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The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

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Re: The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

#51

Post by turtledragonfly »

My understanding is that a lot of "knot culture" developed during the Nantucket whaling days. There were knots before, of course, but the variety and intricacy exploded. (a bit of a simplification of course, there are lots of cool Celtic knots and whatnot, too)

It was a somewhat special time, where you had a lot of relatively well-paid capable people stuck on a boat with nothing to do for sometimes weeks on end. Encourages some creativity, I suppose (: Scrimshaw is another product of that time — some really intricate stuff out there (eg: [1]).

For me, I feel like the bowline and trucker's hitch give you huge bang for the buck. Memorize those, and you can handle many things, with a bit of rope.

[1] https://modelshipworld.com/topic/27614-prisoner-of-war-bone-...

Re: The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

#53

Post by bccdee »

dougalm wrote: post #31
teeray wrote: post #29

The Marlinspike hitch is my favorite :) If you stick anything functioning as a marlinspike in there (stick, screwdriver, etc.), you get a great handle for pulling in tension. If you put a hook in there, you have a hitch onto the hook that can be released by slipping it off (and the whole knot collapses in on itself). If you stick the tag end one way instead, you end up with a great stopper knot (Oysterman’s Stopper K…

> a great stopper knot (Oysterman’s Stopper Knot) Also known as the Ashley stopper knot! I've started keeping a short length of paracord on my desk to practice knots during video calls. It makes a great fidget toy. The Ashley stopper is what I've been tying this week and it's such a gem (but a little harder to untie than I'd like). ABOK is the classic. But I was surprised to learn recently that it's not the final wor…

Seconding the shout-out to Budworth's Ultimate Encyclopedia. Best knot book I ever had. Not as comprehensive as The Ashley Book of Knots, but an extremely clear & thorough survey of the field nevertheless. If there's one knot book to own, that's the one.

Re: The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

#54

Post by foundart »

dougalm wrote: post #48
MrVandemar wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the parent, but I cut myself a nice stick, divided it into shortish lengths of three, probably about 20cm, sanded them down. Three sticks lets you practice a number of knots, and I stored them tied with two lengths of rope (the fantastic hitch, forget what it's called, but two of them are brilliant for bundling poles together). Then I just carried that around in my bag, or in a drawer at work, and when the opport…

Yeah, I similarly have dowels floating around my desk for tying hitches. But I don't have a good solution for practicing knots that are meant to be tied under tension, like the "trucker's hitch" family. I've been considering getting some small dock cleats and screwing them to my desk.

a plastic dock cleat hot glued to a piece of wood works pretty well and is fairly cheap

Re: The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

#55

Post by AndyKluger »

triyambakam wrote: post #43
Ishmaeli wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Klutz Book of Knots was one of my favorites as a kid, and cited Ashley throughout. Here's what it had to say about the square knot: "But Which Knot Is Really The Best Knot? A true landlubber's question, but one that is inevitably raised. The correct answer should be the responsible—albeit boring—"It depends." Are you knotting together sheets for an open-air exit from a burning hotel? Or are you tying up your hair…

I have heard that the clove hitch isn't very good, either. That it easily comes undone with wiggling

But it can be fixed in that regard by turning it into a constrictor knot instead, IIUC.

Re: The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

#57

Post by foundart »

triyambakam wrote: post #43
Ishmaeli wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Klutz Book of Knots was one of my favorites as a kid, and cited Ashley throughout. Here's what it had to say about the square knot: "But Which Knot Is Really The Best Knot? A true landlubber's question, but one that is inevitably raised. The correct answer should be the responsible—albeit boring—"It depends." Are you knotting together sheets for an open-air exit from a burning hotel? Or are you tying up your hair…

I have heard that the clove hitch isn't very good, either. That it easily comes undone with wiggling

A “round turn and two half hitches” (ABOK #1720) is what I’ve been told is a better alternative for tying fenders to a boat that will be left unattended

Re: The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

#58

Post by JoeAltmaier »

turtledragonfly wrote: post #51

My understanding is that a lot of "knot culture" developed during the Nantucket whaling days. There were knots before, of course, but the variety and intricacy exploded. (a bit of a simplification of course, there are lots of cool Celtic knots and whatnot, too) It was a somewhat special time, where you had a lot of relatively well-paid capable people stuck on a boat with nothing to do for sometimes weeks on end. Enco…

Tautline very useful, especially with tents.

But the Tarbuck is just that little bit better, and identically easy to tie (and untie).

Re: The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

#59

Post by dates »

iskela wrote: post #20
brunoqc wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

oh. I said "ABOK" when I meant "Grog". It looks great but it's outdated.

How can a knot be outdated? Seems odd in a thread about 80 year old book.

The application and material of ropes has changed over time, specifically ABOK was published just before the advent of Nylon ropes.

Re: The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

#60

Post by dates »

triyambakam wrote: post #43
Ishmaeli wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Klutz Book of Knots was one of my favorites as a kid, and cited Ashley throughout. Here's what it had to say about the square knot: "But Which Knot Is Really The Best Knot? A true landlubber's question, but one that is inevitably raised. The correct answer should be the responsible—albeit boring—"It depends." Are you knotting together sheets for an open-air exit from a burning hotel? Or are you tying up your hair…

I have heard that the clove hitch isn't very good, either. That it easily comes undone with wiggling

if the clove hitch is tied near the end of the rope, you can take the tail and tie an overhand knot with it around the standing line to back it up
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