This is the first knot I teach my students, it is called the Sheet Bend, which is actually a bend and not a knot, but that's splitting hairs. Knowing this knot will allow you to join two pieces of rope - cordage of the same or different diameters, forms a strong joint, and is easy to get undone. If you only learn to tie one knot, this is the one that will prove most useful to you. There are thousands of knots, but the sheet bend is in my opinion the King of all knots. I have found that most people have no clue how to join two ropes together, so get busy practicing. You should be able to tie at least 10 knots for general purposes, and be able to tie them in the dark by feel, and with one hand.
The bowline is my go-to knot, the one I teach most often, along with the butterfly . Rescuing boats that have sunk, often required diving down 10-20-30 feet working under water, so merky and dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Or tying to a frame member you can only reach with one hand but can't see what your doing, for the mud the front end is buried in. It is absolutely necessary to know your knots that well . One never knows, how or when this skill will be required. It is the same muscle memory one develops for other skills like shooting, knitting, ammo reloading, knife throwing, bow drill, and so forth. they may not seem that complex after you've been doing it for some time ,never the less it is muscle memory. It helps to learn to visualize in your mind's eye , while your doing it ,say under a towel or box or under the table. It doesn't take big expensive ropes , just string your fingers can feel the weight of . Scouting books have knots to learn and other books are available both for climbing and swift water rescue as well.
I learned that one back in my mountaineering days, and you are right - it's the knot I use most often. Note to others: If you are joining a thin line to a thick line, the thick line should be the one bent in a "U".
The Munter hitch and grapevine are probably my favorite knots. Most common is the bowline. Trucker's hitch is quite handy. Cool thread.
If all else fails, pull out your Bluejacket's Manual and see the seamanship section. (You do have a copy of the BJM, do you not?)
And here I thought it was going to be something we will need in five to seven months, the hangman's noose.
I was going to start a thread with this, but I'll add it to yours, if you don't mind. Decided to try a new knot, one unfamilar to me, but had come up in a thread, as both a Melee weapon and a tool. (That's right up my alley. ) so i set about to try a monkey's fist holding a ball. So what to use? No steel ball handy, so why not lead? So i cut an ingot of soft lead in half, and made a ball. Lead being a contact poison, i wore a glove while handling it, and washed up after as well. Next, i grabbed a 50' hank of paracord, and a free knot app, and set about learning a new knot. I found that a standard monkey's fist consists of 3x3x3 wraps on three axis (easier said then done)and does not leave any room inside for a metal ball, so i experimented with added wraps (9 different attempts) until the ball could be reasonably well concealed within. After removing all the slack and tieing an overhand knot in the free end, and retightening every wrap, it left 41' of the origonal 50', and could still have used more than the 7x7x7 wrap i ended up with. I will weigh the finished monkey's fist, at work on the postal scale at the next opportunity. edit: finished weight 1lb 8oz.overall.
I thought that anvil looked familiar . and the corn bread mold cast lead .dad did several of those. Would it not be more efficient to make a casting of a ball out of plaster of Paris and pour several? One could even cast the hole( like a slide sinker) in the ball for anchoring the tether .
As ghrit would tell you, the wrap is to protect the bulkhead and the knothead who misses the tossed line. It is to soften the blow. A simple dogbone, or a cast ball would work fine, if you didn't care about what that end could hit by accident. As for the plaster, i have none, and the cast soft lead is what i bought before i started casting my own. $2.00 per pound. Once i have a proper mold, i will be casting bullets for black powder.
