Sheet bend
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Sheet bend.jpg The sheet bend is a type of knot, related to the square knot, granny knot, thief knot, and the bowline. It is very fast to tie and is useful when joining two ropes of different diameters.
To tie the sheet bend, take the larger rope in one hand. Make a loop in this rope about three inches long and hold both ends of the loop in one hand. Next, take the smaller rope and thread it up the loop. Then wrap the smaller rope around the loop of the larger one goinf first round the short end. Then tuck it underneath where the smaller rope comes up through the larger rope's loop. Finally, pull the free end of the smaller rope tight to secure the knot.
Make sure the two free ends are on the same side of the knot; otherwise you get a left-handed sheet bend - a knot of significantly reduced strength.
The weaver's knot is a different approach to tie a sheet bend.
Alternatives
Image:DoubleSheetBend.jpg The Double Sheet Bend is preferable if there is much discrepancy between the sizes of the two ropes. The smaller rope is the one used to make the extra wrap. As before the two ends should finish on the same side of the knot.
