List of Knots

This is a list of simple knots, organized by use case. Meant as a reference for when you need a knot for something. Complicated rigging systems can easily be created by using multiple of these knots together. A lot of these knots are actually the same knot in different contexts.

Bundle things together like a ziptie (binding knot)

• Square knot / Reef knot - Not that secure, but easy to untie. Easy to mess up
  • This is the classic shoelace knot if you replace the free standing ends with bights that you can pull on to easily untie it (aka. it’s a “slipped” version of the reef knot)
• Constrictor knot - Very secure, but hard to untie. Very similar to a clove hitch.
  • Tying method: Like a clove hitch but the last step is to tuck the working end under the first loop (and over the standing end for symmetry)
  • Can be made easier to untie by tying a slipped version instead.
• Bag knot / Miller’s knot - Nerfed constrictor knot. A middle ground between the square knot and the constrictor, as it is more secure but still possible to untie.
  • Tying method: Like a constrictor knot but instead of tucking the working end under the entire first loop, tuck it under the top half of the loop.

Secure rope to an object (hitch)

End of rope

• Overhand noose / Double overhand noose - Attach a rope to an object.
  • Topologically equivalent to a slip knot / double slip knot.
  • Anchor hitch - Serves the same purpose.
• Bowline - A fixed sized loop. Useful for attaching the rope to a hook since you can then detach the rope without untying the knot.
  • Quick tying method: Make a slip knot in the standing end (folding towards the standing end) without tightening it, then pass the working end through it. Tighten by spilling the knot; First tug on the standing end to pass the working end through, then on the loop itself. The knot should tighten in such a way as to have the working end make a U bend in the knot.
  • If your rope is too slippery/stiff for this to hold, tie a butterfly loop instead.
  • A lasso can be made using a running bowline. It’s a bowline that you tie around the standing end of the rope. (alternatively, it’s a bowline that you fed the standing end of the rope through)
  • Cowboy bowline and Eskimo bowline are almost identical knots to this one.
• Farrimond hitch - A hitch with an adjustable loop size. Can be used to tension a line after both ends have been tied off.
  • Specifically tensions the line and not the loop. Use a binding knot for the latter.
  • Taut-line hitch / Midshipman’s hitch - Serves the same purpose. It’s simpler and less bulky, but doesn’t work well in slippery rope.
    • Very similar to a jamming knot
• Rolling hitch - Attach a rope perpendicularly to another rope. Allows sliding along it when not under tension.
  • Tying method: Like a clove hitch but you do the “over” part twice.
  • Magnus hitch - Serves the same purpose.

Middle of rope

• Butterfly loop - A fixed sized loop in the middle of a rope.
  • Can be tied even with no free ends in the rope.
• Clove hitch - Secure an object to the middle of a rope.
  • Can be tied even with no free ends in the rope.
    • Tying method: Make two overhand loops, then place the first one on top of the second one (which is the reverse of how they naturally want to go). Place the whole thing on top of your object, then tighten.
  • Only good if both ends of the rope are in tension.
    • Not good for securing things to the end of a rope, nor as a binding knot, despite often being recommended for that.
• Cow hitch / lark’s head - Secure an object to the middle of a rope.
  • Can be tied even with no free ends in the rope.
    • Tying to a small closed loop (or tying a small object with a big enough handle): Make a bight, pass the bight through the loop/handle, then pass the entire bight around the loop/object. Video demonstration
      • Palomar knot is tied similarly (one extra step) and is used to secure fishing lures to fishing lines.
    • Tying to a rod with an open end: Make a bight, grab the two standing ends at a point close to the bight. Pass the part you grabbed through the bight, creating two loops. Pass the rod through the two loops.
  • Tightens more when more tension is applied to the rope, making it useful for getting a good grip on an object.
  • Prusik knot is the same knot but applied to a closed loop of rope.
  • Only good if both ends of the rope are in tension and pulled in the same direction.
• Marlinespike hitch - Temporarily attach a handle to a rope to make pulling on it easier.
  • Topologically equivalent to a slip knot
• Munter hitch - A sort of pulley knot that has built-in friction for easier control of the descent/ascent.
  • If you want a pulley without any friction just pass the rope through your carabiner (or butterfly loop).
    • For tensioning a line, pass it through twice (same way both times), with the second pass going under the first, and you get tension locking! This is equivalent to a blackwall hitch so after tensioning tie off the free end.
  • May damage or twist the rope with repeated use.

End of rope with a remote release

• Any regular hitch but slipped - Pulling on the working end will untie the hitch, and the working end can be as long as you need it to be.
• Cow hitch - Will hold while both ends of the rope are pulled on, and will untie when only one end is pulled on.
• Bellringer’s knot - Will hold while the line is in tension, and will untie the moment it stops being in tension. Dangerous as it may spontaneously untie, should never be used with human life on the line. Only use it if you have too little rope for other options.
  • Topologically equivalent to a slip knot, the only difference is the location of the load.
  • Can be made slightly more secure by passing a stopper knot instead of a bight through the loop. For rope that’s less stiff that might be the only way to tie it.

Connect two ropes together (bend)

• Sheet bend - Join any two pieces of rope. Not very good with slippery rope.
  • Topologically equivalent to a bowline where the loop has been cut.
  • Quick tying method: Make a slip knot in the first rope (folding towards the standing end) without tightening it, then pass the working end of the second rope through it. Tighten by spilling the knot; First tug on the standing end of the first rope to pass the working end of the second through, then tug on the rest of the ends. The knot should tighten in such a way as to have the working end of the second rope make a U bend in the knot.
    • ABOK incorrectly states to make sure both ends end up on the same side of the final knot or otherwise it won’t be strong. In reality it doesn’t matter.
• Fisherman’s knot - Join two identical pieces of rope. Very simple to tie, but not very good with slippery rope.
  • Double fisherman’s knot and Blood knot are similarly simple and fair better for slippery rope.
• Butterfly bend - Butterfly loop but cut. Joins two identical pieces of rope.
  • Can be tied by pretending the two ropes are one and tying a butterfly loop.
• Zeppelin bend - Joins two identical pieces of rope. The prettiest and strongest of all the options.
  • Tying method: Make a loop in each end that are of opposite chirality. Put the two loops on top of each other and treat them as one as you tie two overhand knots through them. Make sure the two loops are oriented such that one of the ends goes through from above and the other from below.

Bundle a rope (coiling)

Coiling techniques (coiling the rope)

• Over/under cable coiling - A technique for coiling a cable so that it doesn’t immediately want to uncoil.
• Butterfly coil - Coil the rope in a figure-8 pattern. For small rope you can coil it around your thumb and pinky, for larger rope around your thumb and elbow.
  • Video tutorial on how to do it for several different lengths of rope.

Tie-off methods (secure the coil into shape)

• Butterfly coil - wrap the free end(s) around the coil several times, then make a bight out of the free end(s) and shove it through one of the two holes of the figure-8 coil. Then pass the free end(s) through the bight.
  • This is best for carrying the rope by holding the working ends. Climbers leave a few meters of rope on the working ends in order to then fashion a backpack for easy carrying.
• Unnamed - Wrap the free end around the coil several times backwards (so that it also wraps around itself), then tuck the free end under the last wrap.
  • I saw this in several video tutorials but none mentioned what it’s called. It’s basically an anchor hitch / overhand knot.
  • Pulling on the other end will slowly dispense parts of the rope, so that it can be used without untying the coil.

Put a stopper at the end of a rope (to prevent a knot from untying itself)

• Overhand knot - Simplest knot ever. Not a very big stopper, though. Hard to untie.
• Slip knot - A slipped variation of the overhand knot. Both bigger and better, as it’s easy to untie.
• Ashley’s stopper knot - One of the best stopper knots. Simple, but kind of difficult to learn.
  • Tying method: Tie a noose (slip knot, folding towards the standing end). Dress the noose such that the working end comes out to the side of the knot (changing the loop side can help). Then, tuck the working end into the loop from the side that has less rope as part of the noose knot (this completes the trifoil). Tighten by first tugging on the standing end to shrink the noose, then on the working end. If it is correctly tied then from the perspective of the standing end you should see a trifoil. If it’s incorrectly tied you still get a stopper knot but one that’s not as effective.

Add weight to the end of a rope (for throwing it)

• Monkey’s fist - Can be made purely out of rope, or tied around a rock for even more weight. Time consuming to make, but not that complicated.
  • A monkey’s fist can be tied on its own piece of rope and then tied to the end of your main rope as needed.

Compound knots

• Trucker’s hitch - A tightening hitch that gives you a 2:1 mechanical advantage while doing so (theoretically at least, rope friction losses apply).
  • There are many variations. The one from this video is a combination of a slip knot (middle of line loop), a blackwall hitch (autolocking mechanism), and a half hitch (to secure it).
• “Overlapping locking hitch” - A way to tie two objects together so that they both don’t separate apart (due to the knot being very tight) and don’t slide apart (due to the knot being wrapped around many times).
  • The last wrap he makes around the knot itself is called a “frapping turn”, and you can make multiple of those turns.
• Square lashing - Join two poles together at a 90 degree angle. Can be used to build various wooden structures.
  • You can use constrictor hitches instead of clove hitches for more permanent installations.
  • This is one of numerous lashings that exist! You might be better served by a diagonal lashing, tripod lashing, etc.

Fundamental base knots

• Overhand knot
• Double overhand knot
• Slip knot
• Double slip knot
• Figure eight
• Cow hitch / Square knot
• Clove hitch / Granny knot
• Sheet bend (spilled slip knot)
• Blackwall hitch