Chippy's Knots and Stuff

Australian Scout Knots

(Not officially endorsed.)

Click on the links below (or the images) to view a YouTube video showing how to tie each knot, lashing, whipping or splice. This is a work in progress. More knots and stuff will be added in the coming days and weeks. If you have any suggestions or corrections (some of these I haven't tied before now, so there may be things I've missed or botched!), please contact me.

Prepared by Helen "Chippy" Chick for Clarence Sea Scouts during the Great COVID-19 Hiatus of 2020, so we could keep Scouting from home. I was following "stay at home unless absolutely necessary" protocols, and so I have had to make do with less than ideal props.

Last update: 15 April 2020.

Alpine Butterfly Knot
Back Splice
Bowline
Clove Hitch
Clove Hitch (alt.)
Common Whipping
Diagonal Lashing

Double Fisherman's Knot
Eye Splice
Figure of Eight Knot
Figure of Eight Lashing
Filipino Lashing
Fisherman's Knot
Gyn Lashing

Hunter's Bend
Japanese Lashing 1
Japanese Lashing 2
Long Splice
Prussick Knot
Prussick Square Lashing
Reef Knot

Rolling Hitch
Round Lashing
Round Turn and Two Half Hitches
Sailmaker's Whipping
Shear Lashing
Sheepshank

Sheet Bend
Short Splice
Square Lashing
Surgeon's Knot
Timber Hitch
Truckie's Hitch
Westcountry Whipping

Reef Knot

For joining two ropes of the same thickness (but hard to undo if it has had lots of tension on it).

Sheet Bend

For joining two ropes of different thicknesses.

Clove Hitch

For anchoring a rope onto a spar or similar (e.g., to start a lashing, or to begin tying down things on a trailer).

Clove Hitch (alternative)

For tying a clove hitch in the middle of a rope, without having to thread lots of rope through.

Rolling Hitch

A good knot for tensioning a guy rope that doesn't have wooden or plastic tensioners/sliders.

Square Lashing

For joining two spars at right angles to each other.

Prussick square lashing

Prussick Square Lashing (for synthetic rope)

Synthetic ropes often don't "grab" onto the things they are tied to, and so need different strategies. Here's how to do a square lashing with synthetic rope.

Round Lashing

For making a long spar out of two short spars.

Bowline

For putting a non-slip loop in the end of a rope (e.g., to make a really uncomfortable waist rescue loop).

Sheepshank knot

Sheepshank

To shorten a length of rope that is going to be under tension.

Westcountry whipping

Westcountry Whipping

Quick and easy way to stop the end of a rope from fraying.

Sailmaker's Whipping

Sailmaker's Whipping

Stylish way to stop the end of a rope from fraying (more secure than the Westcountry whipping).

Round turn and two half hitches

Round Turn and Two Half Hitches

Another way of attaching a rope to a spar, if the rope is going to be coming away from the spar at right angles.

Diagonal Lashing

Diagonal Lashing (includes a Timber Hitch)

A non-structural lashing for keeping diagonal braces in place.

Figure of Eight lashing

Figure of Eight (Gyn) Lashing

For building a tripod out of three spars. NOTE: I probably tied this a little too tightly, and the footage of the last half-hitches is not framed as well as I wanted. I will try to update this but it's okay for now.

Truckie's Hitch

Truckie's Hitch

Used for making sure that a load is tied down securely.

Shear Lashing

YouTube video NOT AVAILABLE

For making a set of "shear legs" or a triangular frame

Back Splice

For tying off the end of a fraying stranded rope.

Eye Splice

For putting a permanent loop into the end of a rope.

Hunter's Bend

For joining two equal thickness synthetic ropes with a very strong, if bulky, knot.

Fisherman's knot

Fisherman's Knot

A way of joining two equal thickness ropes. Works well with climbing ropes and doesn't jam like a reef knot.

Prussick Knot

For attaching a moveable loop of rope to a larger rope.

Japanese Lashing version 1

Japanese Lashing - Version 1

A quick way to tie a square lashing. Not for serious heavy-duty construction.

Japanese Lashing 2

Japanese Lashing - Version 2

A different quick way to tie a square lashing. Not for serious heavy-duty construction.

Filipino Lashing

Another quick way to tie a square lashing. Not for serious heavy-duty construction.

Alpine butterfly knot

Alpine Butterfly Knot

Puts a loop in the middle of a rope.

Long Splice

YouTube video NOT AVAILABLE

I haven't done one of these yet (ever), so this may not be one of the first videos to be completed!

Short Splice

YouTube video NOT AVAILABLE

I haven't done one of these yet (ever), so this may not be one of the first videos to be completed!

Surgeon's Knot

Yet another way of joining two slippery ropes.

Double Fisherman's Bend

YouTube video NOT AVAILABLE

This is like the Fisherman's Knot and is used for abseiling and making a prussicking loop.

Timber Hitch

Used at the start of a diagonal lashing. Also useful for creating a "slip" loop for bundling stuff together.

Common whipping

Common Whipping

A simple whipping with a clever trick to it.

Figure of Eight Knot

Figure of Eight Knot

A way to put a "stopper" at the end of a rope. Also used for abseiling and climbing.

This Spot Left Blank

YouTube video NOT AVAILABLE

Just in case I think of yet another knot to add.

Another Blank Spot

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Are we there yet?

Enough Already

YouTube video NOT AVAILABLE

Surely you have enough knots.

©2020 - Helen CHICK