Page 36 - Knots and Splices (1st Edition)

KNOTS & SPLICES BK5.0 1/21/06 11:03 Page 35

47a A 47b
F
E
C D F F

B
A

47 JUG SLING 47c
The Jug Sling or Hackamore. Lay down two loops
as in 47a, with the right-hand one on top of the left.
Weave bight A up under part B, pass it over part G
C and up under part D to emerge over part E (47b).
Next fold the loop F back and down, as shown
by the arrows in 47b to lie below the knot against
the two standing parts. Now fold loop G forwards
and down, as shown by the arrow in 47c until it
lies below the knot against the two standing parts
(47d). Fit the neck of the jar or bottle into the
centre of the knot, adjust the parts snugly, and
join the two ends together in a loop with a Reef 47d
Knot (5). Carry the bottle using the loop handle
H and the loop formed by the ends that you’ve H
just tied together.
This is an astonishingly secure and ingenious
knot. It will lift the heaviest and most slippery
of bottles, even if the rim or flange is almost
imperceptible. In the American West it goes under
the name Hackamore, and is said to be used as a
temporary rope bridle. The knot appears to have
been known to the ancient Greeks and Romans
and, as usual, there are several different methods
of tying it.

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