but the more methodical method shown here has a better chance of
success in fingers unfamiliar with it.

First tie a wall knot, tucking each of the three strands in turn under and up through the next strand
around, working counterclockwise (1, 2, 3). Continuing counterclockwise, take each strand around
and tuck it up through the next available space (4, 5, 6). Ensure that the trefoil knot layout that
results is symmetrical (7), then lift the three strands up and shape the knot into its final, chunky,

spiraling form (8). Tighten, a bit at a time, taking care to ensure that the tension on every strand is
the same. The ends may either be whipped or taped together for neatness, although this knot is
secure enough without that finishing touch.