What Knots To Learn?
 

If you could only remember a few knots, which would they be?

www.animatedknot.com has a knot list, in case we need a ready reference.

I only know
- round turn and two half hitches (I use as my general knot to tie a rope to something)
- trilene knot (I use for the fly/tippet when fishing). Edit: no, looks like I use the improved cinch knot.
- surgeons knot (I use for the leader/tippet)
- surgeons loop (I use when need to make a loop at the end of a rope)
- truckers hitch (I use when something has to be cinched down tight)
- and of course the knot you use to tie your shoes, and the half-windsor for a tie.

I said "rope" but actually my knotting is almost always in cord or monofilament, seldom in "rope" of any real diameter.

What are your go-to knots?

animatedknot dot com is a parked domain.

http://www.animatedknots.com/ is the knot site.

Good find.

Really depends on how she asks to be tied up.

Damn! Glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that...would have come out my nose.

Of course, this leads to "that post is worthless without pics"...

Bowline is very useful even if you are not into boats.

"I haven't had sex in so long I forgot who gets tied up"

clove hitch
taught line hitch
square knot
bowline

I'd add figure eight and call this list complete!

+1. Personally I've always used a double-half-hitch instead of a taught-line hitch. But either appears to work.

the truckers or boaters knot...and how to tie my shoe. done.

oh, clinch knot for the fishing days.

Damn is this like the boyscout favorite knot list? That's what I was gunna suggest

Noose

plenty of good books on shibari out there.

+1
i would add a truckers hitch and a french bowline

I'm a Frayed Knot....

When you tie your shoe, if you go around twice on the last loop prior to pulling it tight, it will be much more secure, but still will come undone pulling the string

For joining ropes I really like the "lovers knot"...dunno if it has another name. Also for tying on swivels, etc. a Palomar knot is pretty strong and easy.

So my theory is, I can't remember more than one knot for each purpose, and I don't tie knots too often (except for fishing) so I want a handful of the most secure knots that are easy to remember and tie. Since I'm usually tying cord (or mono) which is pretty disposable, I don't care about ease of untying, or tying two ropes of very different diameters. And I'm not a climber so don't really care about ultimate strength, except for the fishing-specific knots.

Purpose -> knot:

Tie free end of rope to an object -> I think the clove hitch slips too easily.
http://www.animatedknots.com/cloveboating/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.comknot.
The round + half hitch is secure, and if concerned can simply add more rounds and more hitches.
http://www.animatedknots.com/roundturn/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com
For slippery rope (like monofilament) then I learned the fisherman's clinch knot.
http://www.animatedknots.com/improvedclinch/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com

Tie free end of rope to an object and tighten it -> I think most people use the tautline hitch?
http://www.animatedknots.com/rollinghitchboating/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com
I like the truckers hitch because of the leverage available to tension the line, then can pinch to maintain the tension as you finish off the knot.
http://www.animatedknots.com/truckers/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com#SlipKnot

Make a non-constricting loop at free end of rope -> I guess most use the bowline for this.
http://www.animatedknots.com/bowlineboating/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com
I can never remember - the rabbit goes which way around the tree? So I just make a loop and tie a double overhand knot, which is a surgeons loop. It ends up kind of crooked, though.
http://www.animatedknots.com/surgeonsloop/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com#Overhand

Make a constricting loop at free end of rope -> I suppose easiest is just the noose knot? I don't have much need for this.
http://www.animatedknots.com/truckers/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com#SlipKnot

Make a non-constricting loop in the middle of a rope -> I just take a loop of the rope and tie it in an overhand knot. I see there is a better specific dropper loop knot, but I can never remember it.
http://www.animatedknots.com/dropperloop/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com
I hate casting droppers anyway.
The alpine butterfly looks easy to learn, maybe I will try.
http://www.animatedknots.com/alpinebutterfly/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com

Make a constricting loop at in the middle of a rope -> no idea. Maybe this is where you'd use a clove hitch.

Join free ends of two ropes - I think most use the square knot for this, but I think it is not a secure knot. Especially with stiff/slippery nylon line. And, one mistake and you've made a granny knot which is even worse.
http://www.animatedknots.com/reef/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com
If the other end of one rope is also free, then can do the surgeons knot. You can tie this one in the dark by touch alone. http://www.animatedknots.com/surgeonsjoin/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com#Overhand
Otherwise, I guess I'd fall back on a fishing knot of some sort, like the blood knot.
http://www.animatedknots.com/bloodknot/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com#Bachmann
Or the fisherman's knot. Probably easier to tie than the blood knot.
http://www.animatedknots.com/doublefishermans/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.anima tedknots.com

Think I'll get my kids a knot book - give them something to do on camping trips.

I guess climbers really take their knots seriously. Here is an interesting site. He tested knots used to join ropes by pulling to breaking point, and found that two common knots failed more frequently than you'd want. The only knot that didn't fail once (before the breaking point was reached) was the fisherman's knot.

http://www.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/EDK.html

Links to other knot testing too.

Apparently the figure eight is sometimes called the "instant death knot" and the flat overhand knot is sometimes called the "euro death knot". Glad I don't know either.

Also
http://www.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/High_Strength_Cord.pdf