Animated Knots(animatedknots.com)
animatedknots.com
Animated Knots
https://www.animatedknots.com/
105 comments
As a younger I became obsessed with trying to make a Monkey's Fist from having heard about one from a Leave it to Beaver episode (a rerun on TV, please, I'm not that old). I had to figure it out myself though.
There is a very nice animation on the site for the Monkey's Fist (where I just now learned the finishing touch to deal with the loose end of the line).
https://www.animatedknots.com/monkeys-fist-knot
There is a very nice animation on the site for the Monkey's Fist (where I just now learned the finishing touch to deal with the loose end of the line).
https://www.animatedknots.com/monkeys-fist-knot
> This brings back good memories. As, I'm Dutch, the names for these knots in English are a bit challenging for me.
I finally got around to doing my day skipper last year and on the course was a Russian who spoke English perfectly fluently but struggled with the technical terms that the rest of us took for granted. It probably doesn't help that sailing is one of those sports where the difference in terminology between British and American English is sometimes significant, for example I don't think the term 'kicking strap' is used in the US.
The knots I use most often even outside of sailing are the bowline and the round turn and two half hitches.
I finally got around to doing my day skipper last year and on the course was a Russian who spoke English perfectly fluently but struggled with the technical terms that the rest of us took for granted. It probably doesn't help that sailing is one of those sports where the difference in terminology between British and American English is sometimes significant, for example I don't think the term 'kicking strap' is used in the US.
The knots I use most often even outside of sailing are the bowline and the round turn and two half hitches.
I love the site, it is great.
As a fly angler, in addition to the practicality of a given knots purpose and use is the practicality of implementing it in different conditions. There is often a lot of additional “tribal knowledge” on some of these knots, like the clinch knot is great but tying it with some hemostats speeds the process up and is easier when standing in a river. There is a great trick for tying a blood knot which makes it easy whereas doing it from the website would be nearly impossible outside in the weather.
As a fly angler, in addition to the practicality of a given knots purpose and use is the practicality of implementing it in different conditions. There is often a lot of additional “tribal knowledge” on some of these knots, like the clinch knot is great but tying it with some hemostats speeds the process up and is easier when standing in a river. There is a great trick for tying a blood knot which makes it easy whereas doing it from the website would be nearly impossible outside in the weather.
One of the things I've learned from teaching knots to Boy & Girl Scouts in the BSA is that you must constantly re-learn them or your skills will founder. It's not like riding a bike for me. That could be a visual-spacial memory thing, but many of my co-knot-tieing scouting teachers seem to have the same experience... so this site is perennially useful.
Favorite knot (involving a Rabbit going "through the hole, around the tree, and back down the hole"): Bowline Knot
Favorite knot (involving a Rabbit going "through the hole, around the tree, and back down the hole"): Bowline Knot
My memory of them often vanishes within hours or days...
Except for tying shoes (A doubly slipped reef knot, where a reef knot is left over right and right over left which makes a knot tidy and tight)
And the Uni-knot, even though I've never fished:
A jester offends the king and fears he will executed, and so decides to kill an evil beholder, also called an eye-tyrant, to win back favor.
He charges into the cave and stabs it through the eye, but gets scared and runs away. Coming out he remembers if he doesn't do something, he's dead anyway. Going back, he finds it dead, and he has time to take a long and winding road back, going around his journeys on the inside of his mind.
Having learned from this he decides neither the rashness that got him in the mess nor the cowardice that made him run was any way to live, and this is why the uni-knot can use its power wisely and will not cut itself when tied in Spectra.
And the highwayman's hitch which tells the story of two outlaws and a failed robbery. They're going to tunnel under the bank wall, but they see a hole in the plan. One(Representing one side of the rope) sticks his head up and he had an idea to fix it. The other one sees yet another flaw, and sticks his head in.
Unfortunately, they overlooked one small thing, the cops are waiting, and all it takes is one pull to unravel this complicated scheme and they go to jail.
It takes a long time to find the story hidden in the knots, but once you do, you are relying a lot less on spatial intelligence or muscle memory, and it becomes something you can actually learn and teach without needing access to an entirely new mode of thought and learning that doesn't make any sense to people who don't really have it and probably takes a long time to develop before you can even start learning the knots themselves.
Except for tying shoes (A doubly slipped reef knot, where a reef knot is left over right and right over left which makes a knot tidy and tight)
And the Uni-knot, even though I've never fished:
A jester offends the king and fears he will executed, and so decides to kill an evil beholder, also called an eye-tyrant, to win back favor.
He charges into the cave and stabs it through the eye, but gets scared and runs away. Coming out he remembers if he doesn't do something, he's dead anyway. Going back, he finds it dead, and he has time to take a long and winding road back, going around his journeys on the inside of his mind.
Having learned from this he decides neither the rashness that got him in the mess nor the cowardice that made him run was any way to live, and this is why the uni-knot can use its power wisely and will not cut itself when tied in Spectra.
And the highwayman's hitch which tells the story of two outlaws and a failed robbery. They're going to tunnel under the bank wall, but they see a hole in the plan. One(Representing one side of the rope) sticks his head up and he had an idea to fix it. The other one sees yet another flaw, and sticks his head in.
Unfortunately, they overlooked one small thing, the cops are waiting, and all it takes is one pull to unravel this complicated scheme and they go to jail.
It takes a long time to find the story hidden in the knots, but once you do, you are relying a lot less on spatial intelligence or muscle memory, and it becomes something you can actually learn and teach without needing access to an entirely new mode of thought and learning that doesn't make any sense to people who don't really have it and probably takes a long time to develop before you can even start learning the knots themselves.
A number of years back I decided I needed to learn to tie more than just an overhand knot. Of the handful I learnt, the bowline (along with the clove hitch) is by far the most used. It's amazing how much easier life can be knowing a couple of basic knots.
I'd be thrilled if I could just remember the names of the knots that suit various common use cases. Then I'd at least be able to google them to find out how to tie them.
Now I'll find myself in a position where I know there's a knot that solves the problem I have, but don't know how to describe it well enough to even search.
Now I'll find myself in a position where I know there's a knot that solves the problem I have, but don't know how to describe it well enough to even search.
A solution would be to dramatically reduce the number you try to keep in mind. Bowline, two half hitches and trucker's hitch might be enough, if all you're doing is tying stuff into a trailer or a car.
Good list. As someone who sails, I'd add either a Magnus hitch or a rolling hitch to that list (preference, really -- both will get you there, but a Magnus is easier depending on where the load is how breakable you want the knot to be) and call it a day.
The bowline, because of the rabbit, is one of the only knots I have not forgotten from my scouting days.
I used to use the bowline knot all the time, but have switched to the Perfection Loop Knot, since it doesn’t put right-angle tension on the rope and leave the end of the rope in the loop. https://www.animatedknots.com/perfection-loop-knot
I’m just sharing a useful knot and not trying to get into a Vim vs. Emacs type argument or anything.
I’m just sharing a useful knot and not trying to get into a Vim vs. Emacs type argument or anything.
Does it bind under lots of tension though
Yeah it looks like it's got the skeleton of an overhand knot in there. I would not trust it.
Never had an issue with it.
>One of the things I've learned from teaching knots to Boy & Girl Scouts in the BSA is that you must constantly re-learn them or your skills will founder.
I dont know, the 3 different ways to tie a clove hitch is documented on here, which is good start, but the one that was engrained in me was clove hitch loops, although their animation makes it even harder to understand.
They should have some hands holding the rope showing the 1st and 3rd person perspective position of the rope in the hands and the position of the hands when tying some knots. So much easier to understand.
I really do wonder about the standard of teaching sometimes.
Probably fastest most reliable knot to have that can be slung over a spar end in a hurry.
That bowline knot story was taught in cubs, perhaps useful for young minds, but does it get forgotten in adulthood as a result? I certainly had forgotten that story until you reminded me.
I'll also credit the Red Cross at being best at teaching me knots and lashings.
I dont know, the 3 different ways to tie a clove hitch is documented on here, which is good start, but the one that was engrained in me was clove hitch loops, although their animation makes it even harder to understand.
They should have some hands holding the rope showing the 1st and 3rd person perspective position of the rope in the hands and the position of the hands when tying some knots. So much easier to understand.
I really do wonder about the standard of teaching sometimes.
Probably fastest most reliable knot to have that can be slung over a spar end in a hurry.
That bowline knot story was taught in cubs, perhaps useful for young minds, but does it get forgotten in adulthood as a result? I certainly had forgotten that story until you reminded me.
I'll also credit the Red Cross at being best at teaching me knots and lashings.
I've been using this website for at least a decade, so maybe I'm just used to it, but the clove hitch formed with loops is very easy to follow for me. All the animations are super clear, which is why I use the site. It's consistently easier to follow than most YouTube videos.
I'm not sayings hard to follow, but when you have been shown a very easy way to do a clove hitch, the key being how to hold the rope and your hands, ie the limited movements you have to go through to do a clove hitch, you can do them in your sleep.
We used them as the starter knot before lashing someone down on a stretcher before carrying them out of a disaster zone. It was quite fun, putting the stretcher up on its end or turning it upside down to demonstrate how well protected someone is once lashed to a stretcher.
I like the effort and organisation of the website though, so I'm not knocking it, just pointing out it could be improved with video's that show 1st and 3rd person perspective of hands tying knots. That way, when abseiling, rock climbing or doing other Fred Dibnah style activities, you know if your knots have been tied properly or not.
So much trust is placed on people who run these activities, its nice to have piece of mind, but its probably one of the reasons why the carabiner was invented.
We used them as the starter knot before lashing someone down on a stretcher before carrying them out of a disaster zone. It was quite fun, putting the stretcher up on its end or turning it upside down to demonstrate how well protected someone is once lashed to a stretcher.
I like the effort and organisation of the website though, so I'm not knocking it, just pointing out it could be improved with video's that show 1st and 3rd person perspective of hands tying knots. That way, when abseiling, rock climbing or doing other Fred Dibnah style activities, you know if your knots have been tied properly or not.
So much trust is placed on people who run these activities, its nice to have piece of mind, but its probably one of the reasons why the carabiner was invented.
Oh I'm pretty sure most people know plenty of knots but don't even think about it. Many knots are useful, but a list off the top of my head in order of how often they come up for me is: overhand knot, clove hitch, butterfly bend, figure eight knot, cleat hitch, slip knot, bowline knot, and trucker's hitch.
I'm certain I skipped many but those are the ones I feel are most common to doing anything useful with a rope. The trucker's hitch and bowline are the ones that can save your life, but the rest are everyday knots that you might already know except for their names. For example, I don't even know what the shoe tying knots are named but everyone knows those.
I'm certain I skipped many but those are the ones I feel are most common to doing anything useful with a rope. The trucker's hitch and bowline are the ones that can save your life, but the rest are everyday knots that you might already know except for their names. For example, I don't even know what the shoe tying knots are named but everyone knows those.
Midshipman's hitch is under-appreciated - my 2 cents!
I love this resource. So many useful knots. Particularly I like the lanyard / friendship knot [1] and the midshipman's hitch (adjustable slip hitch) [2], the latter of which is probably about 90% of the knots that I tie. Honorable mention to the constrictor knot for attaching to large cylinders [3].
[1] https://www.animatedknots.com/lanyard-knot
[2] https://www.animatedknots.com/midshipmans-hitch-knot
[3] https://www.animatedknots.com/constrictor-knot-twisting-meth...
[1] https://www.animatedknots.com/lanyard-knot
[2] https://www.animatedknots.com/midshipmans-hitch-knot
[3] https://www.animatedknots.com/constrictor-knot-twisting-meth...
Midshipman hitch is great, I used it to reinforce my tomato cages with some tension members.
Well, you used it incorrectly. It's clearly for a very specific set of circumstances:
> The Midshipman’s Hitch Knot is promoted by Ashley (ABOK # 1993, p 325) as the only knot to tie in the following unlikely but critical circumstance: you fall overboard and catch hold of the line which you have prudently left trailing astern and find yourself hanging on with difficulty. Before you tire, you manage to bring the bitter end of the rope around your back. You then have to tie a suitable knot to make a loop around you. A bowline cannot be tied under load. Two Half Hitches will slide and constrict you. The Rolling Hitch is the answer. Even as the second turn is tucked “up” into the correct place, the major strain is taken and the final Half Hitch can be tied with less urgency.
> The Midshipman’s Hitch Knot is promoted by Ashley (ABOK # 1993, p 325) as the only knot to tie in the following unlikely but critical circumstance: you fall overboard and catch hold of the line which you have prudently left trailing astern and find yourself hanging on with difficulty. Before you tire, you manage to bring the bitter end of the rope around your back. You then have to tie a suitable knot to make a loop around you. A bowline cannot be tied under load. Two Half Hitches will slide and constrict you. The Rolling Hitch is the answer. Even as the second turn is tucked “up” into the correct place, the major strain is taken and the final Half Hitch can be tied with less urgency.
Nope, that knot is useful surprisingly often! It's the only applicable knot in that contrived single-handed-sailing-overboard situation, but it's also an effective knot when pitching a tent or tarp, or when hanging a clothesline, or when securing e.g. a canopy against the wind.
I learned it as the "Taut Line Hitch."
I learned it as the "Taut Line Hitch."
Yes, it's a great default adjustable knot! The other one I think is worth knowing is the "adjustable grip hitch", which is like the midshipman's but the half-hitch goes on the other side of the turns. This latter one seems to hold a lot tighter once dressed, even in relatively slippy rope, but unlike the midshipman's it can't easily be tied under load.
https://www.animatedknots.com/adjustable-grip-hitch-knot
https://www.animatedknots.com/adjustable-grip-hitch-knot
The adjustable grip hitch is great but the Blake’s hitch is almost magic and my favorite knot right now.
https://www.animatedknots.com/blakes-hitch-knot
https://www.animatedknots.com/blakes-hitch-knot
Taut Line Hitch is a little different from Midshipman's Hitch. Midshipman's grips a little better and is recommended. However, Like the other reply to your answer, for me the best of them is the Adjustable Grip Hitch. I teach knots to boy scouts, and know lots of them. After using the Adjustable, I don't use the Taut Line or Midshipman's anymore.
Your quote only states what the knot is suitable for, not what it isn't suitable for.
There's a certain kind of sci-fi premise of "what if every intelligent species has something they're particularly good at."
Naturally, most stories revolve around something impressive (or damning) for humanity like "war" or "kindness", but in the past I've wondered what kind of story one could make if the answer was "knots".
Perhaps that's a question for mathematicians, and whether some facility for topological knot-thinking might be very handy in some kind of physics or engineering.
Naturally, most stories revolve around something impressive (or damning) for humanity like "war" or "kindness", but in the past I've wondered what kind of story one could make if the answer was "knots".
Perhaps that's a question for mathematicians, and whether some facility for topological knot-thinking might be very handy in some kind of physics or engineering.
I love the idea of technologically superior aliens showing up and kicking themselves for never having discovered rope. Here, have the ftl drive, we need this rope. Maybe their native habitat didn't have fibrous plants.
Maybe some are like spiders, and they've always used solvents and glues in order to join or secure the lengths.
I love this idea by the way.
For those who don't know many knots, I recommend learning the bowline if you could only choose one. It's called the "king of knots" for a reason - it's highly reliable and won't fail under load when lesser knots would.
https://www.animatedknots.com/bowline-knot
There's a way of tying it one-handed as well, which can be useful in rescue scenarios (i.e. you are a hiker who fell into a ravine, and someone lowers a rope to you. Even if one arm is broken/disabled you could tie a bowline around your waist with your other arm)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XIUiUOzq7Q
https://www.animatedknots.com/bowline-knot
There's a way of tying it one-handed as well, which can be useful in rescue scenarios (i.e. you are a hiker who fell into a ravine, and someone lowers a rope to you. Even if one arm is broken/disabled you could tie a bowline around your waist with your other arm)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XIUiUOzq7Q
Interesting. I used to go to a Dutch sailing camp in summer as a teenager. My sailing instructors would have disapproved of the bowline shown here - they were always insisting that we use what this site calls a "left-handed bowline" variation. The reasoning is that otherwise the end would be wedged between the created loop and mooring. That has a number of downsides:
- it can be dangerous when (say) undoing the knot in stormy weather because you end up having to wedge your fingers between loop and post to undo the knot.
- theoretically if the boat rocks a lot and the loop is too tight, the mooring post could end up pushing into the end bit of rope, eventually undoing the knot.
So it was just considered better to make the lefthanded version the one you pick by habit. Now I haven't sailed in (effectively) a quarter century since so the fact that I remember this says something about how serious they were about drilling this into our heads.
When I think about it know the difference in risk is probably not significant for individuals, but I imagine that if you are a sailing camp responsible for hundreds of teens each summer it reduces the chance of accidents for them.
- it can be dangerous when (say) undoing the knot in stormy weather because you end up having to wedge your fingers between loop and post to undo the knot.
- theoretically if the boat rocks a lot and the loop is too tight, the mooring post could end up pushing into the end bit of rope, eventually undoing the knot.
So it was just considered better to make the lefthanded version the one you pick by habit. Now I haven't sailed in (effectively) a quarter century since so the fact that I remember this says something about how serious they were about drilling this into our heads.
When I think about it know the difference in risk is probably not significant for individuals, but I imagine that if you are a sailing camp responsible for hundreds of teens each summer it reduces the chance of accidents for them.
I know the linked site in the submission is more about practical knots, everyday knots, but this Tom Scott guest video from Up and Atom on mathematical knots blew my mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eVd2Ugk9BU
So awesome that it's able to mathematically quantify knots.
Thanks for sharing, I have been passively wondering about how mathematical knot theory works for quite some time. Awesome :)
Uh wow. That video is awesome. Thanks for sharing
While neither animated nor as large as animatedknots, the Notable Knot Index
https://notableknotindex.webs.com/
contains a short list of knots along with insightful comments on their use. Some, like the Slipped Buntline Hitch, show alternative forms to alleviate deficiencies (jamming in this case) or for different use cases. One of my favorites is the Versatacle, which provides a pulley like mechanical advantage. It's been my go-to tensioning knot since learning about it. Animated Knots is great for understanding the form of knots like the Zepplin Bend, and I use both sites when learning a new knot or brushing up on an old one.
https://notableknotindex.webs.com/
contains a short list of knots along with insightful comments on their use. Some, like the Slipped Buntline Hitch, show alternative forms to alleviate deficiencies (jamming in this case) or for different use cases. One of my favorites is the Versatacle, which provides a pulley like mechanical advantage. It's been my go-to tensioning knot since learning about it. Animated Knots is great for understanding the form of knots like the Zepplin Bend, and I use both sites when learning a new knot or brushing up on an old one.
Notable Knot Index is interesting, a short list, but a good one! The Buntline Hitch is a personal favorite of mine, and though I am often fine with it jamming (for things I don't want to untie any time soon), I will have to tie a few slipped to get a feel for it.
I must have saved upwards of 10 minutes so far by tying my laces with the Ian Knot [1]. If anyone knows of a faster knot I’m all ears, otherwise, cheers to Ian and his innovation in the shoe lace knot space.
[1] https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm
[1] https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm
In case you don't realise, you're tying a regular shoe-lace knot, a square knot, it's just a different technique.
Not just time saving, but since I use it I did not have to re-tie my laces during the day, it looks very symmetrical, and I regularly have the silly but satisfying experience of people seeing me tie my shoes and say "how did you do that?". This is the knot I am teaching my kids (my wife can take care of the "standard" one).
My kids only know this way of tying it, I was surprised how easy they learnt it vs what other parents refer to me for more traditional ways
How do you keep the tension when tying that? With a regular shoelace knot, I have a spare thumb to place on the base knot so that it maintains the tension I initially selected with the base knot. With the Ian knot, it feels like I just get whatever it feels like giving me.
I use my pinky or ring finger to apply pressure on the base knot
My favorite animated knot video is the Ylvis one on the Trucker's Hitch[1] but for the iPhone, Grogg Knots is my go to app if I forget a knot. Of course I find out this web site is the "web" version of that App :-)
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUHgGK-tImY
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUHgGK-tImY
Are these the "What Does the Fox Say?" folks?
That song both slaps and subverts all expectations. I had always assumed they were a one-hit wonder and simply disappeared. Very creative bunch.
Now I can't get it out of my head.
That song both slaps and subverts all expectations. I had always assumed they were a one-hit wonder and simply disappeared. Very creative bunch.
Now I can't get it out of my head.
Its the same people. They have quite a few videos in the same genre, if you like the humour: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfNe3nGQENtP3VCn1t1pybju9...
This is a beautifully done website. I found a book on knots at a used bookstore and bought it. I got a few lengths of paracord and tried them all out. It's a great way to spend an evening. Quite relaxing and doing something physical with my hands was a great stress buster too.
Any specific suggestions for rope to buy? I love the idea of practicing at home in my living room.
Get a variety! At least if you hope to use knots away from home, like boating, climbing or camping. I’ve definitely found it useful to practice knots on different sizes, materials, tensions, etc., just because the ropes I get in the wild vary… for camping you might be using 1/4 inch or smaller, for a small sailboat maybe 1/2 or 3/4-inch, when I go on a houseboat every once in a while, it’s like maybe 1.5 or 2-inches diameter, sometimes old and fraying, sometimes nylon and relatively slippery, or sometimes a natural fiber rope that’s much grabbier especially when wet…
Knots really seem to behave differently on different sizes & kinds of ropes, and it can be hard to remember (for me at least) how to tie a knot you learned with twine on a bigger boat line. How easily they bind, how well they hold, and how easily they release also starts to get way more important when you’re outside and depending on the lines.
Knots really seem to behave differently on different sizes & kinds of ropes, and it can be hard to remember (for me at least) how to tie a knot you learned with twine on a bigger boat line. How easily they bind, how well they hold, and how easily they release also starts to get way more important when you’re outside and depending on the lines.
You can buy kits from proknot.com The one I have comes with two small lengths of cord and two small carabiners (I'm a climber).
My only complaint is that the cord tends to be a bit stiff but that's unavoidable if you're using real cord.
https://proknot.com/products/pro-knot-knot-tying-kit
My only complaint is that the cord tends to be a bit stiff but that's unavoidable if you're using real cord.
https://proknot.com/products/pro-knot-knot-tying-kit
There is an app called grog knots which I think is made by the same people. Best few bucks I’ve ever spent for an app. Love having a bunch of knot diagrams handy when I’m out trying to do something.
I came here to recommend this. Absolutely worth the 1-time $4.99-no-subscription-or-account-or-any-BS payment.
They made a cool thing. It is valuable to me. I paid for it, and we're done.
The app downloads once and doesn't need an internet connection. If you drew a Venn diagram of "Times I want to Know How to Tie a Specific Type of Knot" and "Times When I Am Out of Cellphone Range", there would be significant overlap between the two circles.
I'm not a particularly good follower of technical diagrams, but I find the instructions to be very clear and easy to follow. It's rare that I don't get a knot right the first time.
I've secured tarps, tents, clothes lines, gear onto vehicles and (most recently) a mountain bike that was missing its rear suspension, all thanks to this app.
Here's the link to the app available for various devices: https://www.animatedknots.com/shop
EDIT: I forgot about the fishing knots. No matter how good the app is as a resource, I always get confused and frustrated by fishing knots. But I also get confused and frustrated by fishing, so I can't really blame the app for this.
They made a cool thing. It is valuable to me. I paid for it, and we're done.
The app downloads once and doesn't need an internet connection. If you drew a Venn diagram of "Times I want to Know How to Tie a Specific Type of Knot" and "Times When I Am Out of Cellphone Range", there would be significant overlap between the two circles.
I'm not a particularly good follower of technical diagrams, but I find the instructions to be very clear and easy to follow. It's rare that I don't get a knot right the first time.
I've secured tarps, tents, clothes lines, gear onto vehicles and (most recently) a mountain bike that was missing its rear suspension, all thanks to this app.
Here's the link to the app available for various devices: https://www.animatedknots.com/shop
EDIT: I forgot about the fishing knots. No matter how good the app is as a resource, I always get confused and frustrated by fishing knots. But I also get confused and frustrated by fishing, so I can't really blame the app for this.
From the animatedknots.com website on their apps page:
"Do you love advertising?
We need to apologize in advance, because our apps are nothing but knots. We are sure that there are other apps that will suit your needs."
"Do you love advertising?
We need to apologize in advance, because our apps are nothing but knots. We are sure that there are other apps that will suit your needs."
It says it's not available for my device. I've got a 3 year old android phone. Has it maybe not been updated recently enough? I used to have the app when it was free way back when. On an Ipod touch because I didn't have a smartphone back then.
First Class Amateur [0] is a great YouTube channel demonstrating how to solve real-world problems using knots.
[0] https://www.youtube.com/@First_Class_Amateur
[0] https://www.youtube.com/@First_Class_Amateur
I personally found the low frame rate stop motion-esque animations on this hard to follow when learning knots a few months back. Simple close-up videos on YouTube served me better.
My pastime on the phone, besides playing chess, is to browse through Knots 3D - https://knots3d.com
This is a great website. I think it would be a great idea to extend it to "knots in action" with a video showing how the forces (expected magnitude and direction) act upon each given knot. Specially the climbing ones. I few months ago I learned the knot that ties my shoes for good : https://youtu.be/aQ66r5vMqo8?feature=shared The problem with teaching knots is the hand action. Making a good knot involves good hand action. Surgeons spend months practicing sutures. There was an episode of the crime tv series Columbo where finds out it was not a suicide because the dead guys shoes where knotted backwards as someone else knotted the shoes when the guy was already dead (backwards). Very interesting.
The YouTube channel HowNOT2 [1] has a great collection of videos testing various ropes (mostly for climbing). Among these videos, there are a couple that test specific knots (like [2]). It's overall a very fun channel, even though I don't even do any sort of climbing.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/@HowNOT2
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dagg2-If4h8
[1] https://www.youtube.com/@HowNOT2
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dagg2-If4h8
"Eighteen inches of paracord is an infinitely better object to fidget with than any 10$ trinket you'll ever get at a store..." the old man shouted, angrily shaking his fist at modernity in general.
Something about knots makes me feel stupid/slow. That's a shame for someone who does climbing and boating...
Now I just rely on muscle memory, as trying to "understand" knots always leaves me frustrated...
Now I just rely on muscle memory, as trying to "understand" knots always leaves me frustrated...
Great site. The goto place for learning or studying a knot.
Place where I first heard about the Ashley Book of Knots (ABOK). The book is a historical gem, as well as the official reference for knots. Great stories about knots.
Trucker's Knot, with cool reference to Ylvis, of What Did the Fox Say? https://www.animatedknots.com/truckers-hitch-knot
Place where I first heard about the Ashley Book of Knots (ABOK). The book is a historical gem, as well as the official reference for knots. Great stories about knots.
Trucker's Knot, with cool reference to Ylvis, of What Did the Fox Say? https://www.animatedknots.com/truckers-hitch-knot
It's been a decade or more but every time someone posts this website I swear to learn to make some basic knots and I never do. I should buy some rope.
Despite the claim of "knots of any kind" the shibari category of knots is missing.
This looks quite useful! I’ve also gotten good information from Ian’s Shoelace Site:
https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/
https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/
Was expecting fluid animations. These are animated stills, not hating though.
I've recently been learning how to tie some decorative knots. This site is fantastic, but suffers from the same frustration point all resources seem to: not explaining how to calculate the length of rope you will need for a given knot so you can cut it before starting.
I can't believe so many beginner tutorials seem to forget this very basic first question of "how do I prepare my materials?".
I can't believe so many beginner tutorials seem to forget this very basic first question of "how do I prepare my materials?".
This was quite helpful during my early climbing days. It's a shame that sometimes you just can't beat a YouTube video with someone tying the knot you're trying to learn.
Seems to be missing the most animated knott.
https://www.animatedknots.com/?s=don
https://www.animatedknots.com/?s=don
The animations are nice, but I don’t know if I can trust a site that lost fishing knots that does not include a Palomar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palomar_knot
Unless it was added in the past 9 minutes, you may simply not have scanned long enough.
Great resource, especially that they take a stance on versions [] and include some history
[] https://www.animatedknots.com/midshipmans-hitch-knot
[] https://www.animatedknots.com/midshipmans-hitch-knot
https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=animatedknots.com this has been posted many times now.
This app is one of the first I always install on a new phone. Perennially useful.
I probably check this site every couple weeks, it's the best knot website out there. I tie knots while watching movies. I used to pick locks. Maybe knitting eventually.
I thought for a second that I'd see 3D animation of knots and thought "that'd be a cool math program to do: one that can animate a knot construction"...
I am not interested in knots. Yet, I just spent 20 minutes watching these animations and being fascinated. Good work.
I learned to sail thanks to this resource.
I am chartering a yacht in two weeks and have been busy re-learning how to tie a core set of knots. This is easily the best resource that I have been using with the rest of the crew(aka family)!
To be honest, outside of Wikipedia, this is probably one of the most useful websites on the internet.
Most adblocker lists I have have permanently blocked this domain.
It's like Ian's shoelace site but for knots :D
There are several apps for your phone that teach knots.
The linked website is creator of one of those apps, specifically https://apps.apple.com/us/app/animated-knots-by-grog/id37630...
Web > proprietary apps
In this case, a web app is hardly going to help me when I’m camping with no internet connection. But a native app with good offline support is exactly what I would want.
And while web apps have plenty of practical benefits, those are mostly from the perspective of the developer. As a user, once an app is downloaded, good native apps are preferable just about every time.
And while web apps have plenty of practical benefits, those are mostly from the perspective of the developer. As a user, once an app is downloaded, good native apps are preferable just about every time.
Thanks, camping is the killer use case. And the one I used to have didn't even ask for my name.
Silly comment. They both have their uses.
why do you think it's silly?
The offline functionality could have been implemented with the website too.
I don't see any benefit in this use case for an app. But it has the downside that an app has possibilities to screw my system or track me unnoticed. So if you do not need special native features and you are not a computationally expensive product, please built a good offline capable website and not an app.
Please tell me where the app has "it's uses" here?
Please tell me where the app has "it's uses" here?
> But it has the downside that an app has possibilities to screw my system or track me unnoticed
How is it going to screw your system? And just disallow running in background, disallow internet access if you are on mobile. I don't want to fiddle around with my browser when I can install a light-weight app.
Not everyone is a "wow all apps very scary" person
How is it going to screw your system? And just disallow running in background, disallow internet access if you are on mobile. I don't want to fiddle around with my browser when I can install a light-weight app.
Not everyone is a "wow all apps very scary" person
and note the comment above by someone else about camping without Internet access.
If I were installing a knot app and it required enrolling me in their Knot Tying Social Network, I'd uninstall. In fact, if it couldn't run in Airplane Mode, I'd uninstall it.
If I were installing a knot app and it required enrolling me in their Knot Tying Social Network, I'd uninstall. In fact, if it couldn't run in Airplane Mode, I'd uninstall it.
Why is it silly? Because knot tying is about as harmless as it gets. This isn't the Twitter or LinkedIn app. From my memory of when I had one of these apps, it didn't even ask for my name.
People like making apps, and users seem to like them, too. Grow up.
People like making apps, and users seem to like them, too. Grow up.
What a standpoint...
> knot tying is about as harmless as it gets
What does this have to do with my argument? Maybe it's less likely to screw my system intentionally then, but it might still track me. How do you know the app is not as bad as Twitter or LinkedIn?
> People like making apps, and users seem to like them, too. Grow up.
I am just showing a path to an alternate better future. If you don't like questioning the status quo because you think everybody is currently happy, fine. But asking me to grow up because I am worried about corporations having more access to my devices than they need seems unfair.
> knot tying is about as harmless as it gets
What does this have to do with my argument? Maybe it's less likely to screw my system intentionally then, but it might still track me. How do you know the app is not as bad as Twitter or LinkedIn?
> People like making apps, and users seem to like them, too. Grow up.
I am just showing a path to an alternate better future. If you don't like questioning the status quo because you think everybody is currently happy, fine. But asking me to grow up because I am worried about corporations having more access to my devices than they need seems unfair.
The one app I've ever bought besides games.
we all know what category they are missing ;)
There's a guy who does youtube videos on Paracord braids and the like. Excellent instructions, but I got kind of a sexual vibe off of it between the music and the way he handled the paracord. All the videos show are his hands and the cord, nothing weird at all. Always thought something was off about it and then found out he's big into restraint or whatever you call the bdsm stuff where people get tied up. Made a lot of sense after that. Still love his videos.
From the elusive message, I guess you mean BDSM or something like that. Are they really specific knots used by people that like to tie each other though?
Your basic single and double column ties, stuff like the Burlington bowline, aside from that no, not really.
This has been the best app for years.
It's how I hung my hammock
+100 for neckties :)
The practicality of knots and their traits is what drives their use. When you deal with boats, you need these knots to perform and not come undone when you are not expecting them to (which could be dangerous). And you also need them come apart when you need them to.
Properties like that are what makes a lot of these knots so useful. Technically, you can get by with knowing only a handful. But there are a lot of specialized one with niche usages.