Knot of the Week: How to Tie A Slipknot

I've decided to, in the name of self-improvement, try to learn a new knot every week until I feel I have an adequate repertoire. I am often embarrassed to have need of a knot and not know how to tie it or even know what knot is best to use. I can whip out a granny knot or a square knot, if you even count those as knots, and I can manage a bowline or a clove hitch, but I feel that a better grasp of knots is a useful lifelong skill for anybody. Tying down furniture in your truck, managing your camping gear, tying your knife to your belt loop, or any number of other mundane tasks require at least a passing familiarity with cord, and the more you know the more confident and competent you'll be.

My intended "one a week" goal is not so much to keep a steady pace such that I learn a large number, but rather slow my pace so that I gain intimate familiarity with each knot and will retain it. Looking up a dozen knots and tying them one after the other may have merit, but I would like to master each knot and carry the ability to tie it for the rest of my life.


I'm starting simple: the slipknot. Knot tying is best learned in person so you can see everything from whatever angle you like. The medium of text is extremely unfortunate, but I'll do my best, If you want to see one being tied, search youtube for someone doing it.

First, a few notes about the slipknot.


First, slipknot is a general class of knots, not a single knot, so my usage thus far is a bit of a misnomer. Most people, when they say it, however, are referring to the overhand slipknot, which is what I'm starting with here. For a useful variation on the slipknot, look here. It's a great, fast knot that's easy to cinch tight, easy to loosen, and easy to untie. For those same reasons, it's a terrible knot for some applications. If you are looking for a securing knot for something that will experience a lot of stress, or where failure would be catastrophic, you don't want a slipknot. If you're trying to attach your rain fly to a tent peg and then tighten it, it's a terrific knot.

Now: can you tie an overhand knot (granny knot)? If so, great! you can tie a slipknot. An overhand slipknot is simply a granny knot tied to the same cord. Tie an overhand knot with plenty of string/cord/rope on either side, but don't pull it tight. Now thread the shorter end (running end) back through the knot part way, leaving a loop. Now gently tighten the knot. (There is a more elegant way to do this, but this is the easiest to describe). This knot should slide on one side and not on the other.

Make sure to preserve the rightmost loop in the diagram above while tightening. Play with it to see how which end slides relates to how you tied it. If you tied the knot correctly you should be able to get the knot out of your cord with a vigorous pull on either loose end. If you end up with a snarl instead you looped around your rope one too many times. It still works as a slipknot, but it's not as nice when you're done with it.

Now, what if you don't have a loose end? Can you still tie a slipknot? Yes, you can. Simply make a loop and a bight in your cord (see below).

Pass the bight through the loop. Stick a finger in the bight and, with the other hand pull gently on both parts of the rope. The cord should tighten around the bight and leave you with a slipknot.

Let me know how this works for you and how it can be explained more clearly! It's always frustrating to follow instructions exactly how you think they're written and end up with a snarl and perhaps with feedback I can clean this up to the point that we minimize that.