Blood Knot

[Dink]

Does anyone know the origin of it became called a blood knot?

[bruce johnson]

A wise old man told me that the name came from pushing your knife through the string into your finger. Everybody has done it. On the other hand, I have personal experience with a tool called a string bleeder specially made to cut that slit. I was wearing flip-flops and had a string bleeder roll off my bench, do a 90 gegree turn, and land vertically stuck in the top of my foot like a yard dart. It was like slow motion and I still didn't respond. You know that big vein on your arch? String bleeders are on them like a heat seeking missile. It didn't bleed until I pulled it out, but then was a real stream. Wore a casing bag on my foot to get across the house to the bandaids. Cats that were around then are still traumatized if I rattle a plastic bag. The same wise old man told me you will never cut yourself if you have bandaids handy in your shop.

[Cyberthrasher]

The same wise old man told me you will never cut yourself if you have bandaids handy in your shop.

Now that you mention it, I've never cut myself when there are bandages around.

[katsass]

A wise man told me once that "just because you haven't cut yourself recently, is no reason to get rid of the bandaids"

[TwinOaks]

Wow...lots of wise men.

An UNwise man once said "Hey y'all....watch this!"

ahem....back on topic. The only reference I see in the ABOK is that a blood knot is a double overhand knot tied in a cat o' nine tails (or similar flog) used to cause welting and bleeding.

In fishing terms, my google-fu turned up very little on the history of it, other than that's it's good for monofilament lines. It was probably used in stranded fishing lines before the development of mono lines because the knot is pretty compact and mostly symmetrical around the line. This means that is can pass through the guides of a fishing pole better than a knot that's 'lopsided' to a line.

I can offer the speculation that the name comes from ONE person's description, and then spread from there. Consider the British vernacular use of "bloody", as in "Bloody 'ell!!!" The name might just have derived from one cranky old salt complaining about having to repair his fishing line ......i.e. "the line broke and now I gotta tie this bloody knot".....which became shortened to 'blood knot'.

I don't know if that has any chance of being right.....but it sounds pretty good!!!

[DoubleC]

I only know of the term from tying rope halters, they are put in positions of pressure points on the horses face. And they are used simply because the double overhand looks neater than two singles, and applies a little more even pressure. I'm not sure what kind of knots the OP mean actually because I've made a rope halter with it and it didn't involve a cutting tool :-) And I think you would have to be very big, and probably use a solid post of some kind to ever raise blood on a horse with these. I use a rope halter with my horse because when I rescued her, she'd grown 'into' her nylon one, actually embedded into her face and left dents, and she could drag me to Texas and back without a rope halter, the knots work like the nose button on a bosal. But she's never been in any pain from it or even so much as put her ears back with it on except perhaps at first. She knows she can't get in front of me now and bull through it so she doesn't bother.

And I do use the same thing on my fishing line but just realized it was the same concept from Mike's response. Oh and when someone on here accused me of being cruel to the horse and said he'd seen horses in cross ties actually bring blood when spooked, I explained I used a nylon halter over it for cross ties. It's just for getting her from one place to another. Or ground work, not to be flogged with or whatever consenting adults do with that stuff.

Can some 'wise' man here twll me how you get cut tying one of these? Thanks, Cheryl (bandaids right next to me)

[TwinOaks]

On some versions of the knot, when tied in multi-strand cords or strings, you pass the running end (of the string/cord) through the string itself (instead of a loop) to better "lock" the running end in place. To get the string through itself, you use a fid, awl, or knife to separate the strands.

[DoubleC]

OH ok, I didn't know that. I got so frustrated trying to tie those from two different directions, but not cut :-) Thanks Mike

[bruce johnson]

Here are a few ways I use blood knots - bit hangers and concho holders on some headstalls, strap ends, and saddle strings.

[DoubleC]

OK, we're talking about two different knots Bruce. I've slit strings like the to run them through on my saddle. Cheryl

[daleoffshore]

I was in fishing mode as well,different knot. I was talking of Pacific Halibut eariler today.

[DoubleC]

This was what I meant by a blood knot. Cheryl

[TwinOaks]

dang....learnt sumthin new.

I don't have access to any saddle makers around here, but a guy at a tack shop called it a "latch knot". I guess he was thinking "night latch", and it made sense, so I never bothered to look further into it. Thank you Bruce.

[Dink]

alot of interesting answers but I must say Bruce's is the most logical and believable to me.

Edited September 24, 2012 by Dink

[silverback]

I thought it might be called a blood knot because it looks like leather bleeding through the slit(wound)!