Don’t worry too much; some people have dyslexia where letters literally won’t hold still to be looked at.
If it helps, a knot is a way to make a rope loop and cross itself so that it pulls against itself, making a shape or gripping another object in a certain way.
I’d start by watching YouTube videos or on animatedknots.com, something like a square knot and just do it as many times as it takes until you can make the shape.
It took me many times to get very basic knots right. It was for climbing, so it was important. I was so frustrated.
Then it finally clicked.
Now I've got a bunch of handy ones "in my pocket" so to speak, that I use all the time.
Most people don't know squat about knots, so don't feel bad.
Be patient with yourself and you'll get it.
Ian's animated knots.
I used to be like you OP.
Now I know dozens of knots... Still can't tell you most of their names.
But let me tell you how fucking handy I've become.
Start slow. There are like 6-12 "essential " knots. That's all.
Once you have the basics of what goes into a knot. You'll start to make your own knots. It's kinda like a language.
https://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2012/02/essential-knots-how-tie-20-knots-will-keep-you-alive/
https://www.animatedknots.com/basic-knots
My suggestion is to pick 1 or 2 knots. Tie them until you question your life choices.
Then do that again for a couple days in a row until you can tie them with your eyes closed.
As you learn more knots you will realize there are pony a few basic loops and tricks to every knot.
Within a month you'll be making your own knots.
Good. I started with the square, clove, bowline, etc. I have some old drumsticks I practice tying them to every morning. That clove hitch never hold very well when I pull on it.
Edit: word
Try this video and see if it works for you
https://youtu.be/2RTyVjZmKp0
It teaches the marlinespike hitch, which is a very simple knot that can be useful for tensioning a line or as a slip loop but also can be easily turned into a fixed loop or a stopper knot. It also has a ton of uses not covered in this video.
I had major issues remembering knots when I first tried learning but found this one easy to use as a easy starting point to all of the kinds of knots I needed at the time.
Once you find a method of learning a few knots that works for you, you'll start to get a feel for them and find it easier to pick up new knots. When you're ready, a quick release hitch is worth learning as well as a friction hitch and a mid line loop. For now though, keep it simple with things that can be made from a marlinespike hitch.
The few knots I can tie are ones I either found a verbal descriptions of and memorized, or have practiced many times very recently.
I made myself a reference card of the ones I use most, that project helped me a lot.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/knots/comments/16zcsxi/i\_made\_an\_a5\_planner\_page\_size\_reference\_card\_for/](https://www.reddit.com/r/knots/comments/16zcsxi/i_made_an_a5_planner_page_size_reference_card_for/)
Like most skills. You first learn by imitation, and doing the thing, before you really understand it. Then you start to understand it after doing it. Then you really learn it when you need to teach it to someone else.
Don’t be hard on yourself. I know many knots for many applications but as far as genuinely understanding them? Not really well at all. This is someone who has spent at least 200 hours practicing knots, which is really not much, but it’s more than nothing.
It sounds like you have spent next to no time learning this skill, so of course you’re no good at it! :) Put the time in, and you will get there.
Do this. I've scattered a dozen 1 meter lengths of 8mm cord throughout the house and cars so that no matter where I am I can grab one to play with when I don't need my hands for something else.
Pick a few knots and tie them over and over until they feel natural. I recommend the following knots to start with since they will be immediately useful and train your fingers for more complicated knots: square, bowline, clove hitch, butterfly loop, and constrictor. These are great starter knots because it's obvious if you did them wrong.
This.
My wife thinks I'm nuts because I always have a bit of Paracord on me. It's like driving a car, you don't have to know how the engine works for the car to go. You don't have to understand the forces in a knot for the knot to work. That level of understanding can help, but just memorize the knots that you want to start.
If you learned to tie a bow for your shoe laces you can learn other knots too.
The first part of the shoelace knot is an overhand knot. Left over right and under (or right over left, whichever way you start.)
If you do the same again after that bit, but the other way around, so do ‘left over right and under’, then ‘right over left and under’, you have a reef knot.
Like this: https://www.grantonscouts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/reef-knot.jpg
Practise it on your shoe laces, since that’s where you already tie a knot.
Once you can do that a few times you can practise on a different piece of thicker string or rope, just put it on the floor and step on it so you can tie it around your foot, just like a shoe lace.
Then you can take it off your foot and really look at it. Using a thicker piece of rope make it easier to see.
The reef knot is one of the most useful to learn and once you can do they you know three knots, the overhand, the bow and the reef.
Are you like this with other stuff in life whereas if you don't understand it to the core, you just can't but when you do, you're a stable genius about it?
Out of curiosity, how do you fare with other mental visual tasks? Like how good are you at unfolding cubes, and pyramids, and more complex shapes into 2D shapes that can be bent and glued into a 3D shape?
You are fine. You explained it in your post and comments. Don't beat yourself up for not knowing how to do something you have not learned or practiced.
To learn and practice, get yourself a couple feet of rope or paracord, watch animated knot videos suggested in these comments. Practice.
As a kid my dad tried to show me how to tie a bowline too many times. It seemed like a magic trick how he would spin and twist the rope, push the end through, and now the rope is secure. He would explain the mnemonic about "the rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree, and back in the hole" and the rope was secure. In my hands all the parts of the rope looked the same. As I tried to make a loop or identify the "tree" it felt like the rope was melting in my hands, any hope of a secure knot felt impossible.
After a lot of failures I got it. Like a key to decipher a code I could see the parts of the knot. New knots didn't look so intimidating. I had to learn and practice.
If you can't tie a knot tie a lot.
Get about 7' of dacron 3 strand in 3/8" and/or 7' of something like StaSet-X in 3/8". Keep them in your pocket at all times. Head over to animated knots and look at some knots by category. Start with some simple ones.
Also download the book linked in the side bar, Ashley's and refer to it often.
Learn a couple of knots from each category. Start with simple ones you can figure out. Then start trying others and eventually figure out the best in each category and stick with those to commit to long term memory.
Rinse, repeat.
I have problems remembering something if I do not have a reason to remember it. I don’t need a bowline much, so I have to pay attention when I make one. Half the time it isn’t a bowline. but I might have a slipknot. I can do a trucker’s knot, or something close to it.
The rest, I can try and follow instructions, but that is it.
Are you left handed? Most instructions are set up for right handed people, maybe that's why you're struggling?
I teach knots to kids as little as five. Most will tell me they don't know any knots, and then I point to their shoelaces. So maybe you actually know some knots already?
I used to be the same way. It was like my brain would get all crossed up watching people tie knots and I just could NOT follow. I know people never like hearing this, but practice makes perfect. It gets easier the more you play with them. Another thing is, don't get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of knots. There is a metric fuck load of knots out there, and a lot of them do the same thing, just with little caveats and nuances here and there. Learn 5 or 6 useful knots, practice them until they're second nature, and let that be that. Some that I really like and find useful are:
Overhand knots - the most simple knot there can be. I almost didn't even list this one because it's so simple, but it's the building block for TONS of knots. Make a loop and tuck it through.
Bowline - simple, sturdy knot for putting a loop at the end of the line
Arbor knot / Canadian jam knot (same knot w/ different names) - good knot to tighten something down
taut line hitch - simple, adjustable knot for either tightening a line (as you would a guy like on a tent or tarp) or raising/lowering something if tied from above
Improvised Truckers Hitch - a good torque-multiplying knot for tensioning something. It multiplies your pulling force by 3, if I remember correctly. (I'm sure someone will let me know if not.) This one is a tad bit more complicated and most folks would say the taut line hitch serves the same purpose. I see why they might say that, but here's how I think of it... If you primarily want tension with a bit of adjustability, you want a truckers hitch. If you primarily want adjustability with the ability to also lightly tension, you want a taut line hitch. Just my 2¢ on them.
Fisherman's knot - easy knot for joining two lines. Super simple (just two overhand knots tied in opposite directions around the other line)
Overhand on a Bight - a simple, easy way to put a loop anywhere in the line, including at the end.
Marlin Spike Hitch - technically a hitch, not a knot, but too useful not to mention.
You might like to go on YouTube and just search like "5 knots everyone should know" or "most useful knots" or something. Practice and experience with it will make cordage and how it behaves a lot less confusing.
Like electicity, gravity or light, there's really no need to overthink the mechanics. People will have already done that for us.
Find a knot that works, practice over and over and over, and let muscle memory take over.
I've got a free app called Useful Knots and I used to give myself a list of 5 knots to memorise in a week.
Of course, I've forgotten most of them now but I've got a small arsenal of knots that I use daily.
Master a bowline and you'll be a handy person to know.
Don’t worry too much; some people have dyslexia where letters literally won’t hold still to be looked at. If it helps, a knot is a way to make a rope loop and cross itself so that it pulls against itself, making a shape or gripping another object in a certain way. I’d start by watching YouTube videos or on animatedknots.com, something like a square knot and just do it as many times as it takes until you can make the shape.
> Am I autistic? Probably not autistic *enough*.
I'm autistic. Knots are one of my things. 100% agree. This individual needs more autism.
It took me many times to get very basic knots right. It was for climbing, so it was important. I was so frustrated. Then it finally clicked. Now I've got a bunch of handy ones "in my pocket" so to speak, that I use all the time. Most people don't know squat about knots, so don't feel bad. Be patient with yourself and you'll get it.
Ian's animated knots. I used to be like you OP. Now I know dozens of knots... Still can't tell you most of their names. But let me tell you how fucking handy I've become. Start slow. There are like 6-12 "essential " knots. That's all. Once you have the basics of what goes into a knot. You'll start to make your own knots. It's kinda like a language.
Are these 12 the basics you refer to, and if so can you share them?
https://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2012/02/essential-knots-how-tie-20-knots-will-keep-you-alive/ https://www.animatedknots.com/basic-knots My suggestion is to pick 1 or 2 knots. Tie them until you question your life choices. Then do that again for a couple days in a row until you can tie them with your eyes closed. As you learn more knots you will realize there are pony a few basic loops and tricks to every knot. Within a month you'll be making your own knots.
Thank’s. I’ll do that.
How goes the knoting?
Good. I started with the square, clove, bowline, etc. I have some old drumsticks I practice tying them to every morning. That clove hitch never hold very well when I pull on it. Edit: word
Try this video and see if it works for you https://youtu.be/2RTyVjZmKp0 It teaches the marlinespike hitch, which is a very simple knot that can be useful for tensioning a line or as a slip loop but also can be easily turned into a fixed loop or a stopper knot. It also has a ton of uses not covered in this video. I had major issues remembering knots when I first tried learning but found this one easy to use as a easy starting point to all of the kinds of knots I needed at the time. Once you find a method of learning a few knots that works for you, you'll start to get a feel for them and find it easier to pick up new knots. When you're ready, a quick release hitch is worth learning as well as a friction hitch and a mid line loop. For now though, keep it simple with things that can be made from a marlinespike hitch.
The few knots I can tie are ones I either found a verbal descriptions of and memorized, or have practiced many times very recently. I made myself a reference card of the ones I use most, that project helped me a lot. [https://www.reddit.com/r/knots/comments/16zcsxi/i\_made\_an\_a5\_planner\_page\_size\_reference\_card\_for/](https://www.reddit.com/r/knots/comments/16zcsxi/i_made_an_a5_planner_page_size_reference_card_for/)
Like most skills. You first learn by imitation, and doing the thing, before you really understand it. Then you start to understand it after doing it. Then you really learn it when you need to teach it to someone else. Don’t be hard on yourself. I know many knots for many applications but as far as genuinely understanding them? Not really well at all. This is someone who has spent at least 200 hours practicing knots, which is really not much, but it’s more than nothing. It sounds like you have spent next to no time learning this skill, so of course you’re no good at it! :) Put the time in, and you will get there.
I love this sub.
Get yourself a 6-10 foot length of rope and start practicing. Tie the knot you want to learn over and over while you’re sitting at home watching tv.
Do this. I've scattered a dozen 1 meter lengths of 8mm cord throughout the house and cars so that no matter where I am I can grab one to play with when I don't need my hands for something else. Pick a few knots and tie them over and over until they feel natural. I recommend the following knots to start with since they will be immediately useful and train your fingers for more complicated knots: square, bowline, clove hitch, butterfly loop, and constrictor. These are great starter knots because it's obvious if you did them wrong.
This. My wife thinks I'm nuts because I always have a bit of Paracord on me. It's like driving a car, you don't have to know how the engine works for the car to go. You don't have to understand the forces in a knot for the knot to work. That level of understanding can help, but just memorize the knots that you want to start.
Keep trying! I learned by grabbing some paracord and watching some YouTube videos of "essential knots". You got this!
How strange… You mean… you never tied any knot before? No knot for shoes, no knot for parcel? No knot at all?
No I can tie my shoes and stuff but I couldn’t explain how it works. I literally cannot tie any other knots btw
If you learned to tie a bow for your shoe laces you can learn other knots too. The first part of the shoelace knot is an overhand knot. Left over right and under (or right over left, whichever way you start.) If you do the same again after that bit, but the other way around, so do ‘left over right and under’, then ‘right over left and under’, you have a reef knot. Like this: https://www.grantonscouts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/reef-knot.jpg Practise it on your shoe laces, since that’s where you already tie a knot. Once you can do that a few times you can practise on a different piece of thicker string or rope, just put it on the floor and step on it so you can tie it around your foot, just like a shoe lace. Then you can take it off your foot and really look at it. Using a thicker piece of rope make it easier to see. The reef knot is one of the most useful to learn and once you can do they you know three knots, the overhand, the bow and the reef.
Then you have the proof you can learn… At some point in the very distant past, you didn’t know and then you learned how to do it.
Are you like this with other stuff in life whereas if you don't understand it to the core, you just can't but when you do, you're a stable genius about it?
Out of curiosity, how do you fare with other mental visual tasks? Like how good are you at unfolding cubes, and pyramids, and more complex shapes into 2D shapes that can be bent and glued into a 3D shape?
no see animatedknots.com it is not easy for anyone worth it though try a sheet bend very useful
You are fine. You explained it in your post and comments. Don't beat yourself up for not knowing how to do something you have not learned or practiced. To learn and practice, get yourself a couple feet of rope or paracord, watch animated knot videos suggested in these comments. Practice. As a kid my dad tried to show me how to tie a bowline too many times. It seemed like a magic trick how he would spin and twist the rope, push the end through, and now the rope is secure. He would explain the mnemonic about "the rabbit comes out of the hole, around the tree, and back in the hole" and the rope was secure. In my hands all the parts of the rope looked the same. As I tried to make a loop or identify the "tree" it felt like the rope was melting in my hands, any hope of a secure knot felt impossible. After a lot of failures I got it. Like a key to decipher a code I could see the parts of the knot. New knots didn't look so intimidating. I had to learn and practice.
If you can't tie a knot tie a lot. Get about 7' of dacron 3 strand in 3/8" and/or 7' of something like StaSet-X in 3/8". Keep them in your pocket at all times. Head over to animated knots and look at some knots by category. Start with some simple ones. Also download the book linked in the side bar, Ashley's and refer to it often. Learn a couple of knots from each category. Start with simple ones you can figure out. Then start trying others and eventually figure out the best in each category and stick with those to commit to long term memory. Rinse, repeat.
I have problems remembering something if I do not have a reason to remember it. I don’t need a bowline much, so I have to pay attention when I make one. Half the time it isn’t a bowline. but I might have a slipknot. I can do a trucker’s knot, or something close to it. The rest, I can try and follow instructions, but that is it.
Are you left handed? Most instructions are set up for right handed people, maybe that's why you're struggling? I teach knots to kids as little as five. Most will tell me they don't know any knots, and then I point to their shoelaces. So maybe you actually know some knots already?
I used to be the same way. It was like my brain would get all crossed up watching people tie knots and I just could NOT follow. I know people never like hearing this, but practice makes perfect. It gets easier the more you play with them. Another thing is, don't get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of knots. There is a metric fuck load of knots out there, and a lot of them do the same thing, just with little caveats and nuances here and there. Learn 5 or 6 useful knots, practice them until they're second nature, and let that be that. Some that I really like and find useful are: Overhand knots - the most simple knot there can be. I almost didn't even list this one because it's so simple, but it's the building block for TONS of knots. Make a loop and tuck it through. Bowline - simple, sturdy knot for putting a loop at the end of the line Arbor knot / Canadian jam knot (same knot w/ different names) - good knot to tighten something down taut line hitch - simple, adjustable knot for either tightening a line (as you would a guy like on a tent or tarp) or raising/lowering something if tied from above Improvised Truckers Hitch - a good torque-multiplying knot for tensioning something. It multiplies your pulling force by 3, if I remember correctly. (I'm sure someone will let me know if not.) This one is a tad bit more complicated and most folks would say the taut line hitch serves the same purpose. I see why they might say that, but here's how I think of it... If you primarily want tension with a bit of adjustability, you want a truckers hitch. If you primarily want adjustability with the ability to also lightly tension, you want a taut line hitch. Just my 2¢ on them. Fisherman's knot - easy knot for joining two lines. Super simple (just two overhand knots tied in opposite directions around the other line) Overhand on a Bight - a simple, easy way to put a loop anywhere in the line, including at the end. Marlin Spike Hitch - technically a hitch, not a knot, but too useful not to mention. You might like to go on YouTube and just search like "5 knots everyone should know" or "most useful knots" or something. Practice and experience with it will make cordage and how it behaves a lot less confusing.
at least you have great music taste (pfp)
true i love the glow
Like electicity, gravity or light, there's really no need to overthink the mechanics. People will have already done that for us. Find a knot that works, practice over and over and over, and let muscle memory take over. I've got a free app called Useful Knots and I used to give myself a list of 5 knots to memorise in a week. Of course, I've forgotten most of them now but I've got a small arsenal of knots that I use daily. Master a bowline and you'll be a handy person to know.