Knot No. 1688, a Hitch, in The Ashley Book of Knots
(Sailor's hitch? Grabbing hitch.)
A fast tying method of tying, suitable for blind tying.
David M. Delaney
October 29, 2006
From The Ashley Book of Knots (ABOK) [1], article 1688:
"The knots on this page [293] resulted
from a search for a hitch that will draw snug without any working. ...
The present hitch appears to be the simplest and most secure of the
lot. It draws up inevitably and has an excellent nip under all
circumstances. Moreover it is exceptionally easy to untie."
The web site of roo_two, http://www.oocities.org/roo_two/, seems to be the cause of recent general appreciation of the unusual merits of this hitch.
Ashley does not give a name for the hitch described in article 1688,
but the hitch is now often referred to as the "sailor's
hitch" (a name bestowed by roo_two?). This name seems to deprecate the other hitches that
sailor's find useful.. More suitable names might be "snugging
hitch" or "grabbing hitch". "Grabbing hitch" seems
especially appropriate, since it has a lot in common with "gripping
hitch", a name given to a derivative of ABOK 1688 having more turns to resist a longitudinal pull when tied to a
very smooth pipe. Ashley did not document the gripping hitch. Roo_two's web site may be its
first appearance.
The following fast tying method for the grabbing hitch, and the photos, are by David M. Delaney.
See ABOK or http://www.oocities.org/roo_two/sailorhitches.html
for a tying method that is guided more naturally by the structure of the knot.
References
[1] The Ashley Book of Knots, by Clifford W. Ashley, 1944, Doubleday, New York, ISBN 0-385-04025-3.
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