Projects from theMonkey’s Fist
Projects from theThe monkey’s fist is a classic sailor’s knot. It often serves as a weight at the end of a heaving line, making it easier to throw the line a distance. A heaving line is a lightweight line that is tied to a heavier line and tossed from a boat to a dock or to another boat. The person on the receiving end of the heaving line then pulls the rest of the line over and ties up the boat.
Head to the nearest beach or river to find a hefty rock for a nautical doorstop. Other projects made with the monkey’s fist knot include a dog throw toy and a key fob.
The monkey’s fist knot is made by wrapping a round (or roundish) object with three wraps of cordage that are at right angles to one another. The last set of wraps goes under the first set of wraps.
Wrapping the rope around the rock to make a monkey’s fist knot.
For the first project we will cover a stone with 
-inch cotton rope (you can use manila rope if you prefer) to serve as a doorstop. (If you use a smaller rock, which is perfectly OK, then use thinner twine and a shorter length than called for in the materials list.)
4- to 5-inch round or oblong rock
16 feet of 
-inch cotton rope
sharp knife or scissors
ruler
masking tape and/or wire garden ties (to help hold the rope in place while the knot is being tied)
The rock I’m using measures about 4 inches by 5 inches. Naturally, your rock won’t be exactly the same as mine, but the materials listed for this project will cover most of the rock. I say “most” because I think it adds a little interest if some of the rock shows.
Use the drawing and instructions below as a guide to make the doorstop.
As you make the monkey’s fist knot, you might want to use masking tape and/or garden ties to hold the wraps in place on the rock. Follow these steps, which include a mock tie (steps 1 through 4) to accurately get the amount of material needed for the final tie and then a retying:
1 
Take up one end of the length of rope and tape it to the rock.
2 Wrap the rope four times around the rock. As you make the wraps, leave a space between the rock and the rope about the diameter of your thumb. You will be threading the rope under these wraps later on.
3 Make a right-angle turn and wrap the rope tightly four more times.
4 Make another right-angle turn and wrap the rope four more times. Thread the rope under the first set of wraps and over the second set of wraps as you add these final wraps.
Starting the second set of wraps on the rock.
Adding the third and final set of wraps to the rock.
5 Leave an extra 2 feet on the working end of the rope and then cut the rope.
6 Take the rope off the rock, making sure the ends are taped to prevent any unraveling. Now we’ll tie the real doorstop. Tape one end to the rock and make four neat wraps around the rock, leaving a space between the rock and the cord about the diameter of your thumb.
7 Make a right-angle turn and wrap four more times. To help keep the wraps in line and neat, I use either a strip of masking tape or wire garden ties. Sometimes I use both because the cordage is prone to slipping off the rock.
The finished doorstop.
8 This last series of wraps is the knot’s finish. Make still another right-angle turn and slide the end of the rope between the rock and the first layer of wraps. Go out and over the second layer of wraps, preventing them from slipping away, then under the second half of the first set of wraps, and then over the second part of the second layer of wraps.
9 Continue wrapping until you have four passes.
10 When you have finished the knot, remove any visible tape or garden ties. Then draw out all the slack and clip the ends close. It’s perfectly OK to alter the number of wraps on one or all three layers. I’ve done that on the larger rock shown on the chapter opening photo.
This is a great dog toy. The two loose ends will turn into fringe, adding another element of interest to the dog. He or she has a choice: do I carry the toy by the ball or by the fringe?
2½-inch-diameter hard rubber ball
16 feet of -inch cotton rope
sewing needle and heavy cotton thread
sharp knife or scissors
ruler
masking tape (to help hold the rope in place while the knot is being tied)
T pins
Follow these steps to make a dog toy.
1 Unravel several inches of rope at one end. Tie off the neck of the unraveled part with a piece of cotton thread (see photo).
2 Wrap the unraveled ends around the rubber ball to create a monkey’s fist knot (see the doorstop project). Use one of the strands for each set of wraps. Use the pins to hold the knot in place on the ball as you work on it.
3 When you finish the knot, sew the neck of the rope just under the ball to keep the rope from unraveling. Sew the working ends of the strands in place under the wrap.
1-inch-diameter wooden ball, available in crafts stores
7 feet of #48 cotton seine twine sewing needle and heavy cotton thread
sharp knife or scissors
ruler
The watch or key fob is an ever-so-popular novelty. Sailors around the world in all branches of service can make the monkey’s fist key or watch fob. Look at the photo on the first page of this chapter to see the key fob.
The dog toy tied with a manrope knot.
The cotton seine twine I used for the monkey’s fist fob shown in this chapter is #48 (6 feet in length).
Follow these steps to make the watch or key fob:
1 Make a monkey’s fist knot around the wooden ball. Leave 6 inches of twine free at the working end and at the bitter end of the knot.
2 When you finish the knot, hold the working end and the bitter end together and tie an overhand knot in the twine. (Note: I always sew my monkey fist key fobs because they get hard use. I wouldn’t want one to come back with the ends coming out—calling into question the maker’s tying abilities!)
3 As you draw up the cordage around the ball, leave the slack in one area; don’t pull it all the way through the knot. You’ll see that a bight of about 6 inches of slack will form halfway through the knot. It will be hanging out like a pouch. After the working ends are sewn tightly, go back to the slack and tie a tight overhand knot or a knob knot close to the ball. Now you can tie a cow hitch/lark’s head knot to attach your keys.
Unraveled cotton rope that makes a fringe at the end of the dog toy.
The dog toy tied with a monkey’s fist around a rubber ball, finished with an overhand knot before the fringe.
