The
granny knot is a binding knot, used to secure a
ropeA rope is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
or line around an object. It is considered inferior to the
reef knotThe reef knot or square knot is an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object. Although the reef knot is often seen used for tying two ropes together, it is not recommended for this purpose due to potential instability of the knot.A reef knot is formed by tying...
, which it superficially resembles. Neither of these knots should be used as a bend for attaching two ropes together.
When attempting to tie a reef knot, it is easy to produce a granny knot accidentally. This is dangerous because the granny knot can slip when heavily loaded.
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The
granny knot is a binding knot, used to secure a
ropeA rope is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
or line around an object. It is considered inferior to the
reef knotThe reef knot or square knot is an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object. Although the reef knot is often seen used for tying two ropes together, it is not recommended for this purpose due to potential instability of the knot.A reef knot is formed by tying...
, which it superficially resembles. Neither of these knots should be used as a bend for attaching two ropes together.
When attempting to tie a reef knot, it is easy to produce a granny knot accidentally. This is dangerous because the granny knot can slip when heavily loaded. A tightened granny knot can also jam and is often more difficult to untie than the reef knot. It is better to tie a reef knot in nearly all circumstances. One way to distinguish them is that in the reef knot each loop passes completely over, or completely under (not through) the neck of the other.
The reef knot is commonly taught as
left over right, tuck under then
right over left, tuck under. The granny knot is the first step repeated twice,
left over right, tuck under. This is a very common mistake made by people learning to tie a reef knot.
Heraldry
In heraldry, the granny knot is known as the "Bourchier knot", due to being a
heraldic badgeIn heraldry, a badge is an emblem or personal device used to indicate allegiance to or property of an individual or family.Physical badges were common in the Middle Ages particularly in England. They would be made of base metal and worn on the clothing of the followers of the person in question....
of the
Bourchier familyJohn Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners KG , was an English peer.Bourchier was the fourth son of William Bourchier, Count of Eu, and his wife Anne of Woodstock, Countess of Buckingham, daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester. Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex, and William Bourchier, 9th...
.