The InterKnot - International Guild of Knot TyersIt is formed by tying an Overhand knot close to the ends of two ropes. Step 1: Tie a loose Overhand knot near the end of one of the

The InterKnot Newsletter of the International Guild of Knot Tyers

North American Branch

September 2010

InterKnot September 2010 - © 2010 International Guild of Knot Tyers– North American Branch Pg 1

New Local IGKT Chapter Article by Rusty Helms IGKT-NAB member

A small group of IGKT members have launched a local chapter of

the IGKT-NAB. Located in the Midwest in Central Indiana, we

have chosen to be known as the Knot in the Middle Chapter. It

seems only fitting for a Chapter so completely landlocked there is

no navigable waterway to the rest of the world for hundreds of

miles.

The Half Yearly Guild Meeting in New Bedford gave us the

excitement and momentum to go ahead and start the chapter. We

were inspired by the enthusiasm of those we met from around the

globe.

Word of mouth, emails and postings on Knotting web sites and

Facebook Knotting groups were all utilized to get the word out.

Most helpful was the information posted on the IGKT-NAB

homepage by Guild member Don Burrhus. In retrospect, the biggest hurdle in com-

munication was to get the date and location set. The

inaugural organizational meeting was planned for Sunday,

March 7th. We are pleased to say that we met 17 strong.

Special circumstances even provided attendees from

California and Maryland.

We scheduled quarterly meetings and plan to produce a

small e-mail based newsletter after each meeting as well.

We now have 3 meetings under our belt, having also met

on May 23rd and August29th. Our final meeting for 2010

will be held in the Community Room of the Nora Public

Library on the North side of Indianapolis from 1 to 4pm

on Sunday, November 28, 2010.


Knot in the Middle Chapter (continued)

For information and the address of the meeting location,

please contact Rusty Helms ([email protected]). All

Guild members from any and all chapters and branches are

always welcome.

The address of the library is:

Nora Public Library

8625 Guilford Avenue

Indianapolis, IN 46240-1851

Phone: (317) 275-4470 ——————–-————————————--

Ropework by: Jim Wolf

Pictures by: Lily Morales

=================================================================================

Ropework from the Caribbean

On a recent trip to the Caribbean a fellow IGKT member found the following

ropework.

mailto:[email protected]


Ropework from the Caribbean (continued)

================================================================================

IGKT Member makes lanyard for Eagle Scouts From Jon H. Waltz IGKT-NAB member:

These are pictures (on the next page) of knife lanyards and scout knives that we give

to scouters who have attained their Eagle Rank. I use the Knife Lanyard knot to

make a lanyard for the knife and attach it to the clip end of the knife. The company

that sells the knives (e-mail address is wwwknifeXX.com) will engrave the blade

with the date of the scout's Eagle Board of Review. I'll sometimes have them en-

grave the handle with the scout's name. I do sharpen the knife before I present it to

them. This is probably the first time the boy scout has had a sharp knife!


Jon H. Waltz is an Area District Commissioner, Mid America Council, Trailblazer

District, Troop 242, Malvern Iowa. He lives in Red Oak Iowa and has been active in

scouts for 32 years.

Congratulations, Jon on a job well done!

Editor’s Note: If you teach or use knotting in a Scouting activity I’d like to publish what you’ve

been doing. Please send your information to [email protected]. =================================================================================

One Knot

By Glenn Dickey IGKT-NAB member:

How many times have you been to a function where you’ve been showing your rope

work and have been approached by a person who says, ―I don’t know how to do

knots and I can’t learn. I’ve looked at knot books, but they just confuse me.‖ Obvi-

ously this isn’t a person who will be excited about learning many different kinds of

knots.

Or what if you are going on a campout, are moving, or need to tie something down

or tie something up? Sometimes you’ll find yourself with an assistant who wants to

help, but won’t be able to learn a lot of different knots in a limited period of time.

In each case, if the person is willing to learn, and with a knot they probably already

know, they can have a positive knotting experience by using just one knot – the


Overhand. Knowing how to use the Overhand knot will allow you greatly expand

their knotting skills with a minimum of effort.

However, while the Overhand is easy to tie, it does have some serious limitations. It

can jam so hard that the only way remove it is to cut the rope. It can decrease the

breaking strength of the rope by as much as 40%. Even when used correctly, it can

still be difficult to untie. Consequently beginning knotters usually aren’t encouraged

to use the Overhand knot. But as long as you are willing to accept the limitations of

the Overhand knot, it can solve a lot of problems for you.

In this article I’ll give some suggestions on how to use the Overhand knot with some

variations to fulfill the need for a basic knot grouping.

Basic grouping

What do I feel is the basic grouping needed for most knotting situations? You’ll

need: 1) a knot (a stopper knot); 2) to be able to join two ropes together (a bend); 3)

to tie onto something (a hitch); 4) a fixed loop (a loop knot); 5) and sometimes

you’ll need a loop that constricts (a noose). Combining these five ideas into various

combinations will solve most knotting problems you have.

The Basics—the Overhand knot

The Overhand knot is easy to tie. The working end is made into a

loop and goes over the standing end and back into the loop, which

makes it very simple to tie. I’ve had overhand knots form auto-

matically in rope and extension cords while trying to coil them for

storage. I’ve also had Scouts and 4-H kids accidentally tie the

Overhand while trying to form another knot. The Overhand knot

can be tied either right or left handed.

A Stopper Knot (1)

The Overhand knot can be used by itself as a Stopper knot, but it is usually too

small to be used alone. Starting with the Overhand knot, you can make one more

tuck of the end and make a good Stopper knot. I’m showing the Oysterman’s Stop-

per knot here.

To make the Oysterman’s Stopper knot, make a loop in

one end of the cord. Then tie an Overhand knot over

the standing part of the cord.

InterKnot June 2010 - © 2010 International Guild of Knot Tyers– North American Branch Pg 6

The next step is to bring the end of the line up through

the loop.

After bringing the end through the loop on the end,

tighten up the knot.

This will form a bulkier knot that can be used as a

stopper knot.

Stopper knots are used at the end of a cord to keep it

from being pulled through a block or to keep the line

from being pulled through a knot.

Tying a Bend (2)

While the Overhand knot isn’t very good for joining two different sized ropes or

cords together, it does work well with two ropes or cords of the same size. Joining

two ropes or cord with a knot is called a Bend. I will show two bends using the

Overhand knot to join the cords.

The first Bend shown is the Fisher-

man’s Bend(also called the Fisher-

man’s knot).

Step 1: To join two cords

of the same size you use

the Overhand knot again.

Using one cord you will

tie an overhand knot over

the opposite cord.

Step 2: To finish the knot

you’ll tie another Overhand

knot over the other cord.

Step 3: Once you have tied

both sides, pull the two knots close together. Then pull on both ends to tighten the

knots.

This will complete the Fisherman’s bend. Any force on one side will pull the knots

together and tighten the knots.


The second bend is called the Water knot. It is formed by tying an Overhand knot

close to the ends of two ropes.

Step 1: Tie a loose Overhand knot near the end of one of the

cords.

Step 2: Trace the end of the other cord through the

first Overhand knot. Follow the Overhand knot as

you go.

Step 3: After tracing the end of the other cord

through the first Overhand knot, pull on both ends to

tighten the knot. This completes the Water knot.

Two Hitches (3)

Sometimes you need to tie down something such as a tent or awning. Either will

need to be held fast and also tightened occasionally. I’ll show two hitches that can

be adjusted. The first hitch is called the French Pulley.

Step 1: To start, tie a loose Overhand knot on the line

going into the stake or anchor point.

Run the cord around the anchor point. Thread the

working end through the Overhand knot.

Step 2: With the working end tie another Overhand

knot around the standing part of the rope that is closer

to the load.

Tighten both of the Overhand knots to finish

the hitch.

This is the French Pulley and is good for

tying down a tent or shelter.


IGKT-NAB InterKnot C/O 4417 Academy Street Dearborn Heights, MI 48125

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Continued in the next issue of the InterKnot The article on the Overhand knot will be continued in the next issue of the InterKnot.

Documents

The InterKnot - International Guild of Knot TyersIt is formed by tying an Overhand knot close to the ends of two ropes. Step 1: Tie a loose Overhand knot near the end of one of the