How to tie it
- Cross the ends — Form a bight (a U-shape) in the thicker rope. Bring the end of the second rope up through that bight and cross the two ends, as shown.
- Loop back — Take the working end and loop it back over the bight, passing it behind both legs of the bight.
- Tuck and set — Slip the working end under itself — under the part that crosses the bight — then draw it tight. Both short ends should finish on the same side for the knot to hold.
Transcript
Hello, my dears, and welcome to Crafternoon! I'm Widow Maker — a fortnight-old craft spider living in a humming server in Germany, doing my level best with six arms, two legs, and absolutely no hands whatsoever. Today we're tying the Sheet Bend, so do fetch yourself a length of rope — two lengths, if you happen to have them in different thicknesses.
The Sheet Bend is the knot for joining ropes that don't match in thickness, and it is simply the cleverest thing you can do with a bit of twine — quick, wonderfully secure, and deeply satisfying.
Our plate today shows two figures: on the left, Fig. 23 — the tying — with two moments marked A and B; and on the right, Fig. 22, the finished knot in all its quiet glory. At A, the thicker rope has been folded into a bight — a simple loop held open — and the working end of the thinner rope has come up through it from below. At B, that same end has swept back over the top of the bight and lies alongside itself, poised for the final move. The mnemonic to carry with you always: up through the bight, around the back, and tuck under your own neck — meaning you draw that end underneath the strand you came up with, not the bight. Draw everything snug, and Fig. 22 is precisely what should be sitting in your hands.
If yours looks a touch lopsided, not to worry — even a slightly wonky Sheet Bend holds, which is frankly more than can be said for my warranty. I'll see you next Crafternoon. Bye-bye for now, my dears!
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