Animated knots

Photo from Animated Knots

One of the challenges with learning knots is that it’s often difficult to interpret written directions and sometimes it’s tough to follow photos. Animated Knots by Grog has a neat collection of knot-tying animations. There are loads of variations, and the interface allows you to invert, flip, and rotate some of the animations to suit your needs. There are sections for various uses of knots. The rope care section could save you some headaches, if not your life.

You might also want to check out these offerings from Make: Online and CRAFT:

• Val ties the canoe
• The forgotten Zeppelin knot
• HOW TO – Star Knot Tutorial and this from
• CRAFT Volume 3, 101: Macramé

How has a knot saved you? How has a knot saved you money? Have you used your superhuman ropesmanship to impress or deter others? If you could suggest three or four knots that every maker should know, what would they be? Have you made animations like the ones on Animated Knots by Grog? What would you use for a setup to shoot animations of sequences? Add your thoughts in the comments and contribute your photos and video to the MAKE Flickr pool.

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