Here are illustrations on how to tie different types of knots, including all the basics: bowline, hitch, and overhand knots.
Learning how to tie knots is a very useful skill. The knot illustrations below may seem a bit intimidating at first, but once you know the vocabulary and practice a few times, we’re sure you’ll be able to get it!
Tying Knots: Words to Know
Our knot vocabulary should help you to learn this handy skill:
- The bight is any part of a rope between the ends or the curved section of a rope in a knot.
- A bight becomes a loop when two parts of a rope cross.
- The place at which two parts of a rope meet in a loop is the crossing point.
- The place at which two or more loops bend is the elbow.
- The working end of a rope is the end being used to make a knot.
- The standing end (or standing part) of a rope is the end not involved in making a knot.
Whether you’re boating, climbing, or scouting, these knots will often come in handy. Better to know a knot just in case you need it!