Monkey's fist
From Free net encyclopedia
A monkey's fist or monkey fist is a type of knot, so named because it looks somewhat like a small bunched fist. It also looks somewhat like a volleyball. It is tied at the end of a rope to serve as a weight, making it easier to throw the line, and also as an ornamental knot. It can also be used as a weapon or as a tool in rockclimbing as an anchor, by stuffing it into a crack.
The monkey's fist knot is most often used as the weight in a heaving line. The line would have the monkey's fist on one end, an eye-splice or Bowline on the other, with about 3 feet of line between. A light-weight feeder line would be tied to the bowline, then the weighted monkey's fist could be hurled between ship and dock (or vice versa). The other end of the light-weight line would be attached to a heaver-weight line, allowing it to be drawn to the target easily.
The knot is tied around a small weight, such as a stone, marble, tight fold of paper, or a piece of wood. Start by wrapping the rope around four of your fingers. Once there are three wraps, wrap it three times around the three lengths between your middle and ring finger. Then insert the weight and tighten the rope. You could use this for its original purpose or as a keychain.
Because of its use as a lifeline thrown from boat to boat, this knot was adopted as a symbol of solidarity among the hobo community.
Monkey's fists are sometimes used as cufflinks.
