loop · permanent · 1·1
a loop in the end of a line that will not slip and will not jam. tied around the waist of someone who has gone over the side; tied around the bitt on a dock; tied around the trunk of a young tree to mark it. the loop holds whatever load you put on the standing part, and when the load is off, it falls open in your fingers.
we use it for everything in this house. tied to the sea side of the ferry, it is the knot the rail expects. i learned it from my mother, who learned it from a cousin who fished out of the harbour in winter, when speed mattered more than vanity.
rabbit out of the hole, round the tree, back down the hole — that is the version for children. for adults: dress it, set it, trust it.
— a knot you can tie one-handed, in the dark, if you have to.
square knot · bend · ribbon · lighthouse