The English Diamond Knot

A Useful Ornament

Identification of the English Diamond Knot

I learned to tie the English Diamond Knot from J. M. Drew’s description and illustrations in Lester Griswold’s Handicraft, 8th edition, 1940, p. 401. It makes an attractive terminal knot for a lanyard, pull-tab for a zipper, or tag on a suitcase.

Other Names for the English Diamond Knot

Ashley gives five names for the knot: The Sailors Knife Lanyard Knot, Marlingspike Lanyard Knot, Single-Strand Diamond Knot, Two-Strand Diamond Knot, and Bosun's Whistle Knot. A web search using Google shows several entries under each of these names, many of them repetitive, and most of them citing Ashley’s knot #787. Another name, which has become current, is Friendship Knot, but it is also used for another knot. Several websites comment that the English Diamond Knot is identical with the Chinese Button Knot.

It is interesting that although (according to Cyrus Day) Ashley met Drew in 1929, he did not use the name "English Diamond Knot," which Drew used, and he does not mention Drew's discussion of the knot. This is apparently another instance in which Ashley overlooked a knot publication.

I suggest that a possible alternative name would be “Carrick Lanyard Knot,” which is at once more specific and is not likely to be confused with the names of other knots that have the words English or Diamond in them. Additionally, the name refers to both the base knot and the most common use. But this knot is blessed with a plethora of names already, no doubt enough to satisfy anyone.

How to Tie the English Diamond Knot

As shown by Drew, to tie the English Diamond Knot, begin with a Double Carrick Bend (Ashley #1439) then weave the two tails over and under and poke them up through the opening in the center. Each tail goes over one segment, under two, then up in the center. Arrange the segments and pull it snug.

Clifford Ashley’s illustration (#787) is accompanied by sixteen lines (something over 150 words) of directions for tying it in hand. His rigmarole is a bit difficult to follow. I find it much easier to begin with a Double Carrick Bend, then pass the tails over and up through the middle, as Drew shows it. Some might find it easier to tie this knot by a method based on Ashley’s. In any case, you begin with a Double Carrick Bend.

The English Diamond Knot as a Bend

Although the English Diamond Knot is well-suited to be a lanyard knot, it also makes a very secure, stable, and strong bend for tying two ropes together, which of course was the original purpose of its base knot, the Double Carrick Bend. The basket-weave structure makes it secure and stable, while the gentle first curve in the stem makes it strong.

One of the most common forms of rope nowadays is the vile yellow and black stuff that ski areas use to mark closed trails. It is a hollow weave rope made of a slippery plastic material. It is so stiff and so slippery that few knots will hold it, but the English Diamond Knot will.

References

Ashley, Clifford W. The Ashley Book of Knots. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1944, page 141 #787.

Bigon, Mario, and Guido Regazzoni. The Morrow Guide to Knots. Translated from the Italian by Maria Piotrowska. New York: Quill, 1982. American edition edited by Kennie Lyman. Originally published in Italian in Italy in 1981 by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore under the title Guia ai Nodi. This guide shows the “Two-Strand Diamond Knot” and tells how to tie it.

Drew, J. M., 1942: “Rope–Cordage” in Griswold, 389–391. Drew names the knot and shows how to tie it.

Griswold, Lester. Handicraft: Simplified Procedure and Projects. Eighth Edition. 1942 (First published 1931). The tenth edition of Griswold’s book has nothing on knots.

Leeming, Joseph. Fun With String. Illustrated by Charles E. Pont. “an unabridged and unaltered republication of the work originally published in 1940 by J. B. Lippincott Company.” New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1974. Leeming does not show Ashley’s (#787), but another knot with the same name.

http://korpegard.se/knot/?knot=21&hideComments=&showInt=. Two notes on this website comment that this knot is the same as a Chinese button knot. Another note comments that upon completion of Woodbadge Part 2, a Scout leader is awarded the Gilwell beads, with this knot. I cannot vouch for these identifications.

A search on the web by Google turns up five results for the entry “English Diamond Knot," several for "Friendship Knot," and eight for “Sailors’ Knife Lanyard Knot,” but I have found few useful sites.

Selecting a Strong Hitch for Spectra/Dyneema Rope

The Problem

A knotting correspondent and acquaintance of mine has inquired about a suitable knot for attaching a rope to a ring or a shackle. This means that the rope is to be attached to a bearing surface with a small diameter. He described it as “a problem of termination of a braided rope made of Spectra/Dyneema” which cannot be spliced.

He wants to find “knots that may reduce the breaking strength less the most” because using a hard-laid hi tech rope such is this is worthwhile only if you can attach the rope to something without loosing the extra strength bought with the high tech fiber. He notes further that “the rope is very hard laid and so does not snug down easily.”

He comments that “a loop knot or a noose would do,” and suggests an angling knot such as a Palomar Knot.

Dyneema and Spectra

According to Wikipedia, “Dyneema® is a registered trademark of Royal DSM NV (The Netherlands)” and “Spectra is the brand name of the chemically identical product developed independently by Allied Signal (now Honeywell) in the USA. Though the production details will undoubtedly be different, the result is comparable to Dyneema.” Wikipedia also notes that “Dyneema will creep, meaning it will deform when placed under any stress.”

In this paper, I will refer to both Dyneema and Spectra as Spectra.

The Challenge of this Problem

What we are looking for is a suitable knot to attach a rope to a ring or a shackle. The is hard-laid and does not snug easily and it cannot be spliced. And we want to find a secure and stable knot that will not compromise the strength of the rope. This problem is no doubt faced by many as climbers, rescue persons, and boat riggers, where special conditions create a demand for high performance knots.

Part of the problem of Dyneema is that like all high tech ropes, it does not easily tolerate severe curves. Knotting reduces its strength more than other types of rope.

If the knot is to be attached to a carabiner or a shackle, it can be cast, that is, tied on the bight. If it is to be attached to a ring, it must be built, that is, tied with the end of the rope.

Allaboutknots.com has not investigated the problems of tying hitches to attach a rope to a ring, nor to using a high-performance artificial fiber such as Spectra. But finding a knot to fill these specifications presents the kind of challenge that structural analysis was designed to study and help solve. This question provides an opportunity to apply concepts of knot performance to a real-life knotting problem.

The Three Performance Characteristics Required in the Knot

To meet the challenge of these specifications, we need a knot that combines three performance qualities: a high level of security, stability, and strength.

• Security: A secure knot can be arranged and tightened so that it will not slip apart and fail under a normal load. A secure knot provides enough friction to keep it from slipping apart.

• Stability: A stable knot will keep its shape under an excessive or abnormal load; it will not deform into a less secure form.

• Strength: Under a heavy load, a strong knot can hold up without breaking.

In addition, we need to consider the factors that determine the breaking point of a knot.

We need to find a knot that will match the requirements in this special rope used in demanding applications and perhaps under adverse conditions. We will be looking for a suitable hitch, fixed loop, or adjustable loop that is to be used in a fixed installation such as some parts a ship’s rigging but also a knot that can be quickly and easily tied and untied several times during a climb or rescue operation.

All of the terms and concepts used here, such as wrap and first curve, are explained in full in the various papers in allaboutknots.com. References to discussions of various knots in The Ashley Book of Knots are given by page number and the knot number in parentheses, such as such the modified Clove Hitch, 293 (#1693).

How to Increase a Knot’s Security

A knot can be made more secure by several structural devices: 1) turns around the ring; 2) a tuck-under-turn device; 3) a core-and-wrap construction.

1) Make Several Turns Around the Ring or Shackle

To increase the security of the knot, double or triple the turns (wraps) of the hitch around the ring. As Ashley commented more than once, “There is unsuspected virtue in a few turns of line” (77).

It is often easy to pass the rope two or three times through a carabiner, a shackle, or a large ring, but the eyes of blocks and sails are often large enough for only a single pass of the rope.

2) Increase Knot Security with a Tuck-Under-Turn

In an Anchor Bend, for example, the end is wrapped twice around a shackle, then tucked between the wraps and the shackle. This is what I call a “tuck-under-turn.” The end can then be further secured by a couple of half hitches. The problem here, again, is the small aperture in blocks and sails.

3) Increase Knot Security with a Suitable Hitch

Some variety of two half hitches immediately suggest themselves. Also a fixed loop with a core-and-wrap structure. Secure the nub to the standing part with a Grapevine or half of a Double Fisherman's Knot.

How to Increase a Knot’s Stability

Knot stability can be increased by using the devices mentioned for knot security: several turns around the ring, the tuck-under-turn, or core-and-wrap.

How to Increase the Strength of a Knot

The factors that affect knot security and stability are fairly straightforward, but those that affect knot strength are more complex. To begin with, you need to recognize that knots usually break because an excessive load falls on the first curve; the severity of other curves in a knot do not affect its strength. You can increase the strength of a knot in two ways: 1) reduce the load on the first curve; 2) reduce the severity of the first curve. Either of these ways reduces the stress on the first curve. Increasing the number of round turns made through the ring or shackle does not increase the knot’s strength unless it also makes the first curve more gentle.

How to Reduce the Load on the First Curve

It is possible to reduce the load on the first curve only if the stem curves for the first time inside the nub of the knot, such as in a Double Fisherman's Knot.

A similar core-and-wrap structure can be used to create a hitch, but the core-and-wrap structure will be less effective in reducing the load because no great load falls on the wraps to draw them tight around the core.

How to Reduce the Severity of the First Curve

The second way to reduce the stress on the first curve is to make the first curve gentle. A knot that creates only a gentle curve at the point the stem first begins to curve will be strong. It is particularly important that the hitch does not make a severe curve as it enters the nub.

The obvious way to reduce the severity of the first curve is to use a knot in which the first curve occurs as the rope passes through its mooring, then to increase the diameter of the ring or shackle. This would reduce stress on the rope and thus increase its strength. You could do this by inserting a thimble in the ring or by increasing the diameter of the sheave in a block. Neither of these solutions may not be practical in the application specified here. In these tight situations, probably the best thing to do is to choose a knot in which the first curve is located at some point other than the place the rope passes around the ring.

To increase the breaking strength of a knot, the most effective procedure is to use a hitch that creates only a gentle first curve, whether that curve is at the entry point or further inside the nub.

Candidates Described in Standard Knotting Books

A survey of standard climbing, rescue, and sea-going knots in several books yields these candidates for this task:

Ashley
Ashley, Clifford W. The Ashley Book of Knots. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1944. Many later re-printings.

Ashley’s Chapter 21: Hitches to Spar and Rail (Right-Angle Pull) illustrates and describes several varieties of hitches.

In (#1693), Ashley shows a Clove Hitch modified with an additional wrap, turn, and tuck. His instructions tell how to create a collar that wraps around the standing part in an arc of 180°. “The result is a hitch,” he comments, “that is firm, strong, secure and easily untied once the load has been removed” (293). A whale symbol indicates that this knot is “probably original” with Ashley.

Inspection shows that the turns are held in place by the diagonal that crosses over them.

Security. This knot appears to be at least as secure as a Clove Hitch, and the additional twist probably adds more security.

Stability. I surmise that Ashley uses firm here to mean what I call stable. Even when the standing part is pulled back and forth in a plane perpendicular to the spar, the collar appears to stay in place and the knot remains quite snug and stable. But it is hard to say whether this knot tied in a small ring would be able to retain its form, particularly if the load was unsteady or intermittent.

As is the case with many knots, both its security and its stability could be increased by attaching the tail to the standing part with a backup knot such as two half hitches or half a grapevine.

Strength. The addition of the new twist to the Clove Hitch changes the location of the first curve and apparently increases the strength of the knot. In the usual Clove Hitch, the stem makes a severe first curve as it passes through the ring, but the addition of this new twist appears to reduce the severity of the first curve. With this modification, the stem in this cousin of the Clove Hitch curves more gently as it passes over the collar.

(#1720) Round Turn and Two Half Hitches. Ashley suggests that the round turn makes this knot preferable to the simpler Two Half Hitches (#1710) because it is stronger. He comments that “If a spar is small a round turn is preferable to a single turn. It makes a stronger knot and dissipates the wear.” Unfortunately, Ashley does not explain why the knot would be stronger or why it would dissipate the wear.

Assuming that the strength of a knot depends on the severity of the first curve (as argued in the paper on strength in allaboutknots.com), then this is a very strong knot because the first curve is quite gentle. It seems questionable, however, whether the first curve is gentler in the Round Turn and Two Half Hitches than in simpler Two Half Hitches

A correspondent has noted that Marlow Ropes resurrected the Buntline hitch, which is a variety of Two Half Hitches in which the nub is in the form of a Clove Hitch. They rate the Buntline Hitch at 53%.

(#1721) Two Round Turns and Two Half Hitches is “a strong, old-fashioned knot.”

Security. My analysis indicates that the addition of another round turn increases the security of this knot. Ashley says that the addition of a Round Turn in #1721 “dissipates the wear.” I suggest that this round turn distributes the load, which makes the knot more secure. As Ashley commented (p. 77), “There’s unsuspected virtue in a round turn.” `

Stability. Adding another half hitch may be an example of what Ashley calls redundancy, but it would also increase the knot’s stability.

Strength. As with the modified Clove Hitch (#1693), the first curve is very gentle.

My analysis shows that this knot, however old fashioned it may be (or whatever that term may have meant to Ashley), this hitch is secure, stable, and strong. In addition, it is easy to tie and easy to untie. And it is hard to get it wrong or to forget how to tie it.

(#1722 - #1724) Ashley shows several varieties of the Anchor Bend and marks some of them with an anchor to indicate that it is reliable.

(#1727) Ashley comments that the Jam Hitch “closes easily but does not tend to open.”

Other possible knots found in Ashley are various hitches (#1725 – #1726), 50 (#219), knots combined with a Grapevine (Half of Ashley’s #294), a variety of Becket Hitch or Sheet Bend (#297 – 301), Constrictor Knot (#1249), Ring Hitch 68 (#1859), Bale Sling Hitch (#1750), and Diamond Knot (#693).

Warner
Warner, Charles. A Fresh Approach to Knotting and Ropework: Knots Arranged According to their Structure. Picton, New South Wales 2571, Australia: Privately printed, 1992, 1993, 1995. ISBN 0 9592036 3 X.

Warner lists many of the same hitches, pages 244–245.

Biddlecombe
Biddlecombe, George. The Art of Rigging. Originally published by the Marine Research Society, Salem, Massachusetts, 1925. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1990.

In Plate VI, opposite page 49, Biddlecombe illustrates in Figure 7 an Anchor Shackle, but with no line attached, and in Figure 8 a hawser attached with a Fisherman’s Bend to a ring.

Budworth
Budworth, Geoffrey. The Complete Book of Sailing Knots. London: Hamlyn, an imprint of Octopus Publishing Group Limited, and New York: The Lyons Press, 2000.

In this book, Budworth shows a Camel Hitch (109), Round Turn and Two Half Hitches (111), and the Fisherman’s Bend (Anchor Bend).

Gerber
Gerber, Ham. Making Discoveries in Knots. Portland, Oregon: Binford & Mort Publishing, 1990.

Although Gerber makes numerous suggestions for ways to invent useful knots, he does not show a hitch that meets the present need.

Pawson
Pawson, Des. The Handbook of Knots. First American Edition. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 1998.

Pawson shows a Round Turn and Two Half Hitches (132), a Fisherman’s or Anchor Bend (134), a Palomar Knot (154), and a knot for snelling a hook (156). The last two, although no doubt secure, stable, and strong, entail tying with a pullover maneuver, which would not be feasible for the present task.

Rosenow
Rosenow, Frank. Seagoing Knots. New York: W. W. Norton & company, Inc., 1990.

Rosenow shows a Clove Hitch secured by Two Half Hitches (38) and a Backhanded Hitch with Two Half Hitches (40).

Severn
Severn, Bill. The Book of Rope and Knots. New York: David McKay Company, Inc., 1960.

In this book, I do not find anything useful for the present purpose.

Smith
Smith, Hervey Garrett. The Arts of the Sailor: Knotting, Splicing and Ropework. First published by D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1953. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1990.
Smith shows nothing of interest.

Vines and Hudson
Vines, Tom, and Steve Hudson. High Angle Rescue Techniques. First Edition. A Publication of the National Association for Search and Rescue. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1989. Revised Edition, 1992. Second Edition. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, Inc., 1999.

Vines and Hudson (1999, 34 and 60) describe and illustrate clearly the effect of a severe curve, which they call a “sharp bend.” They note that “Strength loss in rope does not become significant until the rope has a bend less than four times the diameter of the rope. The 4:1 rule applies more to natural fiber and to a few synthetics than it does to nylon rope, where loss may not be significant until it gets below a 2:1 ratio.” (35). I have not found a comment that suggests the ratio appropriate for Spectra.

Luebben
Luebben, Craig., Knots for Climbers. How to Rock Climb Series. Evergreen, Colorado: Chockstone Press, 1995. Second Edition. Guilford, CT: Falcon: an Imprint of The Globe Pequot Press., 2002.

Luebben (page 20) describes and illustrates an “Equalizing Figure-8,” which is a Figure Eight Loop with the loop tied long so that it may be drawn back through the upper hitches of the 8 and form three points of attachment.

My Suggestions

Rejected Custom-Designed Knots

My attempts at custom-designed knots to meet the specifications have been less than successful. Interesting and informative, perhaps, but not successful. One of them, which I won’t show, probably meets the performance criteria, but it is bulky, awkward looking, hard to tie, and hard to make snug. In addition, it probably is not stable. My experiments lead me to conclude that it is better to select an off-the-shelf knot.

Standard Knots Described by Ashley

Ashley lists several standard knots that may fill the bill.

(#1720) Round Turn and Two Half Hitches. Ashley comments that “If a spar is small a round turn is preferable to a single turn. It makes a stronger knot and dissipates the wear. Unfortunately, Ashley does not explain why the knot would be stronger.

He suggests that the round turn makes this knot preferable to the simpler Two Half Hitches (#1710) because it is stronger. Assuming that the strength of a knot depends on the severity of the first curve, then this is a very strong knot because the first curve is quite gentle. It seems questionable, however, whether the first curve is gentler in the Round Turn and Two Half Hitches than in simpler Two Half Hitches

(#1721) Two Round Turns and Two Half Hitches is “a strong, old-fashioned knot.”

Security. My analysis indicates that the addition of another round turn increases the security of this knot. Ashley says that the addition of a Round Turn in #1720 “dissipates the wear.” I suggest that it distributes the load, which makes the knot more secure. As Ashley commented (p. 77), “There’s unsuspected virtue in a round turn.” `

Stability. Adding another half hitch may be an example of what Ashley calls redundancy, but it would also increase the knot’s stability.

Strength. As with the modified clove Hitch (#1693), the first curve is very gentle.

My analysis shows that this knot, however old fashioned it may be (or whatever that term may have meant to Ashley), this is a secure, stable, and strong hitch. In addition, it is easy to tie and easy to untie.

(#1722 - #1724) A variety of the Anchor Bend would be useful if the eye of the ring or sail is large enough to admit two passes of the rope.

Another standard knot is “Bunny Ears,” which Ashley calls a Double Figure Eight Loop (#1085). It is used for installing fixed ropes in indoor climbing walls, the practice areas used by rock climbers. The advantage of this knot over the Figure Eight Loop in fixed-rope applications is that the load is distributed between the two loops, reducing amount of wear on each loop at the point where it contacts the shackle or link. This is an important consideration in fixed tackle, where the same surface may bear a shifting load for a long time.

Luebben’s “Equalizing Figure-8”

A promising candidate is Luebben’s “Equalizing Figure-8” (page 18), a climber’s knot that appears to meet all of the criteria for performance and ease of use.

Luebben describes and illustrates an “Equalizing Figure-8,” which is a Figure Eight Loop with the loop tied long so that it may be drawn back through the upper hitches of the 8 and form three points of attachment.

This may be the best solution to the problem. The figure-eight form of the nub provides sufficient security and stability, while the three attachment loops provide, I would judge, something approaching three times the strength of a single loop. As Luebben says, this knot “spreads the load evenly” over the three loops. Apparently, the “Bunny Ears” does the same thing, but with just one loop. A possible disadvantage is that the knot uses a lot of line. But it is easy to tie and untie.

The problem with most of these knots is that they cannot be tied with the end of the rope, so cannot be used on a closed ring or the eye of a sail.

Two Half Hitches and a Grapevine

If the knot is to be attached to an eye with a small opening, such as a sail, block, or ring, the best thing I come up with is Two Half Hitches backed up with a Grapevine. And even for a knot to attach Spectra to a shackle or carabiner, those would probably be a good choice. Another choice would be the Figure Eight Loop, tied either in a bend or by the follow-through method. This is a standard loop used by climbers, and it is secure, stable, and strong. But it’s a tricky knot to learn to tie correctly, and it may be hard to tie under adverse conditions. So I’d go with the backed-up Two Half Hitches.


This may seem like a pretty lame conclusion after such a lengthy analysis. After all, I’ve settled for one of the simplest knots of all times, with a standard backup, but I am struck by two facts. First, none of the sources I have consulted specifically states the problem we’ve studied, and I have never found an inventory of knots suitable for meeting this challenge. Second, it seems to be the case that only sailors need to attach high-performance rope to a small-diameter eye. I surmise that sailors developed their kit of knots long ages ago and that for them there is very little, if anything, new under the sun. During the last century, I would guess that most of the innovative knot work has come from climbers, cavers, and rescue personnel.

END

The Curious Case of the Constrictor Knot

Key words: Constrictor Knot, knots, knot history, knot tying, knot invention, Cinch Knot, Clifford Ashley, Cyrus Day, knot study, binding knots, utility knots, useful knots

The History of the Constrictor Knot

The Constrictor Knot, little known until recently, has a curious history, which illustrate several aspects of knots and knot lore.

I had always wanted to find a knot that would securely bind up a hank of rope or twine. I had tried a Clove Hitch and various combinations of Half Hitches but found that they always worked loose. Then, several years ago, I ran across the knot that Clifford Ashley named the a Constrictor Knot, (Ashley #1188, #1249, #1251) and have found that it holds well. To test its holding power, I made a small hank of nylon cord, secured it with a Constrictor Knot, and carried it in my pocket for several days. I can report that it has remained tightly tied. No other knot I know works as well for this purpose.

The strands of the history of the Constrictor Knot overlap even more curiously than the segments of the knot itself. As Cyrus Lawrence Day points out, Clifford Ashley named the Constrictor Knot and made it known in the United States in his encyclopedic 1944 book, The Ashley Book of Knots. Both Ashley and Day showed considerable interest in it. Ashley mentioned it twenty times in his book (probably a record number), Day discusses its history at length, and Ashley and Day each show methods of tying it. Stuart E. Grainger, in Creative Ropecraft (1975), describes it in detail, compares it with a strangle knot, and suggests several ways to vary its structure (29–30). Geoffrey Budworth, in The Complete Book of Knots (1997) devotes four pages to the knot, including several notes on its lore and history. Google lists over a thousand returns for “constrictor knot.”

Having tied it as early as about 1919, Ashley apparently thought it was original with him. (Both his comments on the knot and the whale symbol he uses to designate an original knot are open to more than one interpretation on this point.) As Budworth points out, this may be one of the knots used by the Greek physician Heraklas in the first century A.D., and it may also be the gunner’s knot described in Tom Bowling’s The Book of Knots of 1890. Hjalmar Öhrvall described the knot in 1916 in Om Knutar, but failed to illustrate it. It was apparently first illustrated by a Finnish writer, Martta Ropponen-Homi in 1931. She had learned it, curiously enough, through correspondence from a Spaniard, Raphael Gaston, of Saragossa (Budworth 139).
James L. Drew, who wrote the chapter on knots in Lester Griswold’s Handicraft, was apparently the first person to describe the Constrictor Knot in English. As Day comments, “Drew probably learned it from Ashley, whom he met in 1926” (116). In the 8th edition of Handicraft (1942), which is the edition I consulted, Drew does not mention Ashley, nor does he use the name Constrictor Knot, but illustrates the knot and labels it “The Strangle Knot.” He depicts and describes three methods of tying it, but the small illustrations are so poorly reproduced that they are hard to decipher. The first and second knots appear to be the same as Ashley’s, and the third is the same except that the tail is slipped for easy release. He comments that it is “a very effective tie for a duffel bag or a sack of grain” (389–391).

During February of 2004, a ski patroller at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire illustrated this knot in a booklet prepared for the patrol. He pointed out to other patrollers that the knot’s tight grip makes it particularly effective for securing slippery hollow braid polypropylene rope to a bamboo fence pole. He had learned it from another patroller at Wildcat Mountain in the Mount Washington valley, who called it a “Cinch Knot” and thought it was an original discovery.

So here we have a probable case of multiple invention in Sweden, Spain, and the United States, a written description that was apparently overlooked by Ashley, a possible unacknowledged source, multiple treatment in Ashley’s encyclopedic work, including twenty uses and several methods of tying it, and, in Day’s book, new ways to tie the knot and names in both Swedish and Finish. Yet none of these standard works describes or illustrates the two methods of tying the Constrictor Knot that I first learned.

My guess is that this knot is very old, but it was never fully recorded until the twentieth century. It seems most likely that Ashley created the knot on his own, not knowing that it had already been discovered. Or possibly he learned it (or even just saw it), then, having forgotten his prior experience, re-invented it. Yet even after its great value was recognized, the knot never became popular, despite its numerous applications in both practical and symbolic uses.

Uses of the Constrictor Knot

The Constrictor Knot has numerous applications. As mentioned, Ashley lists no fewer than twenty uses for it. Most of these are for the plain Constrictor Knot, but he also shows uses for three variants. Uses that he numbers 10 and 11 are loops, numbers 8 and 16 are for modifications called Transom Knots used for joining two crossed pieces, and number 14 is a slipped Constrictor Knot used as a Miller’s Knot. Uses number 2–9 below are listed in Ashley’s “Occupational Knots.” The numbering in this list is mine.

Several of the uses that Ashley suggests are merely slight variations of others, as in 5 and 15, which are for bagging grapes or bagging grain, and 12 and 13, which are tied either around a short post or a tall post. But each is different from the others in one way or another, and it is remarkable that he mentions so many uses.

1. Stopping and whipping (25 #121). Used for a temporary stop strands when tying multi-strand knots.

2. Holding a fuse (34 #176). “Used by ‘The Blaster’ to hold a fuse in a dynamite cartridge.”

3. Attaching ganging (57 #355). For attaching double gangings (hooks) to a trawl line.

4. Bagging grapes (58 #363).

5. Mending a garden hose (59 #364).

6. Attaching a lanyard (60 #372 ). To attach a lanyard to the handle of a broom or mop.

7. Tying a kite (62 #385). For tying together the crossing ribs of a kite, the Transom Knot is a modification of a Crossing Knot. See number 16, below.

8. Model seizing (70 #430). For seizing and whippings in a ship model.

9. An end loop (189 #1045). A knot built from a Constrictor Knot; Ashley refers to it in #1059.

10. Single loop in a bight (192 #1059). A loop in a bight, also built from a Constrictor Knot.

11. A crossing knot (216 #1188) q.v. “The Constrictor Knot is the firmest of the Crossing Knots.” It is tied here as a pullover knot, that is, it is created by pulling one part over another.

12. A crossing knot (216 #1189) q.v. The Constrictor Knot here is “tied around a stanchion or a tall pole, where there is no access to the top.” It is built, while #1188 is cast.

13. Seizing for sinnets (224 #1249) q.v. (This entry suggests that Ashley believed this knot to be original with him.)

14. A slipped Miller’s Knot (225 #1250). Used to close a bag of grain; it can be released instantly.

15. A Miller’s Knot (225 #1251). The standard Constructor Knot, but tied in the bight as a pullover knot.

16. A Transom Knot (225 #1255). “The Transom Knot was originally made to hold together the two cross sticks of my daughter’s kite.” See number 8, above.

17. A decorative knot (400 #2489). Used in Square Knotting as a firm knot.

18. A variant trick knot, with a whale image. (411 #2560). “To tie up a ‘Houdini’.”

19. A firm stopping (546 #3441). The firmest stopping for practical marlinspike seamanship. (A stopping is a simple “temporary seizing or whipping.”)

20. Rope and wood ladder (592 #3853). For making a rope ladder with wooden rungs.

Day’s Figure 142C also shows a variant called the Transom Knot (#385 and #1255), which is used to join two crossed spars. His Figures 142F and 142G depict a double Constrictor Knot, a variant that Ashley does not show, in which the exterior diagonal turn or wrap is doubled for extra strength. Figure 142H shows the knot slipped like Ashley’s #1250. Budworth also shows a variant form.

Methods of Tying a Constrictor Knot

Just as the uses of a Constrictor Knot are legion, so are methods for tying it. The first three methods are detailed in Ashley, Day, and Budworth.

Method 1. A round turn and a pullover, as shown in #1188 and #1251. This is a way of casting the knot. Take a full turn around a post, pull out a bight and pull it over the top of the post. Day does not show this method.

Method 2. Round turn with the end rove through. (Ashley 216 #1189). Make a round turn and reeve the end through. This method is useful when the knot is “tied around a stanchion or a tall pole, where there is no access to the top.” In this method, the knot is built by reeving the end, as shown in #1189; this method contrasts with #1188 and #1251, which are cast. Day’s Figure 142A shows how to tie the knot the same way.

Method 3. A loop and twisted wings. To tie a Constrictor Knot in the bight, make a loop, twist it a quarter turn, fold it down over the crossing, and bring the wings together under the standing part. Slip the knot over the post or bag. This is Day’s second method for tying the Constrictor Knot, shown in Fig. 142D and 142E. It is also shown by Drew in Griswold’s Handicraft (390), but it is not shown in Ashley.
In addition to these methods, I have tied the Constrictor Knot by two other methods, neither of which is mentioned by Ashley or Day. Both of these last two methods produce the standard Constrictor Knot.

Method 4. Pullover method in hand. In this method, you tie the Constrictor Knot in hand. The method is basically similar to the pullover method listed as Method 1 above, but it is tied in hand.

Method 5. Clove Hitch and a tuck. I learned this method at the 1998 International Snow Science Workshop at Sunriver, Oregon. It is also shown in some recent books on knot tying. Tie a Clove Hitch, then tuck the end again from outside to inside. This is similar to Day Fig 142A, but in Day’s method the tuck is done in one direction and in one motion under two strands at the same time. In his instructions, Day does not mention a Clove Hitch but says instead, “Begin as if you were tying a three-lead Turk’s Head” (116). In this method, the knot is constructed either by building or by a combination of casting and building., so it can be used for tying the knot to either a short or long post.


The variety of uses and of methods for tying this knot are remarkable, especially for a knot that was generally unknown before the 20th century and which has gained little popularity. It is good to see that recent books have illustrated and described this interesting and useful knot and have showed several ways to tie it and use it. While the Constrictor Hitch itself holds fast, its history indicates that knot lore is indeed a slippery hitch.

References

Ashley, Clifford W. The Ashley Book of Knots. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1944. Many later re-printings, with some additions.

Budworth, Geoffrey. The Complete Book of Knots. London: Reed International Books Ltd, 1997.

Day, Cyrus Lawrence. The Art of Knotting and Splicing. Third Edition. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1947, 1955, 1970.

Drew, J. M., 1942: “Rope–Cordage” in Griswold, 389–391.

Dyer, Kate Knotting Booklet, 2004.

Grainger, Stuart E. Creative Ropecraft. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1975.

Griswold, Lester. Handicraft: Simplified Procedure and Projects. Eighth Edition. 1942 (First published 1931).

Sublime and Beautiful Knots

In Paris to the Moon, Adam Gopnik tells about his experience introducing his young son to the concept of the sublime and the beautiful:

I tried teaching sublime and beautiful as categories to Luke the other day He brooded. “Daddy,” he said at last, “an example of the sublime: dinosaur bones. An example of the beautiful: Cressida Taylor.” Cressida Taylor, I have since learned, is a four-year-old girls with a long blond braid in his class at school with whom he is, understandably, in love, and who is in fact perfectly beautiful (177)

I have brooded, as well. An example of the beautiful: a piece of the fancy knot work that appears in Knotting Matters, the quarterly publication of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. Examples of the sublime: the Bowline, the Overhand Bend, the Double Fisherman's Knot. Perhaps an example of the horrible sublime is the Hangman’s Noose. The Theodore Knot is an example of the positive sublime, the elevated sublime.

What I find sublime about these knots is the way they look as well as the way they work.

What does sublime mean? Does the element of mystery in a knot contribute to its sublimity? Is the sublimity of a knot a part of the natural sublime, the psychological sublime, the theological sublime? A scholar once noted that the most sublime passage in literature is the Latin phrase Fiat lux, et lux erat, Let there be light, and there was light. Did the creator ever say Fiat nodus? How is the sublime related to the magical?

In some periods, vast and grand things, and objects of great extent or scale have been considered sublime. Can a thing as small as a knot be sublime? Perhaps a clue is to be found in a later passage by Adam Gopnik:

Every epoch has an art form into which all the energies and faiths and beliefs and creative unselfconsciousness flows. What makes them matter is their ability not to be big but to be small meaningfully, to be little largely, to be grandly, or intensely, diminutive (195).

And what does beautiful mean? I have always found something beautiful in the simplicity of a Square Knot, especially the ones embroidered in silk that signify various ranks in Scouting. And the little Overhand Knot tied in doubled wires that dangles from the bottom of the badge of a Second Class Scout. But as I tried to express in my paper “Plato and the Square Knot,” there is also an element of the sublime in the simplest knots.

As Marjorie Nicolson has noted in Mountain Gloom and Mountain Glory, people used to consider mountains to be warts, blemishes, and unsightly excrescences. In some periods of history, certain religious apologists had to explain them away as the detritus left from the great Biblical flood. We don’t think of knots in these ways. We usually just ignore them.

What part do elegance, symmetry, asymmetry, simplicity, complexity, and repetition take in our response to knots? What of simple delight, interest, fascination, enjoyment? Something in the structure of knots, the way they work, the way they look, and the way we use them—to me there is something at least fascinating in those things, which verges on the sublime.

What of terror and horror? Toni Kurz must have been terrified as he froze to death on the north face of the Eiger. And the people on the Kleine Scheidegg who watched him dangling helplessly at the end of a knotted rope must have been horrified. But did the horror focus on the knot that prevented his rope from passing through the karabiner? Heinrich Harrer tells the story graphically in The White Spider.

And what of Joe Simpson, who was finally able to tie a knot around a pin, a knot that kept him from sliding off the surface and being lost in a crevasse. He tells about this in Touching the Void. Exhilaration and exaltation despite exhaustion and terror. But the knot itself didn’t feature much in his story. He didn’t say what kind of knot it was that his frigid hands were able to tie in the starlight.

Many of these experiences seem to me to be in the same category as dinosaur bones.