For all I know, someone may already have found this method. But it is
new to me, and I cannot find it on the Net, so I thought some of you
might like to hear about it.
The Zeppelin loop is not widely known or used, which is a pity since it
is very secure as well as easy to untie and adjust. The stumbling block
is no doubt the way it is tied. The best method yet appears to be the
one outlined on this page:
http://www.geocities.com/roo_two/zeppelinloop.html
First of all, this method can be improved a tad. Imagine a mirror image
of this procedure, and you can think b and q while doing it. (Make a b,
and put the ascender up through the loop of the b. Latch on the q by
putting the end up through the loop made by the ascender of the b.
Finish the q. Put the end down through the loops of the b and the q.
The missing details are obvious if you know how to tie the bend with b
and q.)
I think this is marginally better since you have a "map" of b and q to
follow while tying it. But even with this slight improvement it is
still a method that requires concentration and good lighting. There's
got to be a better way, I thought, and after some tinkering I came up
with this method:
(1) Make a loop closed by an overhand knot on top.
(2) Make another overhand knot above so that the two overhand knots form
a square knot. You now have a square knot with a loop hanging from two
of its ends.
(3) Fold the square knot toward you into the loop.
(4) Put the bight down through the hole in the square knot. You now
have a Zeppelin loop.
Do this a few times, and it becomes very easy after a while. Just make
sure to get all the threads cleanly through the square knot in step (4),
else you will have a mess. If you make an error in steps (3) or (4),
you just end up with the square knot and loop from which you started, so
this method seems fairly resilient to errors.
It goes without saying that there are cases where this method cannot be
used. If the loop has to pass through a stationary ring, we shall have
to use the slow and sure method with b and q.
Hope you found this interesting. If it really is a new method, I will
try to provide some photos and explanation on my homepage.
And, this was my first post here - hello to everyone.
--
Tore
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