The figure-of-nine loop is a type of
knot
A knot is an intentional complication in cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including hitches, bends, loop knots, and splices: a ''hitch'' fastens a rope to another object; a ' ...
to form a fixed
loop
Loop or LOOP may refer to:
Brands and enterprises
* Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live
* Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets
* Loop Mobile, an ...
in a
rope
A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similar ...
. Tied
in the bight, it is made similarly to a
figure-of-eight loop
Figure-eight loop (also figure-eight on a bight, figure-eight follow-through, figure-eight retrace, Flemish loop, or Flemish eight) is a type of knot created by a loop on the bight. It is used in climbing and caving.
The double figure eight i ...
but with an extra half-turn before finishing the knot.
Also similar to the
stevedore loop
A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes.
After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...
, the figure-nine loop is generally shown as being based on an intermediate form between the
figure-eight knot
The figure-eight knot or figure-of-eight knot is a type of stopper knot. It is very important in both sailing and rock climbing as a method of stopping ropes from running out of retaining devices. Like the overhand knot, which will jam under st ...
and the
stevedore knot
The stevedore knot is a stopper knot, often tied near the end of a rope. It is more bulky and less prone to jamming than the closely related figure-eight knot.
Naming
There is a lack of consensus among knot experts regarding the origin of t ...
.
''
The Ashley Book of Knots
''The Ashley Book of Knots'' is an encyclopedia of knots written and illustrated by the American sailor and artist Clifford W. Ashley. First published in 1944, it was the culmination of over 11 years of work. The book contains 3,857 numbered en ...
'' shows this intermediate knot, in
stopper form, as #521.
While it uses more rope and is bulkier than the figure-of-eight loop, the figure-nine loop is somewhat stronger and less likely to jam.
It is sometimes used instead of a figure-of-eight loop to attach a rope to an anchor point or
belay
Belaying is a variety of techniques climbers use to create friction within a climbing system, particularly on a climbing rope, so that a falling climber does not fall very far. A climbing partner typically applies tension at the other end of t ...
.
Tying
File:Neunerknoten-1.jpg
File:Neunerknoten-2.jpg
File:Neunerknoten-3.jpg
Figure-of-nine knot
The knot can also be tied with the end of a rope - a single strand replaces the double strand, and therefore a naked end replaces the loop. This knot can be rearranged to form a stopper knot, in the same manner as a
figure-of-eight stopper knot.
File:Figure9stage1.jpg
File:Figure9stage2.jpg
File:Figure9stage3.jpg
File:Figure9tightened.jpg
File:Figure9stopper.jpg
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Figure-Of-Nine Loop
Climbing knots