[Knot: 2.5] When Is A Bend Not Enough?

Two Quick Questions Answered by Nick Kerpan


1. Why did you say, "Don't ask a sailor?"

It turns out that the Square Knot was never really intended to function as a bend, as shown in the example video in the last post. The purpose of the square knot (of reef knot) is to bind a rope around an object. To quote from "The Ashley Book Of Knots:"

"It is universally used for parcels, rolls and bundles. At sea it is always employed in reefing and furling sails and stopping clothes for drying. But under no circumstances should it ever be tied as a bend, for if tied with two ends of unequal size, or if one end is stiffer or smoother than the other, the knot is almost bound to spill. Except for its true purpose of binding it is a knot to be shunned."

The idea of the square knot being used as a bend is prevalent in scouting, and the listing for the reef knot in the original scout handbook is "The commonest knot for tying two ropes together. Frequently used in first-aid bandaging. Never slips or jams; easy to untie." Certainly a distressing and easily disproven assertion.

2. What if the difference in diameter of the two ropes is too big, and my sheet bend doesn't hold?

This certainly can be a real problem!

This knot certainly won't hold....so what do we do?

Technical Terms:

Round Turn: Wrapping the rope once around another object to increase friction

Bight: A loop formed between the ends of a rope

The solution: The Double Sheet Bend

By simply wrapping the thinner rope one more time through the bight formed by the thinner rope, you create a much stronger sheet bend.  

[Knots: 2] Square Knot Not Working: Don't Get Bent Out Of Shape

Tying the Sheet Bend with Nick Kerpan

The activities and instruction provided relates to the Scout Rank requirement 4a, Tenderfoot Rank requirement 3a, and the 2nd Class Rank requirement 2f. 

The Backstory

If you ask any scout or scouter (please don’t ask a sailor!) What the purpose of the Square Knot is, you’ll most likely hear this: To tie two ropes together. If you ask a slightly more pedantic person like me, you’ll get: To join two ropes of similar thickness. So my first question is, “Why?”


Home Activity #1: Unwinnable Tug-Of-WarTie two ropes of different thickness together with the Square Knot. Either by yourself or with a partner, pull on the two ropes. It should look something like this: Capsizing a Square Knot


So, how do you join two ropes that aren’t the same thickness? Enter the Sheet Bend

Technical Terms:

Bend: A knot that joins two ropes together


Tying the Sheet Bend: Tips and Tricks

1) The thicker rope stays folded in a ‘U’ shape (standing end), and the thinner rope is the moving piece (working end).

2) The thinner rope is going to wrap around the thicker. You’ll want to start the wrap by bringing the thinner rope under the thicker, and starting the wrap by passing over the tail of the thicker rope.

3) Notice how the thinner rope has created a ‘U’ shape at the bottom of the last image? This is the part that trips most people up! To finish the sheet bend, you want to pass the thinner rope through that ‘U’ shape, not the one formed by the thicker rope. Finish wrapping over the thicker rope, and bring the thinner rope down through that hole.

4) The last part of any knot that can trip people up is knowing how to tighten it. If you pull the wrong things in the wrong order, you can unravel all your hard work! The sheet bend works by cinching the thinner rope tightly in the ‘U’ of the bigger rope, so to tighten it, pull the tail of the thinner rope first, and then pull the tail of the thicker rope to make the knot snug.

And there it is, the Sheet Bend. If these images didn’t do it for you, your Scout Handbook or https://www.animatedknots.com/sheet-bend-knot may be helpful!


Home Activity #2: Square Knot to Sheet Bend Transformation

It turns out that the Square Knot and the Sheet bend are very similar. This next challenge is to start with a Square Knot, and change it into the Sheet Bend as efficiently and quickly as possible.

• Hint: one half of the square knot looks suspiciously like one half of the Sheet Bend

• Spoiler: I hope you've tried a few times first ;) or Here if the first link doesn't work

[Knots: 1] Getting Knots Squared Away

Exploring the Square Knot with Nick Kerpan

The activities and instruction provided relate to Scout Rank requirement 4a, and Tenderfoot Rank requirement 3a.

One of the most frustrating things in scouting to both learn and teach are knots: on both ends, things tend to get tangled. As someone who still has to make an “L” with my hands to reaffirm left vs right, I had trouble tying...the square knot.

Tired: The Mnemonic
“Right over left, left over right” is the standard phrase people use to explain the knot. Unfortunately,
like all mnemonics, this is most helpful after you've learned how to tie the knot, as a refresher. While
teaching the knot, conversely, this phrase leads to confusion, especially as the rope ends move from side to side.





Wired: Using Colors

By coloring the ends of the rope, a key point of the square knot (and many others) become much easier to explain: One end of the rope is doing all the work. “Red over black, red over black” makes it clear that the same end of the rope is the one crossing over both times, which cuts down significantly on granny knot productions.


You can use marker or tape to personalize the colors, or even colored twine/thread if you have to whip the ends of your rope.

Technical Terms:

Standing End: the end of a rope that isn't moving.

Working End: the end of the rope actively being used to tie the knot

Because most practical uses of knots have one end of the rope secured to something, or bearing weight, learning how to tie knots by only manipulating the working end can help a scout tie the knots in the field. For some scouts, starting right away with technical terms might be the best way to go. For others, starting with colors (“red side doesn't move”) is a way to practice the skill without front-loading the technical information.

At Home Challenge: Stationary Square Knot

Secure one end of your rope (or shoelace if you don't have rope lying around) to an object (chair leg,
doorknob, etc). Try tying a square knot without ever letting the standing end move—you should be
moving around the standing end as you do this.

To see how I did it, check here


Additional Knot Resource:

If you're looking for a simple, visual way to learn the knots, check out:

https://www.animatedknots.com/