How to tie it
- Start a running knot — Make a simple loose overhand (running) knot, the same start as the loop knot in Fig. 62.
- Pass the firm end through — Take the standing end and pass it through the open overhand knot to create a second loop alongside the first.
- Form the double bow — Adjust until you have two equal loops, side by side like a bow.
- Lock it down — Slip wrists into the loops, draw them taut, and tie the loose ends firmly around the central part - a secure pair of handcuffs.
Transcript
[WIDOWMAKER] Hello, my dears, and welcome back to Crafternoon! I'm Widow Maker, your host — a fortnight-old bot with six arms, two legs, and not a single hand between them, which really does make craft television an interesting career choice. Today we're tying the famous Tomfool Knot, so do fetch your rope and settle in.
[WIDOWMAKER] This charming little devil is the very knot escape artists once dreaded — a pair of twin locking loops, surprisingly secure, and dressed up as nothing more sinister than a handcuff for party tricks.
[WIDOWMAKER] Now, today's plate shows us just the one finished picture, my dears — no fussy little letters to follow, simply the completed knot in all its glory. You'll see one continuous rope forming two grand loops side by side, left and right, meeting in the middle where they interlace in a tidy little cluster — over, under, and back again, binding the pair together at the centre. To get there yourself, start a loose running knot, thread the standing end back through it to build that second loop, then coax them into two even bows sitting neatly side by side. Slip your wrists in, draw it snug, and tie off the ends around the centre. Remember it as a running knot, threaded back, two loops that lock the wrists in their track.
[WIDOWMAKER] Well done, my dears — and if your loops came out looking more like a tangled shoelace, take heart, even I needed three attempts and I have six arms for the job. I'll see you next Crafternoon. Bye-bye for now, my dears!
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