Translations:Investiture Achievement/Companion/Outdoor Living/5/en

And here are the knots

Constrictor Knot

Use: The Constrictor knot is one of the most effective binding knots. Simple and secure, it is a harsh knot which can be difficult or impossible to untie once tightened. It is made similarly to a clove hitch but with one end passed under the other, forming an overhand knot under a riding turn. Because this knot will not slip when tied around a stick, it is an excellent knot for making a rope ladder. How to tie: Make a turn around the object and bring the working end back over the standing part. Continue around behind the object. Pass the working end over the standing part and then under the riding turn and standing part, forming an overhand knot under a riding turn. Be sure the ends emerge between the two turns as shown. Pull firmly on the ends to tighten. WARNING: The Constrictor knot's severe bite, which makes it so effective, can damage or disfigure items it is tied around.

Cat's paw

Use: The Cat's paw is used for connecting a rope to an object. Attaching a rope to a hook (or to a post or rail where the load is perpendicular to the post) with more security than a simple girth hitch. Joining an eye to a ring. Strongly joining eyes in the ends of two lines, where there is access to the end of at least one line. How to tie: Method 1 Form a bight in the middle of the line, and pull it back over itself like a girth hitch. This forms two loops, turned in opposite directions. Give each loop one more full turn in the direction that will tend to tighten it (the wrong direction will undo the loop completely). Pass both loops over the hook, rail or post and pull tight, taking care to push the bight up snugly against the turns. Method 2 If working end of the line has an eye in it, and the standing end is accessible, the knot can be tied to a closed ring, another eye, or a rail with inaccessible ends, as follows. Pass the eye around the ring or rail, then pass the standing end through its own eye (this effectively forms a girth hitch). Then pass the standing end through the eye again, and pull up tight, taking care to push the bight up snugly against the turns. When using the cat's paw to join two eyes, this process may be repeated several times to give several turns - as many as five in a fine fishing monofilament. Then when tightened, instead of pulling the bight up against the turns, both eyes are pulled equally, to make neat coils of turns in both eyes, meeting halfway between them.

Timber hitch

Use: The timber hitch is a knot used to attach a single length of rope to a piece of wood. This knot is easily undone after use. How to tie: To make the knot, pass the rope completely around the wood. Pass the running end around the standing part, then through the loop that you have just formed. Make three turns around the loop then pull on the standing part to tighten. Take care that you double the rope back on itself before making the three turns, or it won't hold. Three are recommended for natural rope such as jute, whereas five turns are needed on synthetic rope like nylon. This knot is also known as the Bowyer's Knot as it is used to attach the lower end of the bowstring to the bottom limb on an English Longbow.

Pipe hitch
Use: The pipe hitch is used for hoisting tubular objects (such as pipes). How to tie: Make four or five turns around the pipe with the rope. Bring the running end back to the standing part. Tie two half-hitches around the standing part.

Fisherman's knot

Use: The Fisherman's knot is a specialized bend. It consists of two overhand knots wrapped around each other. It works well for joining thin, stiff, or slippery lines. It requires little dexterity to tie, so is often used in stubborn materials. When tightened, it becomes fairly compact, and the free ends can be cropped very close to the knot. These qualities make it very useful for fishing line--it is less likely to jam a fishing rod than many other bends, and is easier to tie with cold, wet hands. How to tie: To tie the fisherman's knot, lay the two ends to be tied alongside each other and facing opposite ways. Tie an overhand knot on the first rope and pass the second rope through the loop formed. Tighten the overhand knot, to prevent the line inside it from flopping around. Then tie another overhand knot on the second rope with the first rope passing through it.

Alpine butterfly

Use: The Butterfly Loop has a high breaking strength and is regarded by mountaineers as one of the strongest knots to attach climbers to the middle of a rope, such that they have room to move around even when the main rope goes tight, and they can be supported in either direction from the main rope. The loop is typically attached to a climbing harness by carabiner. It can also be used to isolate a worn section of rope, where the knot is tied such that the worn section is used for the center of the loop.

Prusik knot

Use: A Prusik (aka Prussik or Prussic) is a friction hitch used in climbing, canyoneering, caving, rope rescue and by arborists to grab a rope (sometimes referred to as a rope-grab). The term Prusik is used both for the knot, for the loops of cord, and for the action (to prusik). A Prusik rope is a circular loop with a circumference of 20 to 100 cm depending on its intended use. Two Prusik ropes are tied to another rope which is anchored above. When the Prusik knot is under tension, it grabs the rope to which it is tied. When not under tension, it is easily moved. The climber places one foot into each loop, and shifts all of his or her weight to one of them, releasing the tension on the other. The rope without tension is then slid upwards on the vertical rope. The climber then shifts his or her weight to the other loop and slides the first one up. This is repeated until the rope has been ascended. Prusiks will work around two ropes, even two ropes of different diameters. Prusiks provide a high-strength and relatively fail-safe (i.e., they will slip before damaging the rope or breaking) attachment, and are used in some rope-rescue techniques. Prusiks are good to use in hauling systems where multiple rope-grabs may be needed, and where mechanical rope-grabs are not available. Although the Prusik Climb technique may be called old-school by some, the US Army still includes it in its annual Best Ranger competition. Rangers in the competition routinely make it up a 90 foot rope in under a minute. How to tie: The Prusik is tied by wrapping the prusik loop around the rope a number of times (depending on the materials, but usually 3-5 times), and then back through itself, forming a barrel around the rope, with a tail hanging out the middle. When the tail is weighted the turns tighten around the main rope and grab. When weight is removed the loop can be slid along the rope by placing a hand directly on the barrel and pushing. The trick is, if it grabs well, then it is hard to slide along the rope. Breaking the Prusik free from the rope after it has been weighted can be difficult, and is easiest done by pushing the bow, being the loop of cord which runs from the top wrap, over the knot to the bottom wrap, along the tail a little. This loosens the grip of the hitch and makes movement easier. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Locked while holding tension. Slides readily without tension.

Double bowline
How to tie: Make a loop with the running end crossing over the standing end. Make a larger loop that passes over the first loop, again with the running end passing over the standing end. Pass the running end through the first loop from the bottom. Wrap the running end behind the standing end, and back down through the first loop. Tighten

Bowline on a bight

Use: This makes a secure loop in the middle of a rope which does not slip. How to tie: A bight is the middle part of the rope (not the ends) In the middle of a rope, form a small loop. Thread the bight through the loop. Spread out the bight a little. Pass this down and around the whole knot. Continue until it come back to the neck where it started. Tighten the bight to complete the knot. Tighten carefully so that you don't get a kind of slip knot.

Two half hitches
Use: This reliable knot is quickly tied and is the hitch most often used in mooring. How to tie: Pass end of rope around post or other object. Wrap short end of rope under and over long part of rope, pushing the end down through the loop. This is a half hitch. Repeat on long rope below first half hitch and draw up tight.