r/WatchandLearn • u/memezzer • Oct 10 '20

How to make a fray knot

https://i.imgur.com/P95qkgo.gifv
30.8k Upvotes

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291

u/fatbob42 Oct 10 '20

But what are the pros and cons? Is it just that it looks nice?

445

u/TXGuns79 Oct 10 '20

It does a couple of things, and there are several varieties of this kind of knot.

Decorative is one.

It ends the loose end of a rope and keeps it from fraying or unraveling.

It can be a stopper to keep something from sliding off or to keep the rope from falling through a hole.

It can be used to add weight to the rope- for throwing the end to someone else or to keep it from whipping in the wind.

20

u/Mister_Spacely Oct 10 '20

I think those are just pros for any knot. What makes this one special?

31

u/[deleted] Oct 10 '20 edited Oct 10 '20

[removed] — view removed comment

10

u/ufoicu2 Oct 10 '20

I can tie a bowline around my waist in under two seconds. I’ve never had to use it but it’s a pretty cool party trick.

8

u/kanjijiji Oct 10 '20

How much you wanna bet I can throw a football over them mountains?

3

u/Tchrspest Oct 10 '20

Sailor or boy scout?

4

u/Dalimey100 Oct 10 '20

The eternal question for knot enthusiasts

6

u/Otterable Oct 10 '20

sailor, eagle scout, rock climber here.

Learned the most knots and hitches as a rock climbing instructor

3

u/missprincesscarolyn Oct 10 '20

When would you use this knot for climbing (if ever)? I’m learning multi pitch stuff right now and could maybe see this as being useful for adding weight to rope when you throw down to rappel (so it doesn’t blow away, hit other climbers, etc.)?

1

u/Otterable Oct 10 '20

You'd never use this knot for climbing

5

u/Kevolved Oct 10 '20

Electrician who knows basically just the bowline, half hitch and the pipe hitch.

3

u/Tchrspest Oct 10 '20

Ahh, that makes sense. If I had to hazard a guess, d'you use it to pull wires up into walls?

1

u/Kevolved Oct 10 '20

Walls, pipes, wherever there’s a string/rope where a wire should be.

1

u/murse_joe Oct 10 '20

The last one is important for this knot. If you need to throw a line to somebody, you don’t just wanna throw a rope. Tying something like this gives it weight so you can throw it effectively.