[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