With our eldest starting school it has thrown my day out of kilter a little bit.
She gets the bus to high school at 8.05 and the other two can't get into school until 8.35 (more like 8.40 when they eventually open the gates). So we have a bit of time to kill.
The scout hut is right next door to the school and being a leader I have access. So we have been sneaking in there most mornings...
I have decided that rather than just spending that time on my phone, or wasting time another way, that we should try to learn something.
So we've been going in and doing some knots. It's a weak subject of my own so I figure this will help us all out. My daughter has a friend who gets to school as equally early so he's come in with us a few times as well.
We practice the previous days knot then try to learn a new one. I read somewhere that if you do something for 15 minutes a day you'll be better than 90% of the population at it. I'm not sure how long we'll stick at this but it could be a fun way to spend a bit of time each day.
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| When I was an apprentice if I tied the rope up wrong to go back in the van I would always get chastised! Now it's my turn... |
We should certainly get our knots badge if nothing else!
I could do with a good book on knots though - anyone have one they recommend?
What else could we learn in 20 minutes a day (that doesn't use too much early morning brain power!)?
I was only ever able to teach my cubs a reef knot - always left all the rest to Colin who knew them all without even thinking about them which I found amazing - my brain just wouldn't learn how to do them!
ReplyDeleteI think having a rhyme or some way of remembering it is key for me. I like the rabbit going up the hole and round the tree! Reef knot is right over left, left over right...
DeleteThe classic is Ashley's Book of Knots but it's an arm and a leg!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've looked at that one. Maybe I can find it cheaper secondhand somewhere.
DeleteWhat a great (and useful) way to spend the time! My own knowledge of knots is far, far weaker than it should be - but as you demonstrate, eminently repairable.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've always hated not being able to tie things properly. Dad always tried to teach me the trucker hitch, but I still can't do it. That's one of my aims!
DeleteYou could probably check out knot making online and then print off copies to use for reference - thus avoiding the high cost of buying "Book of Knots".
ReplyDeleteThat's what I've been doing so far. Some have great instructions and others not so much, I'd like one where I can trust it to teach us well.
DeleteUS Coast Guard: How To Tie Knots (online) provides some nice instruction with photos for 12 useful knots. I can tie knots used for sailing but that is the extent of my ability.
ReplyDeleteThat's more than I can tie! I have some good online resources, but I find the screens a distraction in the scout hut and would like to avoid it if I could.
DeleteI fondly remember my scouting days and the knot tying section. The two knots I use the most by far are the bowline and trucker's hitch knots. The former is a quick way to tie off the end of a rope to something and easily get it undone later no matter how much force was applied to it. The latter is used to tighten ropes around loads and also get it easily undone afterwards. Nothing I hate worse than spending fifteen minutes untying a handful of granny knots done by someone else.
ReplyDeleteThere are some really good online resuorces for knot tying. Practice bowlines one handed (like tying a rope around yourself while hanging on with one hand) we tried it while being towed behind a sailing boat we might have fallen out of.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a fun way to make it interesting. I'm not sure we're up to one handed tying yet. Although today both of my two could tie a bowline straight away which was good. I think it's a case of doing one new one then going back and practicing the ones we already have done. Trying to do them daily for as long as possible,
DeleteYou knotty boy!
ReplyDeleteBoom Boom! Love it.
DeleteI'm pretty sure I left a comment about the bowline and the truckers hitch being my two most used knots but perhaps it went to spam.
ReplyDeleteAh sorry if it did Ed, I'll have a look for it. Yeah I think the truckers hitch would have been helpful over the years! Dad had to be good at it as he never used to have rachet straps. But I could never quite get it!
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