Although these knots are termed fancy knots, they are not necessarily used for ornamental purposes, but are often of considerable utility; indeed, they could hardly be done without aboard ship.

One of the commonest knots of this kind is the “wall knot”; Fig. 83 shows this ready for hauling taut. First unlay the strands at the end of a rope and make a bight with one strand A; hold this to the standing part with the thumb of the left hand, make a loop with the next strand B round the end of the first strand, and bring the remaining strand C round the end of the strand B and through the bight of A.

If the ends are taken round once more and brought up in the centre of the knot, it is called a “stopper knot” (see Fig. 84). In this case the ends are whipped together and cut off level. Fig. 84 is the stopper knot finished. Fig. 85 shows the crowning begun. Open the strands of a rope as before, but do not put a seizing round them. Lay the strand A down over the centre of the rope, and then bring B down over A and strand C over B and through the bight of A. Fig. 86 shows how the strands tie when they are nearly taut. The strands in Fig. 85 are hardly in the position which they occupy when the knot is actually being made, as they are then much snugger.

Crowning is used by itself as a method of preventing the strands of a rope unlaying while in use. In this case, after crowning as above, pass one end over the next strand in the standing part, and under the following one. Do the same to each of the other strands in succession. This may be repeated and the ends cut off. Masons, whose ropes have to stand a good deal of knocking about, generally use this plan; for this reason it is called “masons’ whipping.” Though very strong and standing hard usage well, this is not the neatest way of finishing the ends of a rope.

Crowning may also be used in connection with other knots. For instance, it is possible to crown first and wall afterwards, as shown in Figs. 87 and 88. Fig. 87 shows the crowning in the centre of the knot hauled taut; this is made on the end of a rope as just described. Now make a single wall knot under the crowning. When the knot is tightened it will appear as in Fig. 88, and is called a “manrope knot.” A single “wall knot” may be crowned after it is made; a single wall and a single crown are the result. Wall again by passing one end under the part of the first walling next to it and bring it up through the same bight, and do the same with the other two strands, and the result is a knot with a double wall and a single crown. A double-walled double-crowned, called a “Tack Knot,” is made as the last knot—that is, double-walled and single-crowned. Now lay the ends by the sides of those in the single crown, and with the aid of a pricker bring them down through the double walling and they will be alongside the standing part of the rope. The knot is shown completed, with the ends cut off, in Fig. 89.

In Fig. 90 is shown a Matthew Walker knot open ready for being hauled taut. After putting a seizing round the rope and unlaying the end as before, bring one strand A round the rope and put it through its own bight, the next strand B underneath, through the bight of A and through its own bight, and the last strand C underneath through both the other bights, and lastly through its own bight. Fig. 91 shows the knot completed.

The “diamond knot” is an ornamental knot made some distance from the end of a rope; it is therefore necessary to unlay the rope considerably more than is required for the preceding knots. To form a diamond, bring each of the three strands down alongside the standing part of the rope, thus forming three bights, and hold them thus with the left hand. Take the first strand A (Fig. 92), and, putting it over the next B, bring it up through the bight of the third strand C. Take the end of the second strand over the third and up through the bight of the first. The last strand is brought over the first and up through the bight of the second. Haul taut and lay the rope up again. Fig. 92 is the way the knot is begun, showing the manner of taking the first strand. Fig. 93 shows the loops in their places with the ends through them before they are hauled taut, and Fig. 94 shows the knot finished. Remember that, after the bights are formed down the standing part, each end successively goes over the strand next to it and up through the loop beyond. This knot is the “single diamond.”

For a “double diamond” (Fig. 95) make a single diamond as above, without laying up the strands; the ends are then made to follow the lead of the single knot through two single bights, the ends coming out on the top of the knot. The last strand passes through two double bights. When the ends are hauled taut they are laid up as before. The last four knots are used for the ends of lanyards, man and ridge ropes, yoke lines, etc.

The “shroud knot” (Fig. 96) is of use in joining two ropes together, particularly for joining a stay or shroud that has been carried away. The ends of each rope are unlaid, and placed within one another as in splicing, the parts not unlaid being brought closely together. Make a wall knot (Fig. 83, p. 66) with the strands of one rope round the standing part of the other rope; turn the ropes over, and do the same with the other set of ends, and they will appear as in the figure. Open the strands, and taper and serve them over if the job is to be particularly neat. Two ropes of different sizes may be twisted in this way, and will be quite secure.

In making the “French shroud knot” unlay the ends and place the two ropes with the strands intermixed as before; bring one set of ends back on their own rope, and make a single wall knot with the other set of strands round the bights of the first set and the standing part. They can then be tapered and served as in an ordinary shroud knot.

For a “spritsail sheet knot,” unlay the two ends of a rope and bring the two sets of strands together side by side; these have to be walled together as for a common wall knot. A bight is made with the first strand, the second is put over the first, the third over the second, the fourth over the third, the fifth over the fourth, the sixth over the fifth and through the bight of the first; they are then hauled taut. Crown it by laying two of the strands along the top of the knot and passing the other strands alternately over and under these two, and afterwards hauling them taut. It may be double-walled after crowning by putting the strands successively under the bights on the left of them and through the same bights, and the ends will then come up in the right position to be crowned again. This is done by following the lead of the first crowning and putting the ends through the walling as before.

The “buoy rope knot” can be made on a cable-laid rope only. Unlay the main strands, and take out one of the smaller strands, of which they are composed, from each of the large strands, and then lay them up again. The small strands that have been taken out are now single and double-walled round the rope, and then laid along the divisions after the manner of weaving, and their thin ends stopped with spun yarn. A stop should be put round the rope with the spun yarn where the knot is to be made before it is begun, and the walling should be right-handed.

The “Turk’s Head” is a highly ornamental knot which, instead of being made out of the rope itself, is formed on the rope with a piece of small stuff. A clove-hitch (p. 32) is first made on the rope (Fig. 97); this must be slack enough to allow of the extra strands which will form part of it. Put part A over strand B, thus twisting the two strands; pass the end C under and up through the bight that B now forms, then twist again by putting B over A and run the end under and up through the bight of A. Continue twisting the strands by alternately putting one over the other, and at each twist bring the end under and up through the bight which is underneath, A at the beginning going over B; the bight which B makes will be the under one, and therefore the one through which the end C must be passed. The end C must be much longer than illustrated as the whole knot is made with this part, and as the knot when finished contains three groups of three strands each, it is obvious that the length of cord used must be more than nine times the circumference of the rope round which the knot is made. Having made a sufficient number of twists (the exact number depends on the size of the knot), lay the end C alongside D, where it comes out of the knot, and continue following its lead through all its turns as it goes through the knot until the beginning is reached again. There will now be a Turk’s head of two parts. If the end is again passed through by the side of the same strand as before, a complete Turk’s head of three parts will be formed. Care must be taken to keep the working strand close to and on the same side of the strand that is being followed, or a perfect knot cannot be formed. The first time round is the most difficult, the second is easy enough. Of course, the knot may consist of more parts if required, but three is the usual number. The ends do not require fastening in any way, as in the last round they finish in the middle of the knot under the coils, and are quite secure (see Fig. 98).

The “single pitcher” knot, known also as “Tom Fool’s” knot, is shown by Fig. 99. Form two half-hitches, as in Fig. 100, one lying half-way over the other. With the finger and thumb of the left hand draw the part A down through the bight, and with the same fingers of the right hand bring the strand B upwards through the bight, under which it lies. Pull out the loops thus formed to a sufficient length and knot the ends together. When used to supply the place of a broken pitcher handle, the centre knot should be hauled taut, and, the pitcher being placed on it, the loops are brought up to form handles. To keep them in their places a lashing is put round the neck of the pitcher, as shown in Fig. 101. This knot is also very useful in slinging a shot when required as a weight, or for any other purpose. In this case the centre knot is not hauled taut but left open, forming a large loop on which the shot lies. If the ends are spliced instead of knotted a three-loop knot is made.

This knot is used also as a trick or puzzle knot, and from this arose its name of “Tom Fool’s” knot.

Fig. 102 is the “double pitcher” knot, which goes also by the names of “jury” knot and “true lovers’” knot. It is used as the single pitcher knot to sling a broken pitcher, but in this case there are four loops by which to carry it instead of two. In rigging a jury-mast the end of it is put through the centre of the knot before it is hauled taut; the stays to support and steady the mast are then made fast to the bights of the knot. Form two half-hitches in a piece of cord, as in Fig. 103, then make another hitch, which draw behind the other hitches with the inner edge overlapping the inner edge of the first hitch, as shown in Fig. 103. Pass the forefinger and thumb of the left hand over strand A under B and take hold of C. Put the same fingers of the right hand under D over E and take hold of F. Take G between the teeth and draw the three loops out. It is better to make G the length required at first, as the other loops being immediately connected with the ends can be more readily adjusted as to size than the upper loop. When the loops are made the right size the loose ends are spliced together with a short splice, thus forming the fourth loop.

Fig. 104 shows a ready way of slinging a can to improvise a paint pot, to dip for water, etc. Pass the end of the cord under the bottom of the can and bring the two parts over it, and make with them an overhand knot; open the knot, as shown in Fig. 105, and draw the two parts down until they come round the upper edge of the can; haul taut, and knot them together again over the can, as shown in Fig. 104.

If the ends of the shamrock knot (Fig. 106) were spliced, a four-looped knot would be formed. Though used for the same purposes as the double pitcher knot, it is not so good as that, being more troublesome to make and not so strong, in consequence of the short nip of the strands in the centre of the knot. Fig. 107 shows the way of making it. An overhand knot is first formed with the ends at A; the end B is then laid across the upper loop, brought round and under the right loop and up through the bight C. The strand D, after passing at the back of the upper loop, is carried over the left loop and down through the bight E. The loops are now adjusted for size and the knot hauled taut. Fig. 108 gives another way of making this knot. Two overhand knots intersecting one another are made on the ends, as illustrated; the part A is drawn up through the bight C, and the part B down through the bight D. These form the side loops, and the top loop being pulled out the knot is completed. By an extension of these methods knots may be made with any number of loops, but the difficulty increases greatly as the loops increase, so much so, that many loops cannot be made except wire replaces the cord.

The dalliance knot whose beginning is shown by Fig. 109 is a trick knot difficult to learn when it is merely seen rapidly made. The object is to make two independent double-knots at once on a double cord. Double the cord so that the ends lie together; bring the bight over the standing parts, as shown in Fig. 109, and cross the strand A over the strand B; they will now appear as in Fig. 110. Press the part C down between the two strands on which it lies, and bring it up through the opening D, draw it out, and two overhand knots will be formed on the double cord. While the part C is being drawn out through D, the whole of the loop E must be brought up through the bight F; this forms the upper knot. The lower knot is made by loop F, C forming bight at top of double cord. The finished knot is practically the same as Fig. 16 (p. 25).

Some stage performances many years ago consisted of various rope tricks. In the principal one the performers were shut up in a cabinet, and when the doors were thrown open they were found seated on two chairs tightly bound hand and foot. After examining the knots, the doors were closed and the men rang bells, played on the tambourine, and threw things out of a small window in the top of the cabinet. On the doors being opened again directly they were found firmly tied to their chairs as before. They were able to do this by means of an ingenious knot, shown in Fig. 111. To perform the trick, two medium ropes each about 12 ft. long are required. First the openhand knot A (see Fig. 8, p. 19) joining the two ropes is made, the ends being passed twice through the bight to increase the size of the knot. Two running knots are made close up to this knot as at B, B. The knotted end of the rope is laid on the seat of a chair with the ropes passing down the back of the seat and under the chair. The performer seats himself on the chair, and, drawing the loose ends of the ropes up in front from under it, he passes them round and round his legs and the legs of the chair in a complicated manner. He draws the knotted end from under him, and, putting his arms over the back of the chair, passes his left hand down through one loop and his right hand up through the other. He now turns his right hand down until the palms of both hands are together and the fingers pointing downwards This produces a twist in the ropes which takes up the slack and tightens the cord round the wrists. The large knot being between the hands effectually hides this, and the wrists merely appear to be as tightly bound together as they can be. The performer has merely to reverse this last proceeding—that is, to bring the right hand up again, and so undo the twist—and his hand can be withdrawn as readily as it was put into the loop. The trick requires some practice, and the size of the loops must be regulated by the size of the performer’s wrists. The knots should also be so placed on the chair at the commencement that the ropes are tight when the hands are in the loops.

Fig. 112 is the “bellringer’s knot,” but really it is a hitch and not a knot. Church bells have a large wheel on the axle on which they are hung, round which the bell-rope passes; this is done to obtain sufficient leverage to raise the bell mouth upwards when it is rung. This requires a long rope, a good portion of which lies on the belfry floor when the bell is down. When the ringing is over this slack is hitched up out of the way in the manner shown. The loop A is made near the end of the rope, laid against the standing part, and a hitch taken over it at about the height of a man’s head. The hitch should be kept quite close to the standing part, and it will hold the loop quite securely; at the same time a slight pull at the end releases the whole thing at once. The part B where the rope is grasped when the bell is checked as it comes over is called the sally or tufting. It is made by opening the strands and inserting short pieces of worsted, which are afterwards trimmed until they are all of one length.