Using a Matthew Walker Knot as a Stopper in a Rope
stacey |
One of my coworkers unknowingly challenged me to find a tutorial on tying a finishing knot in the tail of a rope he wanted to cut off for use to tie on. Turns out, the same knot can be used to put a honda on your rope. It is called Matthew Walker's knot, although nobody actually knows why it earned that name, or just who Matthew Walker is. The best practical cowboy and roping application guide for this knot I found is at CowboyWay.com. They have a great article about tying this knot, and step by step guide, which you can view here.
For some history and other applications, check out what Wikipedia has to say about Matthew Walker's knot.
Animated Knots by Grog shows this knot as a stopper in the center of a spun rope. This seems to support the legend reported by Wikipedia. There are some awesome step by step photos here though, so be sure to check them out if you want to tie this knot yourself. Grog's step by step photos using contrasting colors make tying knots a lot easier for me to follow.
Now, any requests for another type of knot? I love a challenge. Just don't challenge me to actually TIE this knot.