When you are working to assemble, rig and fly flats and masking, a knowledge of basic knots is useful. Natural or synthetic rope can be used to join flats together, fly equipment, and lash objects to each other.

Standing end - the end of the rope not used in the knot

Standing line (or part) - the long middle part of a rope not in the knot.

Bight - bend, loop or curve in the rope that does not cross back across itself.

Loop - a bend in the rope that crosses itself, in other words makes a full circle.

The bitter end - the end of the rope that is tied off.

This is a very simple knot and is sometimes called a half or thumb knot. It is an easy way to stop the end of a rope going through a pulley and is also used to stop the ends of a rope fraying (this is much quicker than whipping). This knot can be dangerous, as if left in a rope, it weakens the rope by 50% and can also be very hard to undo when wet or tight. It is used as part of more complex knots, for example, the reef knot is actually two overhand knots (of opposite lay) on top of each other.

In theatre the single figure of eight knot is put at the end of the rope to prevent the rope going through the pulley. The double figure of eight knot is used to make a single loop in the end of a rope. It works particularly well in artificial fibre ropes, and is easy to untie, even if it is tight or wet, and so is popular for abseiling and rock climbing.

The bowline is a non-slip knot which is used to put a loop in a rope - generally at the end of the rope - and can be tied so that it forms a non-slip knot around an object.

A clove hitch is used to attach a rope to a beam, batten or post and is useful anytime you want to tie a rope at right angles to a fixed object. To make the knot safer a half hitch is used to finish it off. It is a very common knot for theatre work, but it can jam and be hard to undo.

A half hitch is used to attach a rope to a beam or post. This knot isn’t as strong as a clove hitch so the rope is passed around the beam again and secured with a second half hitch to make it stronger. This is then known as a ‘round turn and two half hitches’. This is a very good knot for attaching a rope to a bar, as it does not jam.

The reef knot is a binding knot used for tying the ends of a rope around a parcel, bandage or the neck of a sack. It is only secure if it is pressed tightly against the object it is binding, and it should not be used for any other function as it slips easily and can undo if the rope or the knot is pulled the wrong way.

The rolling hitch is used for tying one rope to another so that it pulls at an oblique (sloping) angle. It is strong and easy to untie even when tight or wet. It is used when an adjustable loop is needed, for example by campers to secure guy ropes around tent pegs.

The truckies hitch is used as a rope tackle when a load needs to be tied down tightly. It uses a loop as a pulley so the tension on the rope can be increased threefold. It is best used with artificial fibre ropes as it causes a lot of friction against itself when it is tightened.

Whippings are used to stop the end of the rope from fraying and are particularly useful for natural fibre ropes. A thin twine is tightly wrapped many times around the end of the rope. Most artificial fibre ropes have the ends sealed with a hot blade (with the exception of very large diameter artificial ropes).

Rope seizing is used to bind ropes together or bind a rope to an object without damaging the rope. It is similar to whipping and uses the same principles.

Ratchet straps are cargo tie-down straps made of polyester webbing. They are run through a buckle that lets you loosen and tighten the strap, so you can lengthen the strap until you can pull it across your entire load, then tighten the strap until there’s enough tension to secure the load.

Complete the following summary on some of the knots you have learnt.

Extension: Complete the same summary for the knots not listed on this worksheet.