Learn some new knots and use them so they stick

Do the Navaho Opening. (This involves picking up the string loop on the forefingers that are held close together, pointing away from you, and with palms down. The left thumb then grabs the right far forefinger string that is hanging down. The right thumb then grabs the left far hanging forefinger string. Rotate thumbs up and extend hands apart. Click on link above for illustration.) The thumbs now move over the near and pick up the far forefinger strings. (2) Middle fingers then move over the top near forefinger strings and pick up the far thumb strings. The ring and little fingers move under the far middle finger strings and grab the near forefinger strings. (3) Release the thumbs and extend the figure.
View video: Slow dial-up, Dial-up, Broadband

Do Opening A using a short #5 or #6 string. Release thumb strings. (2) Thumbs then move over the forefinger strings and pick up the near little finger strings. Release the strings on the little fingers. (3) Thumbs next pick up the near forefinger strings. Now remove (navaho) the lower thumb strings (which is easiest to do using the middle fingers to lift them off and over the thumbs while leaving the upper thumb strings in place). (4) Forefingers move down and grab the top string that goes around the middle of the thumb/forefinger noose, then, moving away from you, extend the forefingers up and palms out.

I’ve got those three down pat, now I’d like to learn a few new ones.

Start with Opening A. (not shown)

1. Pass thumbs under index strings and pick up far index strings
2. Return thumbs to position, staying underneath the near index string.
3. Release index fingers.
4. With thumbs, pick up near little finger string. Return thumbs to normal position. Keep this string towards the top of your thumbs – You’ll be using it in a minute.
5. Release little fingers. Now all three loops are on the thumbs.
6. Insert little fingers into thumb loops from underneath. Push the two lower loops away from you a little bit.
7. Now hook the upper far thumb strings with your little fingers and pull them down. Curl little fingers against the palm.
8. With the right index finger only pick from below the upper near right thumb string. Pull it back just a bit. Now with the left index pick up the same string on the left side (it is not the upper loop but the central loop on the left side).
9. As you return your index fingers (with the string) to their normal position, let this string slip completely off the thumbs. You’re getting close.
10. Slip the near transverse thumb string off the thumbs and drop it in the center of the figure.

Finished!

This one’s harder as I’ve done it maybe a few times before and that at least as long ago as I did the others. Still need the pictures to make this one work. I’ll practice these three and then gear up for some actually new ones.

1. Start with Opening A.

2. Move your thumbs over the near forefinger strings and pick up far forefinger strings with the respective thumbs.

3. Lift the lower thumb string up and over both thumbs, while leaving the upper string nooses in place.

4. Release both little fingers and pull outward with your thumbs. Make sure to flip your hands so your thumbs are on top.

That’s it, you’ve made a cup and saucer!

This one’s so fast, it hardly seems like you can be done at the end.

1) Start with the string across both of your palms in the open position. Use your pointer finger to pick up the string from each of your palms. This position is called, “open A”.

2) Drop the thumb strings. Reach under with your thumbs and pick up the last string with the thumbs.

3) With both your thumbs, reach over the first string and pick up the second string.

4) Drop the pinky finger strings. With your pinky finger, reach over the last string and pick up the next string.

5) Drop the thumb strings. This is called cat’s whiskers!

6) With the thumbs, go over the first two strings and pick up the third strings.

7) Using your right hand, lift the string from the outside of the left hand’s pointer finger and place it over the left thumb. There are now two strings on your left thumb. Then lift the string on the bottom of the left thumb over your left thumb. You should now have one string on your thumb again.

8) Now repeat the last step on your other hand. (Use your left hand to place the string from the outside of your right hand’s pointer finger over your right thumb. There are now two strings on your right thumb. Then lift the string on the bottom of the right thumb over the right thumb. You should now have one string on your right thumb again.)

9) Looking down into the design, stick your pointer fingers into the triangle hole that is next to your thumb. Turn your hands down and out away from your face, while you carefully drop the pinky finger strings.

The strings on the back of your pointer fingers will slide off, and your pointer fingers will pick up one of the triangle strings as you do this. Be careful NOT to drop the thumb strings while you do this.

You should now have made Jacob’s Ladder!

It’s coming back to me. I still have some muscle memory for this; I even observed that when I get it wrong it’s because I used my middle fingers so when I pick up strings with my index fingers at the end it doesn’t lay out properly.

While not knots, they are in the same ‘love of string and rope’ family, and I would like to work on more. I can do some very basic ones, but I know there are very advanced and awesome ones out there.
To start with I need to relearn Cup and Saucer and Jacob’s Ladder (I also need to learn to read the notation used for string figures).

Real airship knot!! Learning this one first!

To make the Rosendahl bend, place bights of the two lines together, one on top of the other, so that the bitter ends lead away in opposite directions on outboard sides of the bights. Then pass each bitter end around its own bight and the other bight, lead them out opposite sides of the knot, and tighten it up. To untie it, simply pull away on the bights that pass over each standing part.

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/modern-homesteading/zeppelin-knot-zmaz80jfzraw.aspx?page=2#ixzz1w68sJ9PW

Timber hitch, parcel knot, alpine butterfly, zeppelin bend

and I studied it a lot as a kid, but then I stopped.
I know the basics: overhand knot, half hitch, square knot, sheet bend, sheepshank, bowline, lark’s head, clove hitch, surgeon’s knot, fisherman’s knot, some others (I’ll add ‘em if I remember).
I want to learn more that are generally useful; I mostly use knots in crafting. You never know, though.
I really like lashing and have been thinking about twig work (making stuff out of sticks and branches as-is or with the bark peeled off). I love the idea of dong lashing-based twig work, rather than using nails.