Half Slip-Knot Styles

Slippery Hitch

• This knot is basically half the knot you tie when you tie a shoelace. First, make a loop out of the piece of line or string. Then, form another loop out of the remaining line under the original loop, and feed the second loop through the first. Pull the knot tight. This knot can be untied by pulling on the free end of the line, so it is meant to be used when the knot has to be quickly untied from one end.

Half Hitch

• The half-hitch is a very basic knot that serves as the foundation for many other knots. This style of knot is not completely guaranteed not to slip, but when it is tied correctly it will work to secure lighter items. First, wrap the line around a pole or stable object. Take your short end and cross it underneath the longer end, which is considered to be the rope's main end. Pass the shorter end first over the hole created by the rope where it crosses both the pole and over itself, and then pass the shorter end down that same hole. Finally, pull the ends tight to finish it off.

Bowline

• The bowline is a classic knot often used by sailors to tie a square sail to the front of the boat. It is a loop that will not slip, and it can be tied around or over objects. First, create a little loop, leaving lots of line to the right. Pull the rope's end through the loop. Then, swoop the end of the rope over to the left of the first loop by going underneath the main line. Finally, by reaching into the first loop you made, grab the end and pull it through that loop until it becomes tight. This knot will not give when tied around stationary objects.

Butterfly

• The butterfly knot is a stable loop knot that you may tie anywhere along a rope instead of just along the rope's ends. First, hang the line over the palm of your hand. Next, coil it twice around your palm so you have three coils showing. Then, reach below the coil farthest to the right and hold the coil in the middle. Pull the middle coil out and create a loop without ruining the right-hand coil. The last step is to pull the entire loop atop each of the coils and then pull it under the coils that are left. Pull on your loop, and then pull both ends at the same time to tighten the knot.