Agree with the other commenter - this is very charming! I find it a wonderfully romantic idea to contemplate that, at some point in human past, studying and developing new knots (or even stumbling upon new knots and sharing that idea) would have been a realistic endeavour that expanded the boundary of human knowledge and gave us newer or safer ways of building and achieving things.
Animated Knots by Grog[1] and 3D Knots[2] are oft-cited places to learn knots on the internet, but OP's is such a nice throwback. Don't miss the "requested entries" page with 28 more knots![3]
Pioneering was my favorite merit badge in scouting, and it was the only place I was exposed to the engineering discipline of knots before discovering them again as a college student.
I teach a class on knots "for people who can't remember knots", and specifically for tent campers (in the SCA).
Basically, I teach the half-hitch (just to get the class introduced to the teaching style), the square (vs granny) for securing things until you want them freed, the figure 8 (for a variety of uses, including making a loop), and the tautline hitch (for tightening ropes). [0]
I then show them how to secure things on their car rooftops with a porter's hitch (trucker's hitch), and pitfalls to avoid there.
My focus is: simple, reuse of the fewest knots possible, and reliable.
I spoke to another knot teacher once, asking them why they taught the bowline knot. I was very seriously told: "If one of my students was ever in a life-or-death situation, it could blah blah blah!" Except... the bowline is in every way inferior to a figure 8, except for (1) amount of rope used and (2) bragging rights to "prove" you know knots.
It always amazes me how people glorify the bowline. It's harder to remember, more prone to breaking and slipping, and far harder to visually "check" for correctness.
[0]: I also venture a little abroad, like the surgeon's variation on the square. But it all builds on those three knots in slight variation.
6 comments
[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 19.8 ms ] threadIt would be neat to see it updated to something along the lines of:
https://507movements.com/
That said, most folks would be better served by:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16086997-why-knot-how-to...
or some other text with clear illustrations and instructions, or if one wants something comprehensive:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816629.The_Ashley_Book_o...
(note that in the literature, knots are referred to by their ABOK#)
[1]: https://www.animatedknots.com/
[2]: https://knots3d.com/
[3]: https://knots.neocities.org/requested
Surely there is a data structure joke in here?
Basically, I teach the half-hitch (just to get the class introduced to the teaching style), the square (vs granny) for securing things until you want them freed, the figure 8 (for a variety of uses, including making a loop), and the tautline hitch (for tightening ropes). [0]
I then show them how to secure things on their car rooftops with a porter's hitch (trucker's hitch), and pitfalls to avoid there.
My focus is: simple, reuse of the fewest knots possible, and reliable.
I spoke to another knot teacher once, asking them why they taught the bowline knot. I was very seriously told: "If one of my students was ever in a life-or-death situation, it could blah blah blah!" Except... the bowline is in every way inferior to a figure 8, except for (1) amount of rope used and (2) bragging rights to "prove" you know knots.
It always amazes me how people glorify the bowline. It's harder to remember, more prone to breaking and slipping, and far harder to visually "check" for correctness.
[0]: I also venture a little abroad, like the surgeon's variation on the square. But it all builds on those three knots in slight variation.