Sheepshank
Shortens a rope without cutting it: the rope is folded into a Z and each end of the fold is held by a half hitch made in the standing part. It was also used to take a weak spot out of the load, by putting the damage in the middle strand of the fold.
- Difficulty
- ●●○ Intermediate
- Security
- Low
- Untying
- Easy
Drag to turn the knot. Scroll or pinch to zoom.
- 1Fold the rope into a Z with three parallel strands.
- 2At each end of the fold, make a half hitch in the standing part and drop it over the bight beside it.
- 3Pull both standing parts to tighten the half hitches round the bights.
Arrow keys step through. Tags show whether the moving end passes over or under.
Use it for
- Shortening a rope temporarily when the ends are not free.
- Taking a worn section out of the load.
Watch out
- It only holds while it is under steady tension; it falls apart when slack or shaken.
- Never use it to hold people or anything valuable.
Untying
Take the load off and slide the half hitches off the ends of the fold.