This is the first post in a series that will eventually comprise an activity-based, unit pioneering program curriculum.
I. There are numerous terms pertaining to knots and working with rope, but the four presented here, along with some simple “moves” requiring a minimum amount of dexterity, will be useful when learning and applying some of the basics that follow.
OBJECTIVES
Through hands on experience, Scouts will become familiar with and demonstrate the following knot-tying terminology: running end, standing part, overhand loop, underhand loop.
Using the materials provided, Scouts will also demonstrate they can tie Half Hitches over an open-ended pole.
MATERIALS
Suspended horizontal hitching post or similar setup, to accommodate the entire class
Enough vertical hitching posts (or uprights with a 15-foot attached length of 3/16 or 1/4-inch nylon cord) so there is at least one for every two Scouts
6-foot x 1-1/2-inch diameter spar set up as a crossbar with a 6-foot length of 1/2 inch nylon or polyester cord, attached in the middle, to serve as a large visual aid
Horizontal Hitching Rack Lashed Between Two 6′ Uprights
PROCEDURE A
With each Scout standing in front of a dangling cord, using the 1/2-inch cord as an illustration, the instructor explains where the running end, and standing part are. Scouts are given an opportunity to point to the corresponding part on their respective cords.
The instructor explains what an overhand loop is, illustrating the “right-hand-twist.” Scouts review the maneuver and form the loop with their respective cords.
The instructor explains what an underhand loop is and illustrates the “left-hand-grab.” Scouts review the maneuver and form the loop with their respective cords.
The instructor calls out each of the above terms in mixed orders and Scouts, race to point to the correct part of the cord, or form the loops in response.
The Right-Hand-Twist to Form a Right Overhand Loop and the Left-Hand-Grab to Form a Right Underhand LoopHalf HitchesVertical Hitching Post
PROCEDURE B
With Scouts gathering around a vertical hitching post, the instructor demonstrates how, by making an underhand loop, a half hitch can be placed around an open-ended pole. He then demonstrates that many half hitches can be placed around the pole, one on top of the other.
Pairs of Scouts, each at a vertical hitching post, try to lay half hitches over the top of the pole. Scouts coach one another and further instruction is provided as needed.
Races are conducted to see how many half hitches can be laid over a pole in 20 seconds.
Ah, the clove hitch. It’s a simple way to attach a rope to a pole, it’s side-to-side adjustable and is frequently used to start and finish a variety of lashings. Some folks don’t like it because in various applications, it’s not the most secure or reliable choice. But, in those instances, there are numerous alternatives. See the following photos—all close clove hitch relatives.
Clove Hitch / Rolling Hitch / Constrictor / Spar Hitch
The clove hitch is one of the most-frequently-used knots Scouts learn, so common, yet it can also be very elusive, especially when it comes to completing certain lashings. In the knot-tying universe, the clove hitch is a whole lot more prevalent than most of us realize, and it can be tied in a variety of ways and from a variety of different perspectives.
Of course they’re all Clove Hitches!
Two Half Hitches. Here’s what John Thurman says in Pioneering Projects: “The first and everlasting thing to remember about the clove hitch is that it is composed of two half hitches. What a very obvious thing to say, but there is hardly one Scout in a hundred who learns what it means. If only we can get Scouts to learn that if you make one half hitch and another half hitch and bring them together they make a clove hitch, what a lot of time the Movement would save in the amount of fiddling and fumbling that goes on when a clove hitch is the order of the day. We would be able to start in the sure knowledge that we can make clove hitches and pass quickly on to better and brighter things.”
Starting from the right and proceeding the the left. / Starting from the left and proceeding to the right.
Before addressing the various ways to approach tying a clove hitch, did you ever wonder why the basic knot, two half hitches is called “Two Half Hitches?” (The name “Double Half Hitch” has also been used.) What’s a half hitch anyway? Well, now we know it’s half a clove hitch, (the line wraps around the object and then passes under itself) but how many of us have realized that in actuality, two half hitches is a clove hitch tied around the rope’s standing part? That’s what it is! On a side note, the very useful taut-line hitch is nothing but a clove hitch started off with a roundturn (called a rolling hitch), which is also tied around the rope’s standing part. As mentioned above, the clove hitch is whole lot more prevalent than most of us realize, and indeed it can be tied in a variety of ways. Here we go:
A Hitching Post with a Series of Half HitchesHitching Race during a Troop Meeting’s Gathering Period
Open-End Clove Hitch (Clove Hitch on a Bight). Back in the 60s at Camp Wauwepex, a Scout camp on Long Island, one of the attractions in the Scoutcraft area was a vertical pole about 4 feet tall with a rope attached near the bottom. This was a “Hitching Post.” It was put up so Scouts could see how many Half Hitches they could throw over the top of the pole as quickly as possible. Watching fellow Scouts who had mastered the simple technique provided enough motivation to learn how to do it too, and it was easy to get quite good at it. As we were throwing hitches over the pole with greater and greater alacrity, we weren’t aware that every two of these hitches was a clove hitch. Nor would we have cared. It was just fun to see how fast we could get. VIEW VIDEO: Hitching Race
When preceding from the left, all that needs to be done is:
Form another right underhand loop and place it over the pole (on top of the pervious one).
Voila! Clove hitch!
When preceding from the right, instead of right underhand loops, form left underhand loops.
In no position to tie anything but an “Open-Ended Clove Hitch!”
Without being informed, one can just look at two of these half hitches and see they look exactly like a clove hitch. Of course, that’s because these two half hitches are a clove hitch. Throwing two half hitches over the open end of a vertical pole is the hands down, quickest way of tying a clove hitch. After you’ve done it for awhile, it takes about a second. A common way to refer to this “Clove Hitch on a Bight” is to call it an “Open-Ended Clove Hitch.” It’s exactly what the doctor ordered when you need to tie a clove hitch over the end of a spar. It’s also the only way to tie a clove hitch in the middle of a long line, like when securing a hand rope on the top of an A-frame during the construction of a Double A-frame Monkey Bridge (unless you want to pull foot after foot of rope through the hitches because you’re using an alternate method, or… you just don’t know any better).
Open-End Clove Hitch
It’s really surprising how many folks, old and young, aren’t familiar with this simple method of tying a clove hitch. Here’s an amusing illustration: A young Scout was competing at a camporee for the best time in completing a Rope-Toss-Log-Lift Challenge. After throwing the rope over the crossbar and tying the end to a log with a timber hitch, the third step is to secure the other end of the rope to a stake in the ground with a clove hitch. Ah! An open ended pole! So, this young Scout completes the first two steps, runs over to the stake and, bam! He ties an Open-Ended Clove Hitch over that stake in nothing flat. The jaw of the Scouter conducting the event drops down. With mouth open and a look of bewilderment on his face, he leans down, scratches his head, and examines the knot. Yes, to his surprise, indeed it’s a clove hitch! This skinny, young Scout did something the adult had never seen before, and the old guy was astonished!
Finishing a Lashing with Two Half Hitches.
Finishing a Diagonal Lashing with Two Half Hitches forming the Clove Hitch
Here’s the story: When you learn how to do this, number one, it’s faster. Number two, it’s also easier to securely finish off the frapping turns, because it’s a cinch to snug both half hitches in close and pull them real tight, which is definitely something you want to do.
SCOUT PIONEERING 