I did this for a while after seeing that video, but after some of my shorts ended up tightening into a knot that I couldn't get loose easily, I gave up on it.
I instead just use the "Ian Knot" that I use to tie my shoes. It's very quick, I already use it all the time anyhow, and it rarely goes wrong. (Sometimes, I think I end up with an end through a loop accidentally, and have to fix it.)
Learning this extra knot didn't really help much, and it definitely went wrong more than I liked.
Here is how to tie a bow in under 1 second in case anyone wants something that looks a bit cleaner but is less functional: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Q5qZpQe_4EA
A few years back I got a couple of Adidas running shorts. Instead of the typical drawstring they had some continuous string. To this day I've no idea how it was supposed to be used, I just cut it off and voila, a regular drawstring.
You can tie the same knots without cutting the string. Just grab the two sides, pull them snug, then tie the knot. The fact that the “free ends” are connected at a distance doesn’t prevent the knot from holding like usual.
The advantage of the continuous loop is that it can’t end up inside the waistband during laundry.
Just by the headline I suspected this was first class amateur. So many great videos.
That being said, use cord locks, not knots. You can often shorten the drawstring, and you will never lose one end into the waist.
I love how new people keep discovering Ian's website (cf the xkcd 1053). It's a really well made website, the pictures and animations are very well chosen to explain knots and lacing.
I favor a technique I was taught by a nursing student almost 30 years ago. You basically use the usual technique but each time the lace crosses another do it one extra time.
So first you wrap one lace around the other and pull it tight, well before you pull it tight wrap it around one more time. This helps hold the laces tight for the next step where you fold the laces and wrap them around each other. Do that a second time as well before you pull it fully tight.
Without video or illustration I suspect this is not easy to follow. Oh well.
I learned this knot from this video a while back -- I've used it ever since. It cinches the shorts tight, but is easy to release. It works especially well on strings that are slippery and don't hold a typical bow very well.
One drawback is that the two ends often end up different lengths, but otherwise it's a great knot!
Gosh I need to learn more about knots. I've been thinking about this recently: if I wanted to maximise utility and could only learn 5 knots, what would they be.
Or alternatively, what are the "better" alternatives to the classics everyone knows.
The Farrimond Hitch is my favorite knot. Useful to tie a line to another line and have it adjustable, but strong under load and a single pull to undo it. Easy to remember, it's like a prusik knot.
Knowing common knots is not just useful because they are handy, but they also represent a common toolkit - when sailing with someone, if I see they tie a certain thing with a specific knot, I can do likewise. When I see a knot I recognise, I immediately know how to untie and re-tie it.
Generally the same point about having a common vocabulary in tech work. Sometimes it's about stuff that's obvious to both parties in one way or another - but the name is what ties it together (heh).
The marlinspike hitch is the best bang-for-your-buck. The author of this video shows it in quite a few of his other videos. Depending on what you do with the tag end, you can quickly collapse it into a bowline for a fixed loop (and subsequently apply any bowline finishing you might like), or you can end up with an Ashley stopper (which provides triple the diameter of the rope, so is an excellent stopper). Using it actually as a marlinspike hitch gives you a really nice handle to pull in tension on a trucker’s hitch. The knot also does not jam, so you can easily pull it out just by completely tightening it. This same property makes it an excellent choice for the loop in a trucker’s hitch… provided you get the directionality right so the force of pulling in tension counteracts its desire to collapse. When you’re done, the loop can just collapse out when you untie it—no dealing with a jammed alpine butterfly.
There is a reason scouts require you to tie so many knots. Not that any scout remembers their knots longer than needed pass that requirement, but it is still important and once in a while they do need them.
The bowline has two variants, one being the cowboy version, which has the working bitter end on the outside of the loop, the "normal" bowline will have it on the inside of the loop.
To tie a bowline, make a loop in the working bitter end up about 2x the desired circumference of the loop you want to make. Your line is now segmented into the bitter end, and the standing line section.
Look at the loop. You want to put the bitter end through the same side of the hole where the bitter end overlaps the line/rope on the other side of the loop (standing section). If you use your right hand to twist the loop, and do so clockwise, you will insert the bitter end from the top. If you turn it counter-clockwise, then you will insert it from the bottom.
In this orientation, if you go around behind the right side of the standing part, you will form a normal bowline. If you go around behind on the left, this will form a "cowboy" bowline. Either works, but the cowboy one allows the bitter end to hang loose, which increases the odds of it getting caught up in other lines.
Finish by inserting the bitter end into the same hole from the other direction (obviously).
If you find the knot comes undone, you are putting it through the wrong side of the hole at the start. Just insert it in the other side and this particular problem solves itself. If you are on a boat, other problems may now be selected for attack. :P
Strongly agreed, and thank you - TIL about the truckee hitch, I've always been using trucker's hitches and now I'm going to go try to reprogram myself.
I'd add a butterfly loop to this list for those times you need to add a tie-in point to the middle of a rope for whatever reason.
I've spent waaay to much time thinking about this over the past few years and have really gotten into knots.
Personally I'd say you need to classify the type of knots you want to learn and pick one knot from each. The classics in my opinion are
1. End loop
2. Mid loop
3. Hitch (opposite of an end loop)
4. adjustable loop
5. Bend (rope to rope)
My suggestions in order are
# End Loop
1a. Bowline (snap variant) - This is a knot that's super easy to tie, remember, and untie. There are a bunch of variants to expand it's usefulness (double, water, slip, yosemite, etc)
1b. Zeppelin Loop - this is my personal favorite, it's a little tricky to tie but I've never seen it slip and it unties easily after it's all done.
# Mid Loop
2a. Alpine Butterfly - learn the butterfly method and this is an easy to tie knot that can be easily sized. It also doesn't bind so it unties easily and can be loaded in any direction (on of the only midline knots this is true for)
2b. Bowline on a Bight - Super satisfying knot to tie, a little wonky to learn just because of the structure but easy to tie once you get it.
# Hitch
3a. Tensionless Hitch - (this is probably the most overlooked 'knot' just look at a diagram you can learn it and never forget it after seeing the diagram once. It's the strongest knot there is if you have the rope for it. (I wouldn't really count this at one of your 5 but it's good to keep in mind)
3b. Buntline Hitch - dead simple and you can usually untie it after a heavy load
3c. Siberian Hitch - This is effectively a slipped noose but I use it all the time, it's my personal go to.
3c. Poachers knot - If you have a carabiner or know you're never going to need to untie this knot it's hard to beat
# Adjustable Loop / Friction Hitch
4a. Adjustable Grip Hitch - Easy to learn and holds better than the Midshipman's
4b. Midshipman - it's a little more complicated but this was Ashley's favorite because it can be tied under tension
# Bend
(Bends and fixed loops usually have the same structure so you might not need this one)
5a. Zeppelin Bend - seriously just learn this one, sixty nine method is the easiest for me. Knot is easy to tie, doesn't slip, and is easy to untie.
5b. Sheet Bend - this knot... is fine but you already know it if you learned the bowline above as it's the same structure
Bonus Section
1. Trucker/Truckee - probably one of the most useful knots around, learn the method that uses a slip knot for the mid loop and it'll make even easier
2. Canadian Jam Knot - Useful for bundling things, it's a knot I find myself using a lot
3. Voodoo Hitch - You can use it in place of a ratchet strap if you have a couple of carabiners
4. Icicle Hitch - Ever wanted to tie a rope to a butter metal pole and keep it from slipping? This is the knot, it cinches and grips things with so much friction you can tie a rope to about anything vaguely cylindrical
I’ve been giving this a try, and aside from Porky Pigging it through my kitchen this morning, it seems to have real promise. The rip cord isn’t a feature I value, though.
Ever since I was a scout in the 90s I've been considering how to get in contact with them about discouraging use of the square knot.
The way that loading it crosswise causes it to shift into a double half hitch, turning from a "hold fast" knot to a slipknot... That's funky behavior and should disqualify it from being among the first few knots people learn. If you're using it for its advertised purpose, it's downright dangerous, and the square/granny confusion is just needless pain to discourage a newbie.
If you wanna tie two ropes together and have a less finicky experience, use a fisherman's knot. Which is basically a pair of overhands, each around the other rope.
It's a much more reliable knot for trying two ropes together, lacks the annoying gotchas of the square knot, and for a long list of reasons I won't bore you with here it is a better foundation for learning other knots. (It's no good for drawstrings though, too reliable, no quick release).
just start with a double square knot (or whatever the first step is called) and pull it tight before starting the bow. it won't move while you tie the bow, and it's so much easier than this. if you have particularly slippery substrate, start with a triple instead
A reef knot (or square knot) cannot be adjusted or tied under load. When you tie the second crossing, the first one always loosens a bit. The lapp knot in the video can be tensioned properly after tying, which is pretty slick.
I did this for a while after seeing that video, but after some of my shorts ended up tightening into a knot that I couldn't get loose easily, I gave up on it.
I instead just use the "Ian Knot" that I use to tie my shoes. It's very quick, I already use it all the time anyhow, and it rarely goes wrong. (Sometimes, I think I end up with an end through a loop accidentally, and have to fix it.)
Learning this extra knot didn't really help much, and it definitely went wrong more than I liked.
Life is too short to make simple things more complicated.
You should be on a beach without internet connection then.
Super cool!
Here is how to tie a bow in under 1 second in case anyone wants something that looks a bit cleaner but is less functional: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/Q5qZpQe_4EA
Hard to tell if that's the same as the Ian Knot: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm
I've learned the Ian Knot almost 10 years ago and it still gives me a good smile when I use it every day. Feels like a proper life-hack.
I also cannot help myself but look down at people that don't use it, shoelace normies.
Thanks for sharing. That's an awesome site!
I think its the same Knot. I really like Ian's Secure Knot too: https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm
I've become a huge fan of the secure knot. Holds easily as well as any double knot I have ever seen, with the massive advantage of easy release.
First thing I thought when I saw it being tied.
"Hey, that's the Ian Knot!"
Per the video description, this is a Lapp Knot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapp_knot, sadly not animated by Grog.
Here’s an animated version: https://knots3d.com/en/lapp-knot
A few years back I got a couple of Adidas running shorts. Instead of the typical drawstring they had some continuous string. To this day I've no idea how it was supposed to be used, I just cut it off and voila, a regular drawstring.
You can tie the same knots without cutting the string. Just grab the two sides, pull them snug, then tie the knot. The fact that the “free ends” are connected at a distance doesn’t prevent the knot from holding like usual.
The advantage of the continuous loop is that it can’t end up inside the waistband during laundry.
Just by the headline I suspected this was first class amateur. So many great videos. That being said, use cord locks, not knots. You can often shorten the drawstring, and you will never lose one end into the waist.
Amazing, I love learning about knots! Is there a better shoelace knot? Not faster, but better
Yes, there is my friend. https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm
I've learned it a month ago and couldn't be happier.
I love how new people keep discovering Ian's website (cf the xkcd 1053). It's a really well made website, the pictures and animations are very well chosen to explain knots and lacing.
Yep: one extra rotation at the end, like when you are tying the loops together, go around a second time. Never comes undone, but releases easily.
I favor a technique I was taught by a nursing student almost 30 years ago. You basically use the usual technique but each time the lace crosses another do it one extra time.
So first you wrap one lace around the other and pull it tight, well before you pull it tight wrap it around one more time. This helps hold the laces tight for the next step where you fold the laces and wrap them around each other. Do that a second time as well before you pull it fully tight.
Without video or illustration I suspect this is not easy to follow. Oh well.
I learned this knot from this video a while back -- I've used it ever since. It cinches the shorts tight, but is easy to release. It works especially well on strings that are slippery and don't hold a typical bow very well.
One drawback is that the two ends often end up different lengths, but otherwise it's a great knot!
Funny, I just went seeking this video again last week
He published an addendum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbTYCHPLWLI
Gosh I need to learn more about knots. I've been thinking about this recently: if I wanted to maximise utility and could only learn 5 knots, what would they be.
Or alternatively, what are the "better" alternatives to the classics everyone knows.
The Farrimond Hitch is my favorite knot. Useful to tie a line to another line and have it adjustable, but strong under load and a single pull to undo it. Easy to remember, it's like a prusik knot.
https://www.animatedknots.com/farrimond-friction-hitch-knot
(overhand and double 8 are probably used more often by me, but not that versatile)
Depends what you're doing.
My favourite knot is the bowline. Non-slip loop, very strong, easy to tie, easy to undo. Can be used for tying two ropes together, ropes to things.
Other useful ones (especially for sailing)
* Clove hitch * Reef knot * Rolling hitch * Sheet bend
Tying a bowline is one of my fidgets. Also famously has a part in Jaws (1975), though not mentioned by name. ("Hey! I got it!")
Knowing common knots is not just useful because they are handy, but they also represent a common toolkit - when sailing with someone, if I see they tie a certain thing with a specific knot, I can do likewise. When I see a knot I recognise, I immediately know how to untie and re-tie it.
Generally the same point about having a common vocabulary in tech work. Sometimes it's about stuff that's obvious to both parties in one way or another - but the name is what ties it together (heh).
The bowline is great because you can tie it one handed.
I’d add tautline hitch, great to have an adjustable-but-holds-well knot to the repertoire!
And figure 8 retrace, a staple climbing knot
I used to use that a lot, but now would favour bowline, for ease of tying and untying. Less beginner-friendly, though.
The marlinspike hitch is the best bang-for-your-buck. The author of this video shows it in quite a few of his other videos. Depending on what you do with the tag end, you can quickly collapse it into a bowline for a fixed loop (and subsequently apply any bowline finishing you might like), or you can end up with an Ashley stopper (which provides triple the diameter of the rope, so is an excellent stopper). Using it actually as a marlinspike hitch gives you a really nice handle to pull in tension on a trucker’s hitch. The knot also does not jam, so you can easily pull it out just by completely tightening it. This same property makes it an excellent choice for the loop in a trucker’s hitch… provided you get the directionality right so the force of pulling in tension counteracts its desire to collapse. When you’re done, the loop can just collapse out when you untie it—no dealing with a jammed alpine butterfly.
There is a reason scouts require you to tie so many knots. Not that any scout remembers their knots longer than needed pass that requirement, but it is still important and once in a while they do need them.
Bowline, truckee’s hitch (the better alternative to a truckers hitch), prussick come to mind
The bowline has two variants, one being the cowboy version, which has the working bitter end on the outside of the loop, the "normal" bowline will have it on the inside of the loop.
To tie a bowline, make a loop in the working bitter end up about 2x the desired circumference of the loop you want to make. Your line is now segmented into the bitter end, and the standing line section.
Look at the loop. You want to put the bitter end through the same side of the hole where the bitter end overlaps the line/rope on the other side of the loop (standing section). If you use your right hand to twist the loop, and do so clockwise, you will insert the bitter end from the top. If you turn it counter-clockwise, then you will insert it from the bottom.
In this orientation, if you go around behind the right side of the standing part, you will form a normal bowline. If you go around behind on the left, this will form a "cowboy" bowline. Either works, but the cowboy one allows the bitter end to hang loose, which increases the odds of it getting caught up in other lines.
Finish by inserting the bitter end into the same hole from the other direction (obviously).
If you find the knot comes undone, you are putting it through the wrong side of the hole at the start. Just insert it in the other side and this particular problem solves itself. If you are on a boat, other problems may now be selected for attack. :P
Strongly agreed, and thank you - TIL about the truckee hitch, I've always been using trucker's hitches and now I'm going to go try to reprogram myself.
I'd add a butterfly loop to this list for those times you need to add a tie-in point to the middle of a rope for whatever reason.
I've spent waaay to much time thinking about this over the past few years and have really gotten into knots.
Personally I'd say you need to classify the type of knots you want to learn and pick one knot from each. The classics in my opinion are
1. End loop
2. Mid loop
3. Hitch (opposite of an end loop)
4. adjustable loop
5. Bend (rope to rope)
My suggestions in order are
# End Loop
1a. Bowline (snap variant) - This is a knot that's super easy to tie, remember, and untie. There are a bunch of variants to expand it's usefulness (double, water, slip, yosemite, etc)
1b. Zeppelin Loop - this is my personal favorite, it's a little tricky to tie but I've never seen it slip and it unties easily after it's all done.
# Mid Loop
2a. Alpine Butterfly - learn the butterfly method and this is an easy to tie knot that can be easily sized. It also doesn't bind so it unties easily and can be loaded in any direction (on of the only midline knots this is true for)
2b. Bowline on a Bight - Super satisfying knot to tie, a little wonky to learn just because of the structure but easy to tie once you get it.
# Hitch
3a. Tensionless Hitch - (this is probably the most overlooked 'knot' just look at a diagram you can learn it and never forget it after seeing the diagram once. It's the strongest knot there is if you have the rope for it. (I wouldn't really count this at one of your 5 but it's good to keep in mind)
3b. Buntline Hitch - dead simple and you can usually untie it after a heavy load 3c. Siberian Hitch - This is effectively a slipped noose but I use it all the time, it's my personal go to.
3c. Poachers knot - If you have a carabiner or know you're never going to need to untie this knot it's hard to beat
# Adjustable Loop / Friction Hitch
4a. Adjustable Grip Hitch - Easy to learn and holds better than the Midshipman's
4b. Midshipman - it's a little more complicated but this was Ashley's favorite because it can be tied under tension
# Bend
(Bends and fixed loops usually have the same structure so you might not need this one)
5a. Zeppelin Bend - seriously just learn this one, sixty nine method is the easiest for me. Knot is easy to tie, doesn't slip, and is easy to untie.
5b. Sheet Bend - this knot... is fine but you already know it if you learned the bowline above as it's the same structure
Bonus Section
1. Trucker/Truckee - probably one of the most useful knots around, learn the method that uses a slip knot for the mid loop and it'll make even easier
2. Canadian Jam Knot - Useful for bundling things, it's a knot I find myself using a lot
3. Voodoo Hitch - You can use it in place of a ratchet strap if you have a couple of carabiners
4. Icicle Hitch - Ever wanted to tie a rope to a butter metal pole and keep it from slipping? This is the knot, it cinches and grips things with so much friction you can tie a rope to about anything vaguely cylindrical
I’ve been giving this a try, and aside from Porky Pigging it through my kitchen this morning, it seems to have real promise. The rip cord isn’t a feature I value, though.
From a knot theorist: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yZuWPjnF6k0
Doesn't seem to work very well with flat strings it seems (or I suck at knotting).
Or the way most drawstrings are now: a loop and not two loose ends.
I lived several decades knowing only the standard set of knots (square, granny) that every six-year-old knows.
Recently, due to Scouts, learned more and I can't believe how often I use them.
... and... this knot is new to me. I'm stoked to add it to the brainbox. Way to go, OP!Ever since I was a scout in the 90s I've been considering how to get in contact with them about discouraging use of the square knot.
The way that loading it crosswise causes it to shift into a double half hitch, turning from a "hold fast" knot to a slipknot... That's funky behavior and should disqualify it from being among the first few knots people learn. If you're using it for its advertised purpose, it's downright dangerous, and the square/granny confusion is just needless pain to discourage a newbie.
If you wanna tie two ropes together and have a less finicky experience, use a fisherman's knot. Which is basically a pair of overhands, each around the other rope.
It's a much more reliable knot for trying two ropes together, lacks the annoying gotchas of the square knot, and for a long list of reasons I won't bore you with here it is a better foundation for learning other knots. (It's no good for drawstrings though, too reliable, no quick release).
It's amazing the things you learn here..
Agreed! Even better, this is a knot I need.
just start with a double square knot (or whatever the first step is called) and pull it tight before starting the bow. it won't move while you tie the bow, and it's so much easier than this. if you have particularly slippery substrate, start with a triple instead
A reef knot (or square knot) cannot be adjusted or tied under load. When you tie the second crossing, the first one always loosens a bit. The lapp knot in the video can be tensioned properly after tying, which is pretty slick.
haha...not bad. Nice try
HN is reading my thoughts again with this one