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The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

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Re: The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

#81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the clove hitch is not the greatest though, so I'm never sure what to do The rolling hitch [1] is a slight variation that works great as a drop-in replacement. For attaching a rope to a pole, I go as far down this list as is feasible and/or necessary: - two half hitches [2] (this is actually just a clove-hitch around the standing end) - round turn and two half hitches [3] (like the above, but a little more secure a…

My go to is the 'midshipmans hitch' with an extra half-turn at the end, dead easy and secure whenever I've used it https://www.animatedknots.com/midshipmans-hitch-knot

For some reason the idea of using an friction hitch as just a regular hitch when you don't specifically need adjustability never occurred to me.... I might just start doing this although I don't know the Midshipman's, just the Tautline.

I like how it doesn't wrap tightly around the thing, giving you some slack when you need to untie it, and a sudden load while tying won't make it constrict around an object, making it less likely to take an errant finger with it.

Re: The Ashley Book of Knots (1944)

#82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yea, another good Scout knot. While a square knot can do the same it can capsize under tension!

Pretty sure Ashley himself says the square knot should never be used as a bend, and that doing so has probably killed more people than any other knot failure.

Square knots used as bends have a tendency to loosen over time when used with rope that is not exactly equal in characteristics, especially when they are not under tension (or the line alternates between slack and taut).

I believe the US Navy recommends 2 bowlines over a square knot, but the sheet bend is still the gold standard.

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