Thistle knot
First made popular by Numinous. This knot does more than just keep the ends of your rope from fraying. Finish your bondage off by tucking the ends of the rope under some coils and the slight bulk of this knot will keep the ends from falling back out. You can also ‘daisy chain’ ropes together by tying a ring hitch of a new rope around the thistle knots of the old rope.
Unravel the rope for a short bit into three individual strands. Shown here as red yellow and blue.
A sailors poem that will help you remember the steps is
First a crown
Then a wall
Tuck it up
And thats all.
If you have ever made keychains out of plastic lace as a kid, this first step should come easy. Start by grabbing hold of one strand.
Move the first strand clockwise over the second.
Grab the second strand.
Move the second strand clockwise over the third.
Grab the third strand.
Move the third strand over (actually through) the first.
You should now have a neat triangular shaped knot called a ‘crown knot’.
Turn the whole rope upside down.
Tie another crown knot using the three strands. Only this time done counterclockwise. A crown knot done ‘upside down and backwards’ is called a wall knot.
Turn the rope right side up again. You can now see the crown knot in the center and the wall knot surrounding it.
Reach into the exact center of this all. Using needle nose pliers helps out a LOT but it can be done just with your fingers.
Grab one of the strands.
Pull the strand up and through the center of the crown.
Do the same with each of the two other strands. The knot is done, now you just need to tighten it carefully.
The finished knot will have a ‘braid’ shape going around the circumference of the rope.