An icicle hitch

David M. Delaney

Here's a particularly simple icicle hitch, suitable for hanging an object from a smooth vertical pole. Is this *the* famous icicle hitch that supposedly grips even a smooth vertical pole that tapers downward? No, The knot properly known as *the* icicle hitch may be seen at http://tinyurl.com/2va29f (http://www.marinews.com). A perhaps better icicle hitch might be the "gripping sailor's hitch". See http://www.oocities.org/roo_two/sailorhitches.html

But the knot shown below is suitable for any steady load, and it's easier to remember and tie than the other icicle hitches. If you add another hitch around the pole with the bitter end, you get the camel hitch which appears in Ashley Book of Knots as # 215 and # 1741.

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