OCCUPATIONAL KNOTS

By
Clifford W. Ashley

Excerpted from the “The Book of Knots” by Clifford W. Ashley

To a cobbler’s aid, or Butcher’s Knife,

Although the sailor may be responsible for nine tenths of all recorded knots,
he can hardly claim to be the originator of the first knot, for primitive man learned
to hunt and fish before he ever took to water, and when he began to hunt and fish
he required knots for his bows and traps, his nets and fishline.
Even after boats had been launched it was a long while before sails were
thought of; and the small craft that were first evolved were hauled ashore when
not in use. Centuries must have passed before boats became so big that it was
simpler to tie them up and leave them afloat. Not until then did the sailor feel the
need of knots. So it seems fitting to consider the knots of other vocations and
avocations before discussing sailor knots.
In the rest of this book scrupulous care is taken to sort out, and keep together
in separate chapters, knots that serve like purposes. But in this chapter trades and
sports have been arranged alphabetically, and often a dozen different types of knot
are to be found under a single heading.
Additional occupational knots are given here and there throughout the book,
for almost every practical knot belongs to some vocation. It is proposed to show
here the characteristic or peculiar knots for each trade. There are certain
elementary ones, such as the Reef Knot and the Clove Hitch, which are so
generally used that it seems unnecessary to mention them each time they are
indicated.
Many tradesmen’s knots were borrowed from the sailor, and frequently these
were modified to fit changed conditions. But whenever any trade required
something entirely different, the result shows that the sailor had no monopoly in
the ability to originate and apply new knots.
 The Archer
1. A bowstring is secured to the lower end of a bow in a number of ways. A
Clove Hitch with the end finished off with Two Half Hitches is both common and
practical.
2. The grip of a bow is sometimes of cord or yarn, tightly served, with the end
buried under the turns. More often it is of woven material with a piled texture,
such as velvet or plush. Occasionally the grip consists of a Wide Turk’s-Head
Knot (Chapter 17).
3. The Bowstring Knot is a Loop Knot that has been known and used for ages
by the aborigines of at least three continents. It is one of the oldest knots we have.
In modern archery, however, an Eye Splice (#2754) is preferred to the knot.
4. The Bowstring Knot Doubled. The advantage of this is not very clear.
Possibly it is stronger than the single knot, but the two loops might easily prove
awkward in a hurried stringing of the bow. An Adjustable Bowstring Knot is
shown as #1030.
To string a bow, place one end on the ground, spring the bow outward with
the knee, and slip the Loop Knot over the top lug.

The Artilleryman
5. The Artillery Loop, also called Man-Harness Knot and Harness Loop, is
tied in the bight of a rope. It is used for a hand- or shoulder-hold in hauling field
guns into position, and also in assisting horses either in uphill work or when mired.
 6. The Picket-Line Hitch is used in tying up artillery horses. It was shown to
me by J. Lawrence Houghteling, who learned it while in the service at the Mexican
border.

The Artist
An artist requires several knots when he goes a-sketching. The following are
those that I have found most helpful.
7155. A Bowline Knot. This is dropped over any protuberance at the top of an
easel. (See #1010.)
8156. A Killeg Hitch (#271) is then tied to a convenient stone or bag of sand
which acts as an anchor.
9157. A second cord, secured to the easel with another Bowline, is led around
a large spike on the weather side of the canvas, and the end is made fast to the
standing part with an Adjustable Hitch (#1800). This makes an excellent guy
when a hard wind is blowing.
10158. The most convenient way that I have found for carrying wet sketches
is illustrated here. Two canvases are placed face to face, but not in contact; four
clips, easily homemade of 3/32” wire, are slipped over the corners. A heavy cord,
with a Bowline in one end, is wrapped around the clips between the canvases, and
the end is stuck through the Bowline, hauled tight, and made fast with a Slipped
Half Hitch (#1822).

The Angler
159. A variety of Angler’s Knots will be found later in this chapter among
Fisherman’s Knots. The knot pictured here is a common way of securing a line to
a ring hook and is much used in the cruder branches of the art, that is to say, in
hand-line and pole fishing.
The Automobilist
160. A method of affixing a towrope to an automobile or truck axle for very
short hauls; this was devised by Captain Daniel F. Mullins, who needed something
of the sort for dragging Diesel engines and other heavy equipment on rollers about
the wharf. A most important practical feature of the knot is that it allows of instant
and easy adjustment. Wharves are narrow, and a load frequently has to be hauled
through narrow gaps in stacked merchandise. Often it is necessary to make a short
pull and then back up to shorten the towrope. Almost any hitch in heavy rope is
difficult to open, but this particular one slackens when the car stops, and the end
is easily pulled through the hitches whenever it is necessary to adjust the length.
Captain Mullins’ hitch is the exact opposite of Two Half Hitches, in which the
hitches are in the end; in this the hitches are in the standing part.
161. An amplification of the former knot: If the material is particularly large
and stiff the end may be doubled and the knot will be found easier to make. It will
also be more secure. Neither knot is suitable for hoisting.
162. The Axle Hitch may be used for emergency towing. The knot is a variety
of backhanded hitch, which requires but one passing of the line around the axle
although the knot itself is double. Having rounded the axle, the loop is pulled out
until all projecting parts of the car are cleared, where the hitch is completed and
the Bowline (#1010) added. If a Midshipman’s Hitch (#1027) ls used to complete
the knot instead of the Bowline, the knot will be less liable to jam.
163. There are many occasions for lashing suitcases and other luggage to the
running board or other parts of a car, but the makers of cars so far have failed to
co-operate by placing a few handy lugs here and there to lash to. Handles are
about all we have for anchors, and the manufacturers’ efforts have all been
directed toward “streamlining” these to a degree where clothes cannot snag on
them. If the handles of both doors approach each other with a long-horned effect
nothing more is required than a round turn about both and Two Half Hitches or
else a Bowline to finish off with.
164. An application of the Buoy Rope Hitch (#3323) is practicable if the
handle of the door has a heel as well as a toe.
165. A Bale Sung Hitch (#1759) will never bind and may be applied in a
variety of ways. Nothing else is required on a round knob save #2018, which is
the easiest thing there is to untie. If put in the bight as #1816 both ends of the rope
are available for lashing.
166. Where there is danger of unlatching, a small stick can be bound to the
handle with electrician’s tape and the knot secured to the stick close to the handle.
The pull on the rope should be in the direction that will hold the latch secure.
167. If the knob or handle tapers, or if its shape is an obstacle, it can generally
be taped in such way as to provide both a shoulder and a good surface to prevent
a hitch from slipping. The Rolling Hitch(2) (#1735) is the safest knot to use in
such a situation.
A method of roping a wheel when chains are lacking is given as #2027.