How to Tie the 10 Most Useful Knots

Learn how to tie knots in rope. Whether it's a simple overhand or the more complicated sheepshank, here are the 10 most useful knots know.

By The Mother Earth News Editors
Updated on August 23, 2022
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by AdobeStock/Michael

Learn how to tie knots in rope. Whether it’s a simple overhand or the more complicated sheepshank, here are the 10 most useful knots know.

Headin’ back to the land (or making any move toward greater self-sufficiency) will, sooner or later, mean a return to the use of ropes. Without simple hitches (single ropes tied to objects) and bends (ropes joined together), loads fall off trucks, an expensive cow or goat escapes, a boat goes adrift, and hoisting hay from wagon to mow becomes a major problem.

Rope Rhetoric

However, before you start to learn down-home knotsmanship, a brief summary of rope vocabulary is in order.

Bitter End: The end of a rope that’s being manipulated — also called the “working end.”

Standing Part: the segment of the rope that you aren’t using at the moment. It can be coiled, stretched, or otherwise left inactive.

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