Overhand loop
Encyclopedia
The Overhand loop is a simple knot
Knot
A knot is a method of fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or several segments of rope, string, webbing, twine, strap, or even chain interwoven such that the line can bind to itself or to some other object—the "load"...

 which forms a fixed loop in a rope. Made by tying an Overhand knot
Overhand knot
The overhand knot is one of the most fundamental knots and forms the basis of many others including the simple noose, overhand loop, angler's loop, reef knot, fisherman's knot and water knot. The overhand knot is very secure, to the point of jamming badly. It should be used if the knot is...

 in the bight
Bight (knot)
In knot tying, a bight is a curved section, slack part, or loop between the two ends of a rope, string, or yarn. The term is also used in a more specific way when describing Turk's head knots, indicating how many repetitions of braiding are made in the circuit of a given knot.-Slipped knot:In order...

, it can be tied anywhere along a rope (does not need any working end). The knot can be used for attaching clips, hooks, other rope, etc., but has the disadvantage that it is likely to jam tight when the rope has been pulled and the knot may need to be cut off. It also has some uses in kite-flying, though other knots may be better. It is commonly disapproved by the Boy Scouts because of its tendency to be misused as an alternative to the bowline
Bowline
The bowline is an ancient and simple knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope. It has the virtues of being both easy to tie and untie. The bowline is sometimes referred as King of the knots because of its importance...

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http://web.archive.org/web/20080102172651/http://members.aol.com/goodheavens/overhand.html (Reference 1 also contains a sequence of images that show how to tie an overhand knot.)
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