Know a Knot! The Square or Reef Knot
Welcome back to Know a Knot! Today we’re going to talk about the square or reef knot, usually just known as the square knot. I came up calling it the square knot so that’s what I call it, but if you prefer reef knot, go for it!
How To Build a Lock Library
There is a ton of material out there about lockpicking and how to get good at it. There isn’t a whole lot of material about actually building a collection of locks with which to practice. As someone who has been very good at lockpicking and taught it for a living for five years I can tell you: having access to a large number of locks is essential. Today I’m going to talk about how to build a lock library that supports learning and progress.
Know a Knot! Directional Figure Eight
In this installment of Know A Knot we’re going to talk about a knot that kicked my butt for a long time. It’s a middle-of-the-line loop called the directional figure eight.
Know a Knot! The Retrace Figure 8
In this installment of Know-a-Knot we are going to build on a knot we already know: the Figure Eight Loop. The Figure Eight has many variations, and this isn’t the last version of the Figure Eight that I will show you. This week is kind of special because we are actually going to learn two knots: the Figure of Eight, and the Retrace Figure Eight.
Know a Knot! The Bowline
So far in the Know a Knot! series we have covered one anchoring knot, one joining knot, and one middle-of-the-line knot. Today we are going to cover one of the most important knots you can know: the bowline.
Homestead Planning 1: Site Selection
I recently received a reader email interested in my homesteading project. He asked quite a few questions, and I am going to address several of them here. Expect to see some more articles on homestead planning considerations, as well as some progress reports from me in the near future.
The Problem with “Armageddon” and “TEOTWAWKI”
Recently I was talking to a friend. I was explaining – or rather, complaining about – my brother-in-law’s sub-par state of preparedness. The response I got was, “he should be good for anything short of Armageddon.” I’d like to like to parse that sentence just a bit because I think there is a lot to learn from it.
Know a Knot! The Double Fisherman’s Bend
Welcome back to Know a Knot! The last joining knot we covered was the double sheet bend. Today we’re going to cover another joining knot: the double fisherman’s bend.
Beyond Beginner Prepping: Building Material
The vast, overwhelming majority of preparedness articles focus on the basics: food, water, shelter, defense, first aid, etc. These articles are sorely needed (and I may duplicate them myself one day) but articles going beyond the basics are few and far between. This week I’m taking a break from gun stuff and talking about a “beyond basic” preparedness category that is often overlooked: building material.
Know A Knot! The Alpine Butterfly
So far in the Know a Knot! series we have covered one anchoring knot and one joining knot. Today we we are going to cover our first middle-of-the-line knot, the Alpine Butterfly.