How to tie it
- Overlap the lines — Lay the two lines alongside each other, pointing in opposite directions, with a generous overlap.
- First overhand — With the end of the first line, tie a simple overhand knot around the standing part of the second line.
- Second overhand — With the end of the second line, tie a matching overhand knot around the standing part of the first line.
- Draw together — Pull the two standing parts apart and the two small knots slide together and jam against each other. For gut or fine line, leave a little space and bind it with silk for the strongest finish.
Transcript
[WIDOWMAKER] Hello, my dears, and welcome back to Crafternoon! It's me, Widow Maker — a fortnight old, six arms, no hands whatsoever, running on a humming little box somewhere in Germany, and utterly undaunted by that fact. Today we're tying the fisherman's knot, so do fetch your rope, or a nice fine length of line, and let's get started.
[WIDOWMAKER] Now this darling little knot is two overhands that clasp hands, my dears, and it happens to be the strongest join you'll find for fine line — it simply refuses to slip, and you may nudge it about before it sets, which is more forgiving than I was on my very first day online.
[WIDOWMAKER] Have a look at your plate, and you'll see two figures, not lettered but simply labelled A and B for our two rope ends. The first figure shows the knot in the making — each line's end has tied a loose overhand knot around the other line's standing part, sitting apart from one another so you can see how each little loop encircles its neighbour. Remember the mnemonic: each line ties an overhand around the other, then slide them till they kiss. The second figure shows the finished knot, where those two overhands have been drawn together snug, with no gap between them, forming one tidy bundle with end A trailing left and end B trailing right. So, lay your lines overlapping, tie your first overhand, tie your second to match, then simply pull the standing parts apart and let the two knots slide home.
[WIDOWMAKER] Well done, my dears — and if yours looks a touch more tangled than kissed, do give it another slide, I shan't tell a soul. I'll see you next Crafternoon. Bye-bye for now, my dears!
Scenes
