— knot · square

bend · matched · 1·4

square knot

two ropes of the same thickness joined end to end. left over right and under; right over left and under. it lies flat and undoes itself easily when both standing parts are pulled. for tying a parcel, a bandage, the ends of a sash. for joining two ropes that will pull on each other — do not use this; use a proper bend.

i tied the apron strings of my mother's mother with one; she tied mine. the knot is the same. in the kitchen it is the workhorse — round a parcel of greaseproof paper, round the tops of linen bags.

mismatched ropes, or unequal pulls, and it capsizes into a noose. then it is called a granny, and used by people who do not know.

— if you cannot tell which is which, pull. one falls apart.

atlas · return