Reef Knot

The reef knot or square knot is an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object. Although the reef knot is often seen used for tying two ropes together, it is not recommended for this purpose due to potential instability of the knot.

A reef knot is formed by tying a left-handed overhand knot and then a right-handed overhand knot, or vice versa. A common mnemonic for this procedure is "right over left, left over right", which is often appended with the rhyming suffix "... makes a knot both tidy and tight". Two consecutive overhands of the same handedness will make a granny knot. The working ends of the reef knot must emerge both at the top or both at the bottom, otherwise a thief knot results.

Read more about Reef Knot:  Naming, Uses, Misuse As A Bend, Physical Analysis, Related Knots

Famous quotes containing the words reef and/or knot:

    As the bird trims her to the gale,
    I trim myself to the storm of time,
    I man the rudder, reef the sail,
    Obey the voice at eve obeyed in prime:
    “Lowly faithful, banish fear,
    Right onward drive unharmed;
    The port, well worth the cruise, is near,
    And every wave is charmed.”
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    Come Sleep! Oh Sleep, the certain knot of peace,
    The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
    The poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release,
    Th’indifferent judge between the high and low.
    Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586)