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And... new topic; Knots.

Admittedly not the grandest, nor most interesting topic, but a curiosity nonetheless.

Depending on what you will use the knot for, each knot must be tied differently; basic ties, camping knots, fishing, boating, climbing, scouting, decorative, and splicing. For now I'm going to stick to the basic knots for now.

There are generally eight basic knots, here are the first four;

The overhand knot,
is used most commonly, for strand-stopping, that is to stop a piece of rope from fraying or unraveling. It is also one of the few stopper knots that can be tied tightly or tied against something. It is achieved by forming a tie like the one beginning a tie in a shoe lace. That is by forming a lope in one end of a length of rope before crossing the end over itself, then pulling it under and through the loop formed and pulling tight.

The Half Hitch,
is used around an object; although it is not a secure knot alone, hence it is usually followed by another half hitch, or more. (This is generally causes a clove hitch, which is made by forming a loop by coiling the rope on itself, then pulling the loop tight around an object, then forming another loop with the left-hand side of the remaining rope and pulling that over the object too. [Although if you reverse the second half hitch, you achieve a cow hitch; a loop, with the remaining length ontop of the loop, and another formed in the same way opposing it, before tucking both around an object and pulling tight with the remaining legth.])A half hitch is created by, generally forming a overhand knot around an object, forming a loop with the middle of the rope, then pulling an end through the loop around the object, using the remaining length to pull tight.

The Half knot,
again is generally used with two of the same, causing a square reef, when the second is tied left over right, if it is right over left it is a granny knot. This should not be used for larger loads as it has a reputation of slipping that precedes it. To create this knot you must use two ends of a length, and cross the right under the left, and pull the left underneath the right over it, forming a figure of eight on its side, then add another, repeating the tie, depending on which know you wish as an outcome.

The Square knot,
is made by using the ends of the rope, laying a suffeicent length of end end parrell, but seperate, lift the right end over the left and pull the end of the left upwards at an angle but still flat. Then pull the right down underneath the left, before raising it up opposite the left at an angle, the ends are then crossed the end that was the right at the beginning over the top of the left, then tuck the right underneath the left again and pull tightly. This is the average square knot, which if there are more than two can fall undone, hence although it is possible to add another half knot or more it is not adviseable. There is another variation called the surgical knot, which is made by wrapping two ends together, left side leading, before pulling the two ends up, then each end to the opposing side with the beginning right side underneath and through the left coil. There is also the granny, that is two crossed ends or a double knot, and the theif, made by using two ends; pulling the right side over the left and coiling back, then underneath the left to join back to itself. Then pull the left underneath the two right lengths and through the loop formed and back on itself, then pull tightly by the ends.