Taut Line Hitch
The Taut-Line Hitch is a wonderfully useful knot - it was named as it can keep the lines coming from tents tight (taut). It is an easily adjustable loop, so we can use it to bind objects of varying size, tie ropes to trees (as in an axe yard), or tie lines to stakes or poles with the intent of tightening. It is a far superior knot to two half hitches in that it will not easily move under minor tension, so it will actually keep your tent lines tight (even on a windy day!) if tightened properly.
How To Tie the Taut-Line Hitch:
Pass the working end around the pole. Bring it back alongside of the standing part and make a half-hitch around the standing part.
Continue with another wrap inside the loop forming two loops wrapped around your standing end.
Drop the working end down away from the top loops. Wrap around the standing end in the same direction as the previous loops and pull through the newly formed loop. You should now have three loops facing the same direction - two of which are up top and one of which is on the bottom.
For an animation of tying the Taut-Line Hitch, click HERE.
The multiple versions of the Taut-Line Hitch:
There is quite a bit of argument as to whether or not the third loop goes in the same direction or the opposite direction to the first two loops. The Boy Scouts of America teaches that all three loops go in the same direction, as shown in the animations above. I commonly teach this knot (as do many others) with the third loop going in the opposite direction of the first two. The reason is that by flipping the third loop this "binds" the knot more strongly to the rope, making it more difficult to adjust. That is a bad thing if you're suspending a large weight on the knot, but is a very good thing if you're interested in keeping the knot tight under stress (such as wind on the side of a tent). The complexities of this are generally lost on Webelos, so in that case I usually teach them simply "three loops" and am not terribly picky about the direction of the third loop. To learn more about the different "versions" of the Taut-Line Hitch click HERE. The version I often teach is more properly known as the Magnus Hitch.