Bottle sling
| Bottle sling | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Names | Bottle sling, Bottle knot, Jug sling, Jug knot, Jar knot, Moonshiner's knot, Hackamore, Bridle knot |
| Category | Binding |
| Origin | Ancient |
| Related | Jury mast knot, Fiador knot |
| Typical use | Suspending bottles and other cylindrical objects, makeshift hackamores |
| Caveat | Cord must be scaled to size of bottle's flare or collar |
| ABoK | #260, #1142, #2007, #2186, #2300, #2554 |
The bottle sling (or jug sling) is a knot which can be used to create a handle for a glass or ceramic container with a slippery narrow neck, as long as the neck widens slightly near the top.[1]
Knots such as the constrictor knot, the strangle knot, and the miller's knot are similar to the bottle sling in that, when tightened around a cylindrical object, they maintain their grip on the object after the tension on the ends of the rope are released. However the bottle sling's specific form allows a cylinder, assuming it has even a slight flare or collar, to be lifted along its axis when the knot is loaded by all four strands.[1] With appropriate size cord, most wine bottles can be reliably suspended with this knot.
History
The bottle sling was described in detail by Greek physician Heraklas in his first century monograph on surgical knots and slings. Clearly familiar with the knot, Heraklas provided three distinct tying methods.[2][3] Knot expert Cyrus L. Day believed the bottle sling was not described again in print until Craigin's 1884 A Boy's Workshop.[4][5]
The knot has also been used as an improvised hackamore or emergency bridle, with the two central overhand knot parts of the knot acting as a bit, one of the outer bights passing over the top of the animal's muzzle, and the other passing under the jaw.[1]
Tying
Perhaps not surprisingly—given three were already known to the ancient greeks—there are many methods to tie the bottle sling. Swedish physiologist and knot researcher Hjalmar Öhrvall listed eight methods in his 1916 book Om Knutar.[6][7]
One method for tying the bottle sling is similar to the loop-and-weave method used to tie the jury mast knot and the trumpet knot. The knot is begun by making a bight in a piece of rope and folding the bight back on itself to make two separated loops that are mirror images of each other. Lay one loop on top of the other so that they overlap slightly and create a cat's eye shaped hole above a triangular shaped hole between the two loops. Make a bird's beak with your index and thumb and weave them down through the top loop, up through the cat's eye and down through the bottom loop, bunching the coils of rope against your fingers. Pinch the section of rope that was the bottom of the triangle and flip the coils over the pinched section. The flip may take a little practice, but the pinched section should become a short bight hanging off a circular shaped knot.
The resulting knot makes a circle that can be dropped over the top of a bottle. Pulling the bight and the running ends firmly will tighten the knot against the neck of the bottle. Looping the running ends through the bight will make a sling that grips and can be used to lift a glass bottle even if it's wet. This provides a convenient method of lowering a beverage bottle from a boat into the water to chill.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Ashley, Clifford W. (1944), The Ashley Book of Knots, New York: Doubleday, p. 208
- ^ Day, Cyrus L. (1967), Quipus and Witches' Knots, Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, pp. 87–88, 119–124
- ^ Hage, J. Joris (April 2008), "Heraklas on Knots: Sixteen Surgical Nooses and Knots from the First Century A.D.", World Journal of Surgery, vol. 32, no. 4, p. 652, doi:10.1007/s00268-007-9359-x, PMID 18224483, retrieved 2009-07-15
{{citation}}: More than one of|number=and|issue=specified (help) - ^ Day, p. 88
- ^ Craigin, Harry (1884). A Boy's Workshop. Boston: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard. pp. 212–213.
- ^ van de Griend, Pieter (2008), "Hjalmar Öhrwall on Knots (1): Life and Works", Knot News (67), International Guild of Knot Tyers - Pacific Branch, ISSN 1554-1843
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Öhrvall, Hjalmar (1916). Om Knutar (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Albert Bonniers Förlag. p. 96–104.
External links
