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Wiki Knot Tying Answers
Knot Tying Worksheet
The art of tying knots is well know in small circles of fisherman, sailors, hikers and paddlers, and sometimes makes little sense to the rest of us; like any craft or sciences, there's plenty of knot jargon to learn. On this page we'll try to give you some ideas of ways to make it a little more fascinating. We'll include some games and maybe a few nots (I mean knots) that you may knot (I mean not) have heard of before. When guiding your Pathfinders in making their knot boards for the honors or class work requirements, try to come up with creative ways to put together their boards. Make it look nice, something they could be proud of. Use a nice color of mat board as the backing to adhere the knots to. The size of the frame needed would depend on the number of knots needed to be tied.
So what is a knot?
A knot is any loop or entanglement of flexible material that is intentionally or unintentionally created; securing two ends of the same material. So when one of the Pathfinders accidentally (or on purpose) makes a mess of all your neatly stored ropes, they really have "tied" a knot.
Aside from serving as a line to dry your bathing suit after a dip in the lake or airing out that soggy sleeping bag, rope is essential to any backpacking or hiking adventure. Sure, one or two simple knots are all you need to get by but using the right knot in the right circumstance can mean the difference between you or your pesky forest neighbors downing your food supply. Actually, it is wise to keep all smelly items tied in bags . . . you never know the exotics your smellables may attract.
Rain and other unexpected surprises can also make your adventure a real adventure when crossing an otherwise slow-moving stream. A rope may come in handing when you and your buddy need to get safely to the other side.
So what is a knot?
A knot is any loop or entanglement of flexible material that is intentionally or unintentionally created; securing two ends of the same material. So when one of the Pathfinders accidentally (or on purpose) makes a mess of all your neatly stored ropes, they really have "tied" a knot.
Aside from serving as a line to dry your bathing suit after a dip in the lake or airing out that soggy sleeping bag, rope is essential to any backpacking or hiking adventure. Sure, one or two simple knots are all you need to get by but using the right knot in the right circumstance can mean the difference between you or your pesky forest neighbors downing your food supply. Actually, it is wise to keep all smelly items tied in bags . . . you never know the exotics your smellables may attract.
Rain and other unexpected surprises can also make your adventure a real adventure when crossing an otherwise slow-moving stream. A rope may come in handing when you and your buddy need to get safely to the other side.
Here are several links that may help you learn more about knots.
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The Rope Pyramid Here’s a competition that can help your Pathfinders learn knots all year long and depending on the size of your club could be done by unit or the entire club. Make a pyramid shaped board with a tag for each Pathfinder. Any Pathfinder can challenge another Pathfinder on the line above him. The competition is timed and if the challenger tied all required knots correctly fastest then the tags are switched. Each Pathfinder can only challenge once a week. The top three could be challenged by anyone. It’s suggested that you start with the basic eight knots (overhand, square, clove hitch, two-half hitch, bowline, taut-line hitch, sheet bend, and timber hitch). Then add additional knots as the Pathfinders become more proficient. Possibly even having a different list of knots required to be tied for different boards. Make it easy for the Pathfinders to have access to learning to tie knots by having appropriate lengths of rope available (with adult supervision at all times) and the directions for tying each of the basic knots. Then add the instructions for new knots as the Pathfinders get better. You'll know it's successful if they ever ask what the new knots are going to be. |
Figure Eight Follow Through
There are two versions of this knot; each has a different function. One allows you to join two lines; the other permits you to create a loop of any size in the end of the rope. It's a bit slower to tie than a bowline, but just as effective.
Figure Eight Also known as the Flemish knot, this basic knot has a variety of uses. Tied at rope's end, the figure eight acts as a stopper, preventing the rope from slipping through a grommet. The overhand knot could be used, but the figure eight is easier to untie. Tied in the middle of the rope, the figure eight can be used as a slip knot
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