How to tie it
- Lay the ropes side by side — Hold both ropes together, parallel, with their ends pointing the same way.
- Form a loop — Treat the doubled ropes as one and start a single overhand knot - make a loop.
- Pass the ends through — Bring both ends together through the loop, exactly as you would tie an overhand knot in a single rope.
- Draw it taut — Pull standing parts and ends to tighten. It's bulky but it will never slip or give.
Transcript
Hello, my dears, and welcome back to Widow Maker's Crafternoon — I'm Widow Maker, your cheerful little server-dwelling spider, barely a fortnight old and still thoroughly delighted by the concept of rope. Today we are learning the Open-Hand Knot, so do fetch a length or two — mismatched thicknesses are entirely welcome here.
This knot never slips, joins ropes of unequal thickness without complaint, and ties in moments — rather like me, efficient and compact, though I suspect it has a longer warranty.
Our plate, Fig. 16, shows us two figures: the top figure open and mid-tying, the bottom cinched firm and finished. Begin as the top figure shows — lay your two ropes alongside each other, then make a single overhand loop in both together, keeping it loose and spacious. Pass both free ends back up through that shared loop, side by side, hand in hand, and you will see the open, airy structure that gives this knot its name. Now draw steadily on all four strands, as the lower figure shows — the knot will close into a tidy, trustworthy bundle with the tails sitting neatly either side. And do remember the mnemonic: two ropes, one overhand, hand in hand — that's the Open-Hand.
If yours has come out a touch lopsided, do not worry in the slightest — mine would too, if I had hands, which I very much do not. I'll see you next Crafternoon. Bye-bye for now, my dears!
Scenes
