KNOTS. The Complete Visual Guide.
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This practical guide to tying and using knots includes more than 100 knots!
[disclaimer]I received a copy of this book to review from DK Canada. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase this book after you click on one of my affiliate links in the post, I will receive a small commission for referring you, at no additional cost to you.[/disclaimer]
Title: KNOTS. The Complete Visual Guide.
Published By: Dorling Kindersley, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7566-9054-0
Pages: 400
KNOTS. The Complete Visual Guide.
My little Boy Scout and his Dad are very excited about this step-by-step visual guide. With easy-to-follow color photographs and knots for all purposes, this book is exactly what they wanted.
I never expected there to be so many different ways to tie a knot. There really are more than 100 different knots included and to make it easier to find a knot for the task you have in mind, the book is separated into sections.
Getting Started
The getting started section explains how ropes are made and the different types of materials they can be made from. It also outlines how to store rope and maintain it. There is a technique section included which addresses:
- Estimating rope length
- Working with a long length of rope
- Unlaying and laying a rope
- Working out the slack
- Tightening a knot
- Forming a half hitch
- Forming a crossing turn
- Doubling up
- Trimming the ends
- Working into shape
- Seizing
Next we begin to learn how to tie knots for different purposes.
Types of Knots
- Stopper Knots – 15 different knots
- Binding Knots – 20 different knots
- Bends – 13 different knots
- Hitches – 28 different knots
- Loops – 23 different knots
- Braids and Sennits – 14 different knots
- Splices and Whippings – 11 different knots
Throughout the book there are icons which indicate the activities each knot can be used for. The icons include General, Fishing, Climbing, Sailing, Camping and Decorative. I of course flipped through to find the decorative knots first.
Some of the Decorative Knots Include
- Monkey’s Fist
- Matthew Walker Knot
- Crown Knot
- Manrope Knot
- Diamond Knot
- True Lover’s Knot
- Sailor’s Cross
- Boa Knot
- Turk’s Head – Three-Lead Four-Bight, Four-Lead Five-Bight and Five-Lead Four-Bight
- Carrick Bend
- Hunter’s Bend
- Lanyard Knot
- Overhand Loop and Double Overhand Loop
- Basic Net Knot
The Fisherman’s Knot is not included in the decorative knots but it is actually the technique I use when I tie two strands of yarn together (the same color yarn) in the middle of a project.
My favorite part of the book is the Braids and Sennits Section.
Some of the knots included are:
- Square Crown Sennit (super cool!)
- Turk’s Head – Four-Lead Five Bight
- Oval Mat (love this!) and Ocean-Braid Mat
- 3 to 7 strand braids
- Chain Sennit and Four-Strand Round Sennit
- Eight-Strand
- Round Crown Sennit
- Square Sennit
- Six-Strand Round Crowning
Many of the Sennit knots would make beautiful bracelets!
Throughout the book there are little sections that indicate knots that are best for a specific purpose. You will find “Best for Fishing”, “Best for Sailing”, “Best for Household”, “Best for Gifts” and even a section included within Splices and Whippings called “Best for Horses”.
The diagrams included for every single knot, include colorful arrows to show you which directions to wrap and tie the knots. Written queues are also in each of the photos to explain what you need to do and which way you need to pull or insert your rope, to make the tying action. The images are large enough to see exactly how to tie each of the knots.
A helpful glossary is included on pages 394-395 and the alphabetical index on pages 396-399 makes finding knots by name easy.
I’m surprised by how much I like this book. It was a book chosen specifically for my husband and son because they are into camping and other activities with the Boy Scouts. There really are knots included for all purposes in this guide. I think I am going to need to ask them to borrow KNOTS. The Complete Visual Guide. for some crafting and bracelet making projects!
You can purchase your own copy of KNOTS. The Complete Visual Guide directly from Amazon.
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I have recently tried my hand out with Macrame n para-cord, and though internet videos are helpful, sometime you just want it in front of you in black n white. This book is on my wish list.
This seems like it would be a great book. Sure you can look things up on the internet but some things are just better with an actual book. I feel this way about crochet stitches as well because you can easily bookmark the ones your interested in and easily go back to them. The versatility of these knots is endless and it is definitely going on my list of future books.