After the common useful knots and splices have been thoroughly mastered it is well to learn how to make a few ornamental knots and ropework. Many of these are really useful about a boat while others add greatly to the neat, yachty appearance of ropes, rigging, etc.
At first sight most ornamental knots appear very complicated and difficult, but they are really no harder to tie than a bowline or a reef knot, once you know how.
In tying fancy knots you will find cotton rope or very fine hemp better than Manilla, but after you are really skillful you will find no trouble in forming any knot in any old rope that is handy.
The two most important of fancy knots and those which are the foundation of many others are the crown, (Figs. 23, 24) and the wall, (Figs. 25, 26). The Matthew Walker, (Fig. 32) and the Turk’s head, (Fig. 33) are also very beautiful and useful knots and by the use of these four and their various combinations an endless number of fancy knots may be devised. Many of these combinations of two or more knots have become so generally used that they have received specific names and are now recognized as regular knots. Such are the wall and crown, double wall and crown, etc.
In addition to true ornamental knots there are various other forms of fancy ropework, such as worming, parcelling, serving, sennett work, thumming, etc., while four-stranded and crown-braids are used in making ornamental lanyards, hand lines, rope fenders, etc.
Ornamental Knots
The simplest of ornamental knots is the crown and it is well to commence with this. Unlay the strands of the rope for a few inches. Seize or whip the ends of the rope as when making a short splice. Now while holding the rope in your left hand, fold one strand over and away from you as in A, Fig. 23; then fold B over A and while holding these in place with your thumb and finger pass C over B and through the bight of A, as shown in the cut. Now pull the ends tight and work the bights up snugly and your knot will be the single crown, but as this is a poor knot to stay tied and is not very ornamental, it should be finished by tucking the free ends under and over the strands of the rope as shown in Fig. 24, meanwhile tapering them down as described in the directions for making an eye splice.
This results in a very neat and ship shape finish for a rope’s end and as it will never work loose like a seizing and can be tied in a very few moments, it can be recommended as the handiest and best of all methods for finishing the ends of ropes to prevent unravelling.
As simple as the crown and far more attractive, is the wall knot, Figs. 25, 26. In making this knot unlay and whip the rope as for the crown and make a bight in the strand C by bringing the end down and across the standing part. Then bring strand A over C and around the standing part, and finally bring B over A and up through the bight of C. Draw all the ends tight and snug and the single wall will be finished. As in the case with the crown knot, this is mainly of value as a basis for other knots, or for ending rope by tucking in the ends as shown in Fig. 26.